NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES
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The European Union’s Operation IRINI investigated 116 merchant vessels and 26 suspected flights in December 2023 as part of its mission to enforce the U.N. arms embargo on Libya. Launched in March 2020, Operation IRINI is part of the European integrated approach to Libya, which includes political, military, economic and humanitarian efforts to bring stability and security to the country. In its monthly update, the Operation IRINI reported that, since its launch, it monitored 25 airports and 16 ports, investigated 12,606 merchant vessels and 1,336 suspect flights.
NATIONAL POLITICS AND SOCIAL ISSUES
- Ministry of Local Government of the Libyan Government, assigned by the House of Representatives (HoR), hosted a workshop on reforming the legal framework for decentralization in Libya. The workshop was attended by the Chairman and members of HoR Local Government Committee, and a number of stakeholders, government officials and experts to discuss the organization of local authority levels and their competencies.
- The White House announced that President Joe Biden intends to nominate Jennifer Gavito as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Libya. A senior State Department member, Gavito has held several leadership positions including Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq, Iran, and Public Diplomacy.
- The Minister of Local Governance in the interim Government of National Unity, Badr Al-Din Al-Tumi, discussed with UN officials a proposal to establish a UN-administered Recovery and Sustainable Development Facility in Libya. This took place during a meeting between Al-Tumi and the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Libya Georgette Gagnon, in the presence of the UNDP Resident Representative Dr. Christopher Laizer and UNDP team members, as well as representatives from other key governmental institutions.
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The Libyan Government held a forum in Benghazi on Monday, January 08, discussing “ways to eliminate the phenomenon of illegal migration and considering its implications on society,” according to the Government. The participants studied and unified perspectives to create effective solutions, the Government said in a statement, the Government said on its official Facebook page. The forum was chaired by State Minister for Illegal Migration Affairs, Fathi Al-Tebawi, attended by experts, legal professionals, and stakeholders in issues related to illegal migration, and sponsored by the Prime Minister of the Libyan government, Osama Hammad.
- Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh met on Sunday, January 07, with mayors of over a dozen municipalities in Libya’s southern region of Fezzan to primarily discuss the fuel shortage crisis in the region. According to a statement by Dbeibeh’s media office, Mayor of Sabha, Belhaj Ali Belhaj, briefed the premier on the challenges affecting fuel distribution mechanism, including the reconstruction of damaged roads that considered unsafe to transport fuel.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- Benghazi – A statement from the media office of the Libyan National Army (LNA) General Command on Facebook said that LNA Commander General Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar met with the LNA Ground Forces Operations Commander Major General Saddam Khalifa, the reinforced Tariq Bin Ziyad Brigade Commander, and the reinforced 128 Brigade Commander at his office in the LNA General Command headquarters in Benghazi earlier on Wednesday, January 10.
- Sharjah Airport Authority (SAA) announced welcoming the first flight of ‘Fly Oya’ flights, from Tripoli, Libya, to Sharjah Airport during 2024. This is in line with the Authority’s ambitious efforts to expand the airport’s list of flight destinations.
