Libya Security Highlights (October 5 – 11, 2020)

The Libyan Defense Minister Salah al-Namrush said on October 10 the intelligence information about Khalifa Haftar forces’ movement to the western region is very accurate, in what seemed a statement in response to Haftar’s spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari.

The defense minister of Libya’s United Nations-recognized government has warned that eastern-based Gen. Khalifa Haftar is preparing to launch an attack, and instructed the general staff to be on guard at the highest level on October 8.

On the international level, UNSMIL said in a statement on October 10 the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) will be held according to a hybrid formula, through a series of virtual sessions as well as face-to-face meetings.

AL-KHUMS

• the Turkish Navy has begun a six-week training course for the Libyan Navy diving personnel. The Turkish Ministry of Defense published on October 10 photos of the training session, which it said was taking place in Al-Khums, in accordance with the training, cooperation and military agreement with Libya. The Turkish Defense Minister, Hulusi Akar, recently confirmed that Turkey is sharing its military resources and experience with the Government of National Accord (GNA), by providing military training for the Libyan forces, in execution of the agreement signed between both countries in November of last year.

BANI WALID – GARYAN – TARHUNA

• the Libyan Defense Minister Salah al-Namrush said on October 10 the intelligence information about Khalifa Haftar forces’ movement to the western region is very accurate, in what seemed a statement in response to Haftar’s spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari, who denied mobilization of armed forces toward western Libya. Al-Namrush said the intelligence information is based on minute notices and accurate accounts, not on reporters’ words, adding that the recurrent violations of ceasefire by Haftar’s forces are a living proof that they keep no promises and that they have no morals;
• the defense minister of Libya’s United Nations-recognized government has warned that eastern-based Gen. Khalifa Haftar is preparing to launch an attack, and instructed the general staff to be on guard at the highest level on October 8. Defense Minister Salah Eddine al-Namrush said Haftar’s forces are preparing to attack the Bani Walid, Garyan and Tarhuna regions. Al-Namrush instructed the general staff, regional commands and western region joint operation department to be ready to repel the attacks by Haftar.

BANI WALID – QURAYYAT – SHWERF

• the Commander of the Joint Force in the Western Region, Brigadier General Fitori Gribel, said that monitoring reconnaissance teams of the Libyan Army are presently carrying out their duties at the highest level. In a press statement on October 9, Gribel added that the Joint Force has observation points in all three areas of Qurayyat, Shwerf and Bani Walid, to continuously monitor any dubious movements on the part of Haftar’s forces.

TRIPOLI

• the Office of the Military Prosecutor said in a statement on October 7 that the Undersecretary of Health Ministry Mohammed Haythem fled Libya with a fake passport, pretending to be an injured fighter. The statement said Haythem is wanted like other officials at the Military Medical Apparatus, who were summoned by the office, to provide statements and be interrogated over squandering the funds of the Apparatus, of which Haythem was the Director;

• the Investigation Department of the Attorney General’s Office ordered the imprisonment of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Afriqiyah Airways, Mustafa Matoug, along with a number of officials, in connection with corruption cases, charging them with causing serious mishandling of public funds. Yet another order was issued to arrest and imprison Fawzi al-Ramalli, Director of the Africa Trade and Investment Company in the state of Mauritius, which is affiliated to the Libyan Aid Fund, accusing him of misusing funds entrusted to him on unspecified general purposes;
• the Investigation Department of the Attorney General’s Office has ordered on October 6 the detention and imprisonment of the Mayor of the Janzour Municipality, Faraj Aban. Aban was questioned and investigated thoroughly, after which he was accused of abuse of his position and power;

• the Fursan Janzour Brigade of the Libyan Army issued an explanation regarding an explosion which occurred on October 5 in an ammunition store at the brigade’s headquarters in Janzour, which caused public panic in the surrounding areas. The brigade said in a communiqué posted on its official Facebook page that the incident occurred as a result of an unexpected explosion of war remnant weapons, which had been collected and stored at the location following the attack on Tripoli.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

