Sep. 13, two Turkish A-400 cargo planes from Ankara land at Al-Watiya AB in W Libya. Other Turkish AF flights detected on following days.
Sep. 14, LNA-affiliated Tariq bin Ziyad Brigade clashes with Chadian opposition militants convoy in Tarbu, near Murzuq.
Sep. 15, UNGA unanimously extends UNSMIL mandate until Sep. 30.
TRIPOLI
- Sep. 18, the Libyan Ministry of Interior announced that 69 migrants were arrested in Tripoli’s Old City (Al-Madina Al-Kadima). Sep. 15, over 200 migrants of varying nationalities were arrested. This came as part of a campaign carried out by the Old City office in the General Administration of Central Support to seize illegal migrants. The migrants were referred to the Anti-Illegal Immigration Authority which would take the appropriate legal measures against them.
AL-KHUMS
- Sep. 19, the Customs Department at the Al-Khums sea port thwarted the smuggling of over 175,000 narcotic tablets inside a container coming from abroad. The department explained that it managed to foil the smuggling operation after receiving information that there was a container suspected of containing narcotics.
MURZUQ
- Sep. 14, the Libyan National Army (LNA) forces destroyed a convoy of Chadian opposition militants who were stationed in the Tarbu area, near the city of Murzuq, on the southern border of the country. In a statement, the Libyan Military Information Division said that the LNA-affiliated Tariq bin Ziyad Brigade carried out a military operation targeting Chadian mercenary groups and militants. It added that the LNA forces “will continue to fight against all foreign forces along the southern border areas,” noting that one Libyan soldier was killed in the clashes. According to Libya Review sources, the Chadian Forces entered Libya after clashing with the Chadian Army in Aouzou earlier on the same day.
ES SIDER, RAS LANUF
- Sep. 16, Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced the resumption of export operations at the Es Sider and Ras Lanuf oil terminals, after several demonstrations. The NOC said in a statement that Chairman, Mustafa Sanalla held talks with local elders who had helped to end the protests.
NATIONAL SECURITY
- Sep. 13, two Turkish military A400 cargo planes travelling from Ankara landed at Al-Watiya airbase in western Libya. According to data provided by Flightradar24, the two military planes arrived at the same time, one of them registered with the number 0080-17, and the other with the number 0051-15.
NATIONAL POLITICS AND SOCIAL ISSUES
- The Libyan Parliament’s Sep. 20 session will discuss requests to withdraw confidence from the GNU. Several other issues will be discussed, including the mass graves and poor services in the city of Tarhuna. Sep. 13, Libyan Parliament Spokesman Abdullah Bilhaq announced that 45 MP’s had submitted a motion to withdraw confidence from the Government of National Unity (GNU);
- Sep. 13, several residents of southern Libya gathered in Sebha, and called for the release of supporters of the former regime. In a statement, they urged the Government of National Unity (GNU), the Presidential Council, and the Parliament to release them immediately and without conditions. Sep. 19, notables in southern Libya demanded that the authorities release all political prisoners, including members of the Gaddafi regime.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, is set to participate in the ministerial meeting on the Libya Peace process, co-hosted by Germany, Italy and France. The meeting is scheduled to be held Sep. 22 on the sidelines of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York;
- Sep. 19, the Ghat Municipal Council received a shipment of medical supplies from the Italian Embassy in Libya. It will be allocated to the Ghat General Hospital. The Media Office of Ghat Municipality added that the Italian Embassy in Libya also provided a 400 KW electric generator for Ghat General Hospital. The Municipal Council indicated that the delivery of the shipment was supervised by the Dean of Ghat Municipality. It expressed that this came within the Solidarity Bridge between the Municipality of Ghat and the Italian Embassy;
- Sep. 18, the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized a shipment of weapons from Libya, and arrested four smugglers, including two Libyans. RSF Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ali Ahmed Mahmoud Awajeh said the RSF units were dispatched to the Saif al-Barli area on the border triangle after receiving intelligence about the presence of arms-trading gangs in the area;
- Sep. 18, the Italian Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio, announced that Italy, France and Germany will chair a high-level event on Libya, on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly next week in New York City. Di Maio affirmed the importance of holding the Libyan elections on schedule at the end of this year, according to AKI news;
- Sep. 17, after a closure that lasted nearly a decade, Libyan authorities announced the first flight to Malta to resume Sep. 20;
- Sep. 17, Libya and Egypt signed 13 memoranda of understanding (MoU) with an initial value of USD 33 bn (≈ LYD 147 bn) for the reconstruction of the country. According to Al-Ahram, the MoU’s include one between the Central Agency For Organisation and Administration in Egypt and the Civil Service in Libya. Another agreement was signed to establish a joint commercial committee. They also included an agreement between the Egyptian Industrial Development Authority and the Libyan Ministry of Industry and Minerals;
- Sep. 16, Tunisia’s President, Kais Saied ordered that the borders with Libya, which had been closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, to reopen Sep. 17. This came during a meeting with the Tunisian Foreign Minister, Othman Al-Jarandi, Interior Minister, Reda Gharslawi, and Health Minister, Ali Merabet, where the President was briefed on the outcomes of the Tunisian-Libyan joint security and health ministerial committees’ meetings;
- Sep. 16, Speaker of the Arab Parliament, Adel bin Abdel-Rahman Al-Asumi, called for the departure of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya. This came during a meeting with a Libyan parliamentarian delegation, headed by the First Deputy Speaker of the Libyan Parliament, Fawzi Al-Nuiri;
- Sep. 15, members of UN Security Council unanimously agreed to extend the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) until 30 September. In a statement, they noted that the situation in Libya “continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security.”;
- Sep. 15, Prime Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba received a delegation including the Counselor of the US Department of State, Derek Chollet, and US Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland. Chollet confirmed US support for the GNU, and its preparations for the December elections. “It’s a pleasure to visit Tripoli along with U.S. Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland. We met PM Dabaiba to reaffirm US support for the GNU’s work to stabilize Libya politically and economically, and to prepare for December’s elections,” the US Embassy in Tripoli tweeted;
- Sep. 13, Egyptian President, Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi received Libyan Parliament Speaker, Ageela Saleh, and Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. They held a meeting attended by the Head of the Egyptian General Intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel;
- Sep. 14, Libyan Interior Minister, Khaled Mazen met with the Secretary-General of Interpol, Jürgen Stock and discussed possible cooperation between the two sides. The Interior Ministry said in a statement that the meeting focused on, “combating terrorism, illegal immigration, and corruption.” “Mazen and Stock discussed ways of successful cooperation to implement security operations and the importance of coordination in this regard, on an ongoing basis,” the statement added.
