Turkey military reportedly installing air defense system inside military factory in Bani Walid as Ankara increasingly concerned by LNA movements in that area.
LNA sends reinforcements for large-scale operations against IS in southern Libya after IS releases pictures of combatants deployed in that area.
Jul. 23, Libya Interior Ministry announces investigation over Jul. 22 militia clashes in downtown Tripoli involving Rada Force, Stabilization Support Apparatus.
TRIPOLI
- Jul. 22, Libya’s Ministry of Interior announced that Security forces in Gasr bin Ghashir in southern Tripoli, arrested a man for putting ammunition for heavy and medium weapons up for sale. In a statement, the MoI said that members of the Criminal Investigation Department questioned the man who admitted that he had kept the ammunition in his relative’s farm. It added that the seized ammunition included four boxes of tank ammunition, each box containing two shells, as well as other four boxes of M-type ammunition. This is in addition to 28 artillery shells, ASPGs, a number of mortars, a bag containing four suspected mines, four missiles of unknown type, one 106-caliber shell, and a missile battery.
BANI WALID
- Jul. 19, “218 News” claimed Turkish officers had installed an air defence and jamming system, inside the military manufacturing factory in the town of Bani Walid. Sources told 218 that the Turkish officers entered Bani Walid a few days ago, taking advantage of the operations carried out by the 444th Brigade, under the command of Mahmoud Hamza. The 444th Brigade is allegedly acting without consulting any other security apparatus, and the government is supposedly unaware of these movements in Bani Walid. The installation of the system comes within the framework of Ankara’s fear of any movements of the Libyan National Army (LNA) in Bani Walid.
DERNA
- Prime Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, authorized the General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL) to contract by direct assignment with the Egyptian Rowad Engineering and Construction Company to implement the Derna gas station project for a total of EUR 1.15 bn. According to Dbaiba’s decision, the contract includes additional work to connect the station to the public network, at a value of over EUR 106 m. The contract also included long-term maintenance, including spare parts supplied by the unit manufacturer, worth over EUR 135 m.
MISRATA
- Jul. 22, the Head of the ‘Supreme Committee to Combat Coronavirus in Misrata’, Mohamad Al-Faqih, said that the city does not have the required capacity to cope with the large increase of infected cases. In a press conference, Al-Faqih said that the municipality has only one isolation center at the Oncology Hospital, with 105 beds. He noted that they are preparing to open more isolation centers at the Misrata Medical Center, Chest Diseases Hospital, and in the city of Tawergha. “We are facing an unprecedented situation. The constantly rising curve of new cases shows that we are bracing for a third wave, especially now that the delta variant is spreading in most cities. We are in a very tough position,” he said;
- Jul. 22, Libya’s Interim Government of National Unity (GNU) announced that the German Siemens AG and the Turkish Enka Insaat ve Sanayi companies have begun the actual implementation of the Misrata gas station project, with a total capacity of 650 MW. In a statement, the Spokesman for the government, Mohamed Hammouda said that this is part of the government’s efforts to end the electricity crisis in the country. The project is based on a power island configuration for SGT5-PAC 2000E Siemens combustion turbine generator (CTG) units, these will be dual-fuel fired using light fuel oil and natural gas. Electricity will be generated in the CTG’s and stepped up through main transformers on the national grid.
SALLOUM
- Egyptian customs officers seized more than 130,000 prescription drugs, as smugglers attempted to transport them to Libya through the Salloum border crossing. The Egyptian newspaper Akhbar Al-Youm said Jul. 19, that the medicines included insulin, eye drops, ointments, syrups, and medicines that require specific storage methods. The newspaper added that the seized items were worth millions of Egyptian pounds, and subject to customs payment.
TAZIRBU
- Jul. 22, the Sobol Al-Salam Brigade of the Libyan National Army (LNA), stated that one of its patrols in the city of Tazirbu managed to arrest 27 illegal migrants inside the city. In a statement, the Brigade command said that the Eritrean and Somali migrants had fled from a smuggler who was holding them. They were immediately handed over to a shelter and deportation center in Al-Kufra city, and will be repatriated to their countries. The brigade announced that it has “intensified its desert patrols to combat smuggling, and to secure the border regions, per orders from the district commander, Major General Balqasam Laba’g, and directives of the General Command of the LNA to tighten border security,” its statement said.