• the Head of the Presidential Council, Fayez al-Sarraj discussed on October 11 with the Italian, Algerian and European Union ambassadors to Libya the three guidelines to solve the country’s economic, political and security crisis, according to the Berlin Conference’s conclusions;
• the European Union (EU) confirmed on October 11 its absolute readiness to provide any form of support for a productive ceasefire procedure, in close coordination with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), whenever it may be requested of them to do so;
• UNSMIL said in a statement on October 10 the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) will be held according to a hybrid formula, through a series of virtual sessions as well as face-to-face meetings. UNSMIL said the overall objective of the LPDF will be to generate consensus on a unified governance framework and arrangements that will lead to the holding of national elections in the shortest possible timeframe in order to restore Libya’s sovereignty and the democratic legitimacy of Libyan institutions;
• the Algerian President, Abdelmajid Tebboune, said that any possible solution in Libya could only come through elections, which would direct civil institutions away from international interference in the conflict. “Any attempt to reach a solution without elections is a waste of time and an aggravation of the situation in the country” he said;
• the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova said Moscow is preparing to hold a Libyan dialogue that will include 100 political personalities from Tripoli, Cyrenaica, and Fezzan, in order to agree on a unified transitional authority in the country;
• the European Union (EU) said that the Berlin process is the only option to end the Libyan crisis, the terrible suffering of the Libyan civilian population and the avoidance of further instability within the region;
• eight European ambassadors left Tunisia for Libya on October 10 to present their credentials to the relevant authorities in Tripoli. According to sources, the delegation included ambassadors of the European Union, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Finland;

• members of the High Council of State (HCS) and Tobruk-based House of Representatives agreed on October 10 that the Constitutional Declaration and the Libya Political Agreement signed in Skhirat, Morocco 2015, will be the reference point to any political talks;
• members from Libya’s House of Representatives and the High Council of State met on October 9 in Malta for peace talks in a new effort to get the country out of the current crisis. The politicians said they were hopeful that a solution is “close” following Malta-facilitated peace talks;

• the Indian Foreign Ministry has said contacts are underway with the Libyan authorities to secure the release of seven of its citizens, who were kidnapped last month in southwestern Libya. “The Indian government is making all possible efforts, in consultation and coordination with the Libyan authorities and international organizations, to secure the release of the abductees who were working in a construction and oil supply company,” a statement by the Indian Foreign Ministry said on October 9;
• the German government warned its citizens on October 9 against traveling to Libya, as it is on the list of countries which is classified as ‘dangerous areas’ in the world to travel to, due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus in the country;
• the United States Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, said that he held good discussions with Turkish officials in Ankara on the Libyan crisis on October 9. According to the US Embassy on Twitter, Norland added that discussions confirm Turkey’s support for Libyan political dialogue, and highlight the necessity to strengthen the de-facto ceasefire;
• the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Government of National Accord, led by Fayez Al-Sarraj, is the only legitimate structure in Libya that is recognized by the international community. Erdogan said Turkey and Libya, which have the longest coastline in the Mediterranean, signed two memoranda of understanding concerning the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas and military cooperation;
• the Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune has said resolving Libya’s crisis comes through elections based on institutions and a new constitution that strikes balance in the country’s political polarization;
• on October 7, the United States Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, held discussions with the chief of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service (GIS), Abbas Kamel, in Cairo, on the ceasefire efforts in Libya;

• delegates from the Libyan High Council of State (HCS) and the Tobruk-based Parliament signed an agreement on October 6 at talks in Moroccan Bouznika on the criteria for the appointment to key institutions. In a joint statement after the meeting, the two parties confirmed that they had reached a comprehensive understanding regarding the mechanisms and criteria for appointments of leadership positions in the sovereign institutions stipulated according to Article 15 of the Libyan Political Agreement;

• the delegations of the Libyan Parliament (House of Representatives) and the High State Council, participating in the second round of the Libyan dialogue sessions in Bouznika, Morocco, called on October 5 on the international parties to support the Bouznika track which they said had ‘‘achieved positive results”;
• the UN Acting Envoy to Libya, Stephanie Williams, has called for a permanent ceasefire and a political solution to the conflict in Libya, noting that resolving the Libyan crisis remains a top priority for the United Nations;
• UNSMIL Acting head Stephanie Williams said that a UN high-level ministerial meeting on Libya on October 5 emphasized that the UNSMIL-facilitated process should be the only game in town to bring Libyans together and forge an inclusive political solution, and that and the International Community should unite behind and support these UN efforts;
• Germany’s capital virtually hosted on October 5 the Berlin II Conference on Libya under the auspices of the United Nations in the presence of the countries that attended Berlin I last January in addition to Libya’s neighboring states and Switzerland as well as the Netherlands;
• the US Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, held discussions with the Speaker of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR), Agilah Saleh, in the Egyptian Capital Cairo on October 5. According to media sources, the meeting reviewed the latest developments on the Libyan situation;

• the United Nations Fact-finding mission said on October 5 its work has been hindered by the lack of funds needed to operate, citing funds’ crisis at the UN. The Head of the mission, Mohammed Aujjar from Morocco, said delayed funding hampered outlining the operations for the mission to work on once sent to Libya;
• the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) confirmed on October 5 its commitment in assisting, in any way possible, the investigation committee formed by the Ministry of Justice in the matter of the discovery of mass graves, in order to collect data and information.