NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES
- An attempt to smuggle a large shipment of Turkish-made rifles into Libya through the Khoms port has been foiled, Libyan customs authorities announced. The customs agency said in a statement that inspectors at the Khoms customs center discovered 500 rifles concealed inside boxes within a 40-foot shipping container arriving from Turkey. The guns were hidden amongst ordinary goods such as furniture, shoes and clothing, according to officials.
NATIONAL POLITICS AND SOCIAL ISSUES
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Libya’s army chief Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar convened a high-level security meeting to discuss operations and plans within cities and along the country’s borders.
- Libyan National Army commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar held talks with leaders of the Barghathi and Awagher tribes on Saturday following the apprehension of former Defense Minister Al-Mehdi Al-Barghathi in Benghazi. Marshal Haftar met with prominent Barghathi elder Abdulsalam Abdelati Al-Barghathi and Awagher tribal chiefs in the city of Al-Rajma. Also in attendance were the LNA chief of staff, military prosecutor, and deputy interior minister for eastern Libya.
- Authorities in eastern Libya have commenced distributing financial compensation to residents of the flood-ravaged city of Derna through a committee formed by the Benghazi-based government and Libyan National Army leadership. An initial group of approximately 106 verified recipients affected by last month’s flooding received aid checks at an event held at Derna’s National Theater.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- The Italian government has expressed support for proposals by Libya’s interim leadership to rebuild areas devastated by recent flooding, Libya’s Presidential Council said Sunday. In a meeting with Council chief Mohamed Menfi, Italian Ambassador Giuseppe Buccino conveyed Italy’s backing for plans to reconstruct flood-hit zones in eastern Libya and endorsed the council’s Supreme Financial Committee overseeing the efforts, according to a council statement.
- Imad Sayeh, chairman of the Libyan High National Election Commission, held talks with President of the Supreme Electoral Council of Turkey, Ahmet Yener, in Ankara to discuss cooperation and “exchange of experiences”, according to a statement by the Libyan commission.