Libya Security Highlights (April 26 – May 02, 2021)

GNU postpones Apr. 26 cabinet meeting in Benghazi as Haftar forces prevent govt security personnel from landing at Benina Airport.

Apr. 30, LNA chief Marshal Haftar meets HoR Speaker Saleh, Deputy PM Al-Qatrani on recent political developments.

May 1, Egypt appoints new Chargé d’Affairs after six-year hiatus in diplomatic relations.

BENGHAZI

• Apr. 27, Prime Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdel-Hamid Al-Dabaiba stated that he would pay a visit to Benghazi soon. Al-Dabaiba’s remarks came after the postponement of a government cabinet meeting in Benghazi Apr. 26. The PM described Benghazi as “the wing of Libya, without which the homeland could not fly. I greet our people in our dear city of Benghazi, and want to tell them that we {the government} will visit them soon.” He revealed that the government had approved the establishment of funds for the reconstruction of cities affected by war, such as Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirte, and Derna;
• The Libyan Government of National Unity (GNU) postponed its full cabinet meeting in Benghazi, which was scheduled to be held Apr. 26, according to the government’s official spokesman Mohamed Hamouda. In a statement, the spokesman said that the GNU’s meeting has been officially cancelled, and that a new date will be announced as soon as possible. GNU PM Al-Dabaiba was about to depart from Tripoli’s Mitiga Airport late Apr. 25 to visit Benghazi, according to government sources. He cancelled the visit, after LNA authorities refused to allow the GNU’s ministerial delegation to land in Benghazi. The PM was expected to hold a cabinet meeting in Benghazi, visit institutions and regions, and examine the extent of the city’s damage due to the civil war.

QUBA

• Apr. 30 evening, the Commander in Chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, held a meeting with the Parliamentary Speaker, Ageela Saleh, at the latter’s house in Al-Quba city. The talk was attended by the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Interim Government of National Unity (GNU), Hussein Al-Qatrani. In a briefing statement, the LNA General Command said that Haftar and Saleh discussed the latest political developments in the North African country.

RAS JEDIR

• May 1, a Tunisian citizen was arrested after he deliberately transported a large amount of narcotic pills in a car through the Ras Ajdir border crossing with Libya. He was intercepted by a patrol of the Tunisian National Guard’s Research and Inspection Division in Ben Guerdane and the Land Border Division of the National Guard in Choucha, in the South of the country.

SIRTE

• Apr. 29, the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) warned that it would reveal the parties and individuals that have hampered efforts to reopen the coastal road. In its joint statement, the JMC stated that it had appointed leadership for the joint military force based in Sirte. This is tasked with integrating personnel from rival sides in a step to unify the Libyan army;
• A delegation of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), arrived in Sirte to participate in the fourth meeting of the 5+5 Joint Military Committee (JMC) scheduled for Monday.

LIBYA-CHAD BORDER AREA

• On Sunday, the Al-Wahat Brigade, affiliated to the Gulf Military Zone, announced that it had managed to arrest a group of Chadian nationals smuggling fuel and arms from Libya to Chad. 3 Chadians were arrested, and 2 vehicles carrying firearms, ammunition, and grenades were seized.

MIGRATION

• Apr. 30, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that around 334 migrants of different African nationalities had been rescued off the coast of Libya and returned to Tripoli by the Libyan Coast Guard. UNHCR and IRC (International Rescue Committee) provided urgent medical and humanitarian assistance to all survivors before being taken to detention;
• Apr. 30, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Ted Chaiban, and UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia and Special Coordinator for the Refugee Migrant Response in Europe, Afshan Khan, in a joint statement said that in the previous week, as many as 125 children, including 114 unaccompanied children, were rescued at sea, off the coast of Libya;
• May 2, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that at least 11 migrants drowned when a rubber dinghy carrying two dozen people capsized off Libya. In a statement, the IOM said that the tragedy took place near the western town of Zawiya. The Libyan Coast Guard managed to rescue 12 migrants from the wreckage, and brought them ashore.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

