NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES
- Over 100 migrants, primarily from Sudan and Chad, were transferred from Benghazi to Kufra ahead of repatriation, according to Libya’s Directorate for Combatting Illegal Migration (DCIM). 109 migrants, 62 of whom are from Sudan and 47 from Chad, will leave the Ganfouda Shelter and Deportation Center in Benghazi, and get transferred to the Kufra Shelter and Deportation Center, said the DCIM Benghazi branch in a statement via its Facebook page.
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International Organization of Migration (IOM) said that 1,234 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya from 24 to 30 December 2023. A total of 17,025 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya in 2023, according to IOM. At the same time, 974 migrants died and 1,372 went missing on the central Mediterranean route off the Libyan coast in 2023, the IOM added.
- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that a total of 17,025 illegal migrants were rescued and returned to Libya in 2023. A total of 1,234 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya in the past week alone, the IOM said in a report. At the same time, 974 migrants died and 1,372 went missing on the central Mediterranean route off the Libyan coast in 2023, the IOM said.
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Emergency response teams from Libya’s Ambulance and Emergency Service recovered bodies of irregular migrants on Friday, December 29, following the capsizing of their boat near the coast of Zuwara, west of the country. The ambulance service said its office in Ras Ajdir district received a report from the Zuwara Security Directorate informing them of a capsized boat carrying migrants near the shores of Zuwara, with survivors and bodies found on the beach. The teams managed to recover several bodies and provided immediate medical assistance to the survivors in collaboration with relevant authorities.
NATIONAL POLITICS AND SOCIAL ISSUES
- Newly-appointed charge d’affaires illegally took control of the Libyan Embassy in Paris while the Ambassador was outside France, according to the Ambassador, Khalid Kajiji. Kajiji said that the Foreign Ministry of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh’s government had appointed Murad Hamima as a Charge d’affaires to represent him while he was outside France, so Hamima illegally seized control of the embassy, and the French authorities have not granted him diplomatic immunity until now.
- Executive Director of Derna Reconstruction Fund, Belqasim Khalifa, and board chairman of Egyptian construction company Arab Contractors, Ahmed Al-Assar, signed a “major” deal to rebuild city’s infrastructure. According to a statement by Libya’s parliament-backed government, the agreement includes contracts for the construction of new bridges at the western entrance of the city of Derna, which was swept away by heavy floods in the aftermath of of Storm Daniel on September 10.
- Abdel Salam Nasia, a member of the House of Representatives, said that no decision can be made on unification of sovereign positions before a new interim government is established. The Libyan MP’s remarks came after the High Council of State discussed the issue of sovereign positions during the council’s session.
- The Prime Minister of the parliament-backed government, Osama Hammad, arrived in Derna where he reviewed ongoing reconstruction projects in the city following the devastating floods caused by Storm Daniels in September 10, 2023. Hammad was accompanied by the Chairman of the Reconstruction and Stabilization Committee, Hatem Al-Araibi, and the Executive Director of the Fund for the Reconstruction of Derna and Affected Areas, Al-Qasim Haftar.
- The High National Elections Commission announced, in a press conference, the launch of the preliminary stage for electing municipal council members in 97 municipalities at the national level. The Commission has specified a number of technical conditions for registration on electoral lists, such as the requirement to have phone numbers linked to the national numbers of voters, while the electronic system will refuse to register any citizen who does not meet this condition.
- The Coordination Committee of the High Council of State said the majority of the council’s members has boycotted today’s sessions to protest against the council’s chairman, Mohammed Takala. The committee accused Takala of making unilateral decisions in violation of the council’s policies and bylaw over his support for the Government of National Unity’s controversial deal with Eni at the Hamada oilfield.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- Ahmed Al-Attar, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the prominent Egyptian construction firm The Arab Contractors Company, announced that his company has signed an agreement to build two key bridges in the Libyan city of Derna. The bridge projects are part of wider reconstruction efforts aimed at revitalizing infrastructure across Derna after devastating floods.
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Speaker of the Tripoli-based High Council of State (HCS), Mohamed Tikala, met with Turkish Economy Minister, Omar Polat, in Istanbul. The meeting discussed Libyan-Turkish relations, how they have developed over these years, and ways to enhance joint cooperation between the two countries, according to HCS media office.
