NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES
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On Saturday, December 02, the rescue ship Humanity 1 was detained in Crotone, southern Italy, after disembarking 200 people rescued from distress at sea, said SOS Humanity NGO. The Italian authorities’ justifications for this blockade are based on a series of lies, which SOS Humanity can refute through its documentation of the events at sea, according to SOS Humanity. The detention was imposed by Italian authorities following a rescue carried out by Humanity 1 last Thursday. The crew was able to rescue 46 people from drowning who were already in the water. The rubber boat had previously been stopped in international waters by a patrol boat of the so-called Libyan Coast Guard in order to forcibly bring the fleeing people on board and illegally return them to Libya. During this ‘pull-back’, numerous people were left in the water without life jackets or any other rescue equipment, the NGO pointed out.
- 263 Bangladeshi migrants will return to their country after months of detention in Libya over illegal entry, announced the spokesperson of Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry Mohamed Rafiq Alama. This comes after 143 Bangladeshi migrants were repatriated on a chartered flight following their release from a detention center in Tripoli on November 28. Another group of 110 people was repatriated on a charter flight on November 30.
NATIONAL POLITICS AND SOCIAL ISSUES
- The Maltese Ambassador to Libya, Charles Saliba, unveiled plans for the imminent opening of the consular section of the Maltese embassy in the city of Misrata, further strengthening diplomatic ties between the two nations. In a meeting with Khaled Souissi, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transportation of the Government of National Unity, Ambassador Saliba discussed various initiatives to enhance cooperation and collaboration.
- Jan Vyčítal was appointed as Head of Mission of the EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) in Libya, according to EU Council. He will succeed Natalina Cea as of 1 January 2024, and his mandate will run until 30 June 2025, EU Council said in a statement.
- A new study by the U.S.-based think tank The Sentry has deemed Libya as “an integrated hub for intercontinental drug trafficking,” with the illicit narcotics business being the country’s fastest-growing trade. The report, titled “Kleptocracy in Libya,” found evidence suggesting some Libyan officials are abusing public resources and authority to actively participate in or facilitate the unlawful trafficking of drugs – especially cannabis, cocaine, and the synthetic opioid known as captagon.
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UNICEF signed a work plan with Libya’s Ministry of Interior to “strengthen child protection systems and justice for children in Libya,” according to a statement by the UN agency. UNICEF said the work plan “represents a major step forward in bringing Libya’s juvenile justice processes in line with international standards.”
- The Ambassador of the European Union in Libya, Nicola Orlando, encouraged all interested actors to participate in the initiative of the United Nations Special Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, to resolve the political stalemate in the North African country.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, Josep Borrell, met in Brussels with Mousa Al-Koni, Vice President of the Presidential Council of Libya. The discussion focused on how to enhance the ongoing cooperation between the European Union and Libya on key areas, including improving migration governance and management, as well as regional cooperation between Libya and the Sahel.
- The Libyan National Oil Corporation announced that the Spanish company Repsol will begin exploratory drilling activities in the contract area of the Murzuq Basin in early April 2024. This came during a meeting held at the Corporation’s headquarters in Tripoli, attended by exploration managers from both sides, as well as a number of specialists, to discuss Repsol’s exploration activity for 2023 and the projects expected to be implemented in 2024, according to a statement issued by the National Oil Corporation.
- Libyan Prime Minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, met with the Russian ambassador to Libya, Aydar Aganin, in Tripoli for talks on economic cooperation. According to a statement by Dbeibeh’s media office, the Russian ambassador “confirmed the return of the Russian embassy to operate in Tripoli with all its staff”, and also underlined “Russia’s desire for economic and academic cooperation between the public and private sectors of the two countries”.
- Field Marshal Khalifa Hafatr, the General Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), met with representatives of Libyan Toubou at the LNA’s main headquarters in Benghazi. According to a statement by the LNA’s media office, Haftar thanked the representatives for their visit, and commended Toubou people, whom he described as “an important part of the Libyan social fabric”, for their courage and role in combatting terrorism alongside LNA forcers.