• May 1, Egypt appointed Ambassador Mohamed Tharwat as Chargé d’Affairs to its Embassy in Tripoli, as Cairo seeks to restore diplomatic relations with Libya after a six-year hiatus. A diplomatic delegation from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited Tripoli May 1 to inform the Libyan government of the appointment of the Chargé d’Affairs, and to discuss reopening the Embassy;
• May 1, United States (US) Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said that Washington and Algeria want to see stability and prosperity in Libya and the Sahel region. During a phone call with his Algerian counterpart, Sabri Boukadoum, Blinken praised the role of Algeria in promoting stability in the Sahel region and Libya. He stressed the importance of promoting common interests between the two countries and achieving regional stability;May 1, the Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Najla El-Mangoush, received a telephone call from her Algerian counterpart, Sabri Boukadoum, to discuss ways to foster the peace and reconciliation process in Libya. During the talks, they discussed enhancing coordination and political consultation on various issues of common concern,” said a statement issued by the Libyan Foreign Ministry;
• Apr. 30, United States (US) Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, reaffirmed the US’ support for holding elections in Libya on December 24th and the departure of all foreign forces from the country. This came during a meeting with Italy’s Special Envoy to Libya, Pasquale Ferrara, in Rome Apr. 30. The US Embassy in Libya affirmed its full support for the statement of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) and its call for the immediate opening of the coastal road;
• Apr. 29, Chairman of Libya’s High National Elections Commission (HNEC), Emad Al-Din Al-Sayeh held a meeting with the Chargé d’Affairs of the British Embassy to Libya, Katie English. In a statement, HNEC said that the meeting came as part of the international community’s support for the electoral process in Libya. Al-Sayeh and English reviewed the commission’s preparations for holding the elections, which are scheduled to take place in December, as well as its readiness to fulfil its responsibilities in consolidating such an important democratic path;

• Apr. 29, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security affairs for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia, Laura K. Cooper affirmed the United States’ readiness to continue pressure to achieve the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Libya;
• Apr. 29, Commander of the EU’s Operation IRINI, Admiral Fabio Agostini said that the aerial and sea surveillance mission off the coast of Libya remains ongoing, in order to maintain the stability and security of the central Mediterranean. In a virtual seminar on the new geopolitical challenges in the Mediterranean, Agostini said that the operation’s main task is to implement the UN arms embargo in Libya, combat the illicit oil trade and human smuggling, and provide training for the Libyan Coast Guard;

• Apr. 29, Head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Menfi held a meeting in Tobruk with the Head of the UN Support Mission to Libya (UNSMIL), Jan Kubis. During the talks, Al-Menfi and Kubis discussed the UN’s efforts to support the political track, the steps needed to hold elections on 24 December 2021, the annual budget, as well as areas of collaboration between the UN and the new interim authority in support of the Libyan people;
• Prime Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdel-Hamid Al-Dabaiba received the UN Special Envoy to Libya, Jan Kubis at the cabinet headquarters in Tripoli, Apr. 28. The United Nation Support Mission in Libyan (UNSMIL) said in a statement that the two discussed the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, and the deployment of UN ceasefire monitors.
• Apr. 28, Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Jan Kubis met with Libya’s Foreign Minister, Najla Al-Mangoush at the ministry’s headquarters in Tripoli. The two sides reiterated the need to respect Libya’s sovereignty, as well as the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement. They also called for the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries without delay, as requested by the Security Council;

• In a further sign of Italy’s support for a unified Libya, it has named a new Consul General in the eastern city of Benghazi, ahead of the Consulate’s reopening. It is also planning an honorary consulate in Libya’s southwestern city of Sebha. “We are reopening our consulate in Benghazi and we have already nominated Carlo Batori as Consul General, while we are also setting up an honorary consulate in Sebha,” Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio told lawmakers Apr. 28;
• Apr. 26, Libyan Minister of Justice, Halima Abdel-Rahman received the Head of the European Union Border Assistance Mission in Libya (EUBAM), Natalina Cea and her accompanying delegation in Tripoli. The meeting was held at the headquarters of the MoJ, where the two sides discussed ways to confront the migration crisis. According to a press briefing by the ministry, Abdel-Rahman praised EUBAM’s efforts in developing the capabilities of the justice system since the two sides concluded the 2018 Memorandum of Understanding.