NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES
- A ship carrying more than 1,200 tons of humanitarian aid set sail for the Gaza Strip from the port of Misrata in western Libya, according to a statement from the municipality. The ship will first reach the Port of El-Arish in Egypt before entering Gaza via a land route from Rafah. Teams from the Misrata municipality and the Libyan Red Crescent are on board and will accompany the aid until it reaches Gaza.
- In the week from 17 to 23 March 2024, 579 migrants were intercepted and brought back to Libya, a decrease of 29.13 percent compared to the 817 people recovered at sea in the previous week from 10 to 16 March. This was reported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) office in Libya in the latest update published on its social media channels.
NATIONAL POLITICS AND SOCIAL ISSUES
- The Biden administration has notified Congress of its plan to restore the US diplomatic presence in Libya, after a decade of unrest in the North African country that forced US diplomats to evacuate the US embassy in Tripoli. The State Department submitted formal notification to lawmakers this month, beginning what the department expects will be a one- to two-year process to establish a “temporary diplomatic facility” in Libya, a senior State Department official told Al-Monitor.
- In an escalating standoff between the executive and oversight bodies, Oil Minister Mohammed Aoun has challenged his suspension from office by the Administrative Control Authority (ACA), setting the stage for a potential legal confrontation. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, March 26, Aoun flatly denied receiving any formal notification of his suspension. “I have not been served the suspension order from the ACA,” he stated, signaling his intent to contest the matter through legal avenues. “Every incident has its story,” Aoun added cryptically.
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British ambassador to Libya, Martin Longden, said that the international community must redouble collective efforts to become a positive force because what is happening in Libya concerns not only the Libyan people, “but all of us”. Longden explained in an article in the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Libya is located at a strategic crossroads. “It is a Mediterranean country on the southern flank of Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), but it is much more than that.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- Deputy chairman of Presidential Council, Abdullah Al-Lafi, held talks in Tripoli with Russia’s Ambassador, Aydar Aganin. According to a statement by the Libyan council, the two discussed Libya’s national reconciliation file, particularly, the council’s preparations for the convening of the inclusive national conference “in which all segments of the Libyan people will participate.”
- During a press conference marking the arrival of the first Turkish Airlines flight to Mitiga International Airport, Libyan Transport Minister Mohammed Al-Shhoubi welcomed this step after a hiatus of nearly 10 years. Al-Shhoubi indicated that the landing of Turkish Airlines flights at Mitiga Airport represents a guarantee to all international institutions concerned with civil aviation and affirms the stability of the security situation in Libya and its commitment to implementing civil aviation safety and security standards.
