Mar. 25, unidentified gunmen in Benghazi kill Special Forces Cmdr. Al-Wirfalli.
Mar. 27, EU Council extends IRINI Mission until Mar. 31, 2023.
TRIPOLI
- The National Committee for Human Rights in Libya (NCHRL) has expressed its concern about reports that Mar. 27, Jamal Adas, the former Head of the Tripoli branch of the Civil Society Commission, was kidnapped. The last area where he appeared was in Zanatah before 1:00 pm, and for now his fate remains unknown;
- Mar. 27, the Head of the Administrative Control Authority (ACA) in Tripoli, Suleiman Al-Shanti, sent an official letter to Prime Minister of the Libyan Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdelhamid Dbaiba, requiring that the ACA be provided with the CVs of the members of the government and its Ministers as well as a copy of their academic qualifications;
- Mar. 26, Tripoli’s Rada Special Deterrence Forces announced on Friday, the arrest of a gang involved in armed robbery against gold and foreign currency merchants in the Al-Musheer market in Tripoli. In a video statement, Rada claimed that the gang consisted of six people, with four of them having been arrested. In addition to robbing merchants, the gang had been stealing vehicles since 2014;
- Mar. 25, Spokesman for Libya’s Government National Unity (GNU), Mohamed Hammouda held the government’s first press conference at the cabinet’s headquarters in Tripoli, quoting PM Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba as saying that Libya is in a critical stage, requiring further concerted efforts in light of the many challenges facing the country;
- Libya’s Minister of Health, Ali Al-Zanati of the Government of National Unity (GNU) met Mar. 22 with the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC). The meeting was attended by Director of the NCDC, Dr. Badr Al-Din Al-Najjar and members of the center’s steering committee. This comes within the framework of preparing for the launch of the national campaign for vaccination against COVID-19. They discussed the committee’s ongoing work, and the achievements it has made confronting the virus.
BENGASI
- Mar. 26, the Joint Security Chamber of Benghazi announced the arrest of two suspects in the assassination of Special Forces Commander in the Libyan National Army (LNA), Mahmoud Al-Wirfalli. In a statement, the chamber said that the arrest of the suspects was based on reports by the Benghazi Military Prosecution. A third suspect is believed to have fled to Egypt. It pointed out that legal measures will be taken to ensure that he is brought in for investigation. On Wednesday, Mar. 25, unidentified gunmen in Benghazi shot dead Al-Wirfalli. The LNA commander and two of his bodyguards were attacked outside the Arab Medical University Hospital.
SEBHA
- Mar. 27, the Health Minister of the Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU), Ali al-Zanati, and his delegation inspected Sebha to closely examine all the health sector needs in the southern municipalities in relation to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. He stressed that the Ministry will raise the level of services provided to the citizen.
SIRTE
- Mar. 23, The ‘Committee to Combat the Coronavirus Epidemic in Sirte’, announced a partial curfew in the city after the epidemiological situation worsened. During a meeting, the committee clarified that the curfew will start from 7:00 pm until 7:00 am, starting from Wednesday. It confirmed that it was agreed to issue a decision to close cafes, wedding halls, and stores, and to prevent public events and studies after the exams are over.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- Mar. 28, the African Union (AU) said it plans to renew the agreement signed with Rwanda to host stranded African migrants evacuated from Libya. The AU brokered a deal between Rwanda and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in September 2019, in order to establish a transit mechanism within its territory to act as a temporary home for African asylum seekers who were trapped in Libya, after their attempts to travel to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea failed;
- Mar. 27, the Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Ján Kubiš, addressed a speech to the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF). In this speech, he praised the LPDF’s work during the last phase, which enabled Libya to reach the current stage in record time;
- Mar. 27, the European Council decided to extend the mandate of the European Union (EU) Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) military operation in the Mediterranean – European Union Naval Force Mediterranean Operation (EUNAVFOR) MED IRINI – until Mar. 31, 2023;
- Mar. 27, the National Commission for Human Rights in Libya (NCHRL) called on the Libyan Presidential Council and the Government of National Unity (GNU) to nullify the Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on migration that were signed by the outgoing Government of National Accord (GNA) with Italy and Malta in 2017 and 2020;
- Mar. 25, Director-General of the Libyan Customs Authority, Suleiman Ali and his Tunisian counterpart, Youssef Zouaghi signed an agreement to reactivate operations of the joint customs port at the Ras Jedir border post;
- Mar. 25, French President Emmanuel Macron accused Turkey of violating the Berlin Conference agreements on Libya, by sending thousands of Syrian mercenaries and Turkish forces to the North African country;
- Mar. 25, Prime Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba held a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Germany’s Heiko Maas, and Italy’s Luigi Di Maio in Tripoli. In a statement, the GNU’s media office stated that the FM’s reaffirmed their unwavering support to the new intern government. They also congratulated the Libyan people and the GNU on the implementation of the roadmap approved by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF);
- Mar. 25, Head of the Libyan Presidential Council (PC), Mohamed Al-Menfi and his deputy Abdullah Lafi arrived in Cairo on a state visit to Egypt. The visit comes within the framework of strengthening bilateral relations between “the two brotherly peoples,” the PC’s media office stated;
- Mar. 25, China’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dai Bing said Beijing applauded the formation of the new Government of National Unity (GNU) in Libya. He stated that he hopes it will take over all executive functions as soon as possible, and end the longstanding divisions in the country, achieve national unity, and political stability;
- Mar. 25, France’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Nicolas de Rivière called on the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution “as soon as possible” regarding establishing a mechanism to monitor compliance with the ceasefire in Libya;
- Mar. 24, Speaker of Libyan Parliament, Ageela Saleh stated that cooperation with Italy was extremely important. He called for the strengthening and development of relations between the two countries. Saleh added that Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi would be able to strengthen relations with Libya;
- Mar. 23, Libyan Minister of Economy and Trade Mohamed Al-Hawaij met with British Ambassador to Libya, Nicholas Hopton in Tripoli, where they discussed ways to enhance joint trade and economic cooperation;
- Mar. 23, Head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Menfi headed a high-level delegation to Paris, where he held talks with French President, Emmanuel Macron. The first official visit of Al-Menfi comes in response to an invitation from the French President, in light of the two sides’ keenness to develop and enhance the strategic relations between Libya and France;
- Mar. 23, Libya’s Interior Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Khaled Al-Tijani Mazen met with the British Ambassador to Libya, Nicholas Hopton in Tripoli. They discussed strengthening bilateral relations, especially in the field of security. Mazen also met the Italian Ambassador to Libya, Giuseppe Buccino, to discuss enhancing cooperation between the two countries;
- Mar. 22, On Monday, Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, held a telephone conversation with the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, during which the latter expressed his country’s support for the new Libyan government;
- Mar. 22, the deputy head of Libya’s Presidential Council, Abdullah Al-Lafi held talks with the German Ambassador to Libya, Oliver Owcza. They exchanged views on the ongong political process, in particular the withdrawal of foreign forces, the reunification of divided institutions, and the legal ground for general elections;
- Mar. 22, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance welcomed Libya’s new Government of National Unity (GNU), and was considering capacity-building work if requested;
- Mar. 22, Head of Libya’s Presidential Council Mohamed Al-Menfi affirmed the commitment of the new executive authority to the Geneva outcomes. He confirmed supporting a comprehensive national reconciliation process and building a solid foundation for this reconciliation.