NATIONAL POLITICS
- Jul. 24, the Head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Mnifi, met with dignitaries and wise men of the Al- Batnan region. He met with them in the presence of the Mayor of Tobruk to discuss various challenges and the Libyan elections file. The President of the Presidential Council listened to the problems and obstacles facing officials in the Al-Batnan region. These problems include water and electricity problems, and the challenges of confronting the COVID-19 pandemic. He promised the Libyans that such problems would be overcome in coordination with the Government of National Unity (GNU);
- Jul. 24, the Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marsahal Khalifa Haftar, urged the Libyan people to register massively in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary general elections. Haftar confirmed that all security conditions were created for the success of the electoral process. He stressed that he stands “with all force against anyone who tries to prevent, suppress, terrorize, or prevent Libyans from parcticing their electoral right;
- Jul. 23, Libya’s High National Elections Commission (HNEC) reported that the number of voters registered in the commission’s records, has reached 2,408,340. The Commission indicated that the registration rate was about 49.77% of the total number of eligible voters. It pointed out that the number of newly registered voters Jul. 22 increased by 68,244 voters, compared to the 51,569 recorded Jul. 21.
NATIONAL SECURITY
- Well informed sources told Sky News Arabia that the Libyan National Army (LNA) sent military reinforcements to carry out large-scale operations against the Islamic State (IS) in southern Libya. This ocurred after the terrorist organization released pictures of its members present in southern Libya last week. The sources suggested that the LNA would make “decisive” moves in the near future to neutralize the threat of IS. Meanwhile, a delegation of LNA leaders toured the army’s sites in the South of the country, to “raise the morale of the forces, ensure the readiness to resume the planned plans to purify the South of terrorist elements.” The Military Information Division in a statement Jul. 24 said that the delegation included members of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC), comprised of army officers led by Chief of General Staff Lieutenant-General Abdel Razek Al-Nazori;
- Jul. 24, the Libyan Naval Forces managed to rescue 182 migrants of various nationalities, who were attempting to reach European shores on a rubber dinghy. The Chief of Staff of the Naval Forces stated that the migrants disembarked at the designated landing point at the Tripoli Naval Base, prior to their transfer to the Anti-Illegal Immigration Authority. The Naval Forces confirmed that the Immigration Control Agency will continue to care for and process the individuals, in order to complete the procedures for their safe deportation to their countries of origin;
- Jul. 24, the Libyan Ministry of Health, in coordination with Libya’s National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), announced the launch of a COVID-19 vaccination campaign for all citizens and foreign residents of the city. In a statement, the Ministry said that vaccinations were distributed to a number of areas in Tripoli, including Martyrs Square, Abu Salim Hospital Square, Al-Shatt Road near the National Center for Disease Control, Al-Qarqni Health Complex, and Abushwesha Complex Square;
- The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) warned that the Islamic State (ISIS) adopts a complex network of communications and roads across West and North Africa to facilitate the movements of its affiliated militants. A few days ago, Nigerian authorities admitted, for the first time, that militants shot down a military plane, but the concern is that the attack was carried out with Libyan weapons. This incident comes days after a security report revealed the terrorist organization ISIS currently re-deploys its forces in the Lake Chad basin and the African Sahel region. According to a report issued by the ISS, It was expected that about 120 militants, will be permanently stationed in the region, and will come from Libya;
- Jul. 23, the Libyan Interior Ministry said that it is investigating the central Tripoli militia clashes that occurred Jul. 22 evening. The clashes erupted between the Rada militia led by Abdel Rauf Kara and the Stabilization Support militia led by Addel Ghani Al-Kikli Ghnewa. The clashes were reported to have lasted for a few hours stretching from the Sidi Al-Masri area to the Sikka road. The Interior Ministry said it is closely following the events that took place July 22 evening;
- The Libyan Ministry of Interior at the Government of National Unity (GNU) announced that 42 migrants of various nationalities, including nine women and a child, have been rescued off the Libyan coast, Jul. 22. The marine boat P301 of the General Department of Coastal Security managed to rescue the migrants, and transported them to the migrants disembarkation point at the Tripoli seaport, according to the ministry. The statement added that the port is responsible for providing humanitarian and medical aid to migrants, in addition to taking legal measures against them and handing them over to the Anti-Illegal Migration Agency.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- Jul. 25, the European Union (EU) Arabic Spokesperson for the Middle East and North Africa, Luis Miguel Bueno, stressed that Libya is a priority for the EU, and they are strongly and actively involved in resolving the crisis. In press statements, Bueno added that there is no military solution to the Libyan crisis, saying that the only way to overcome the crisis is through the political process and not by military means;
- The Director of the International Health Department at the Ras Ajdir border crossing, Mukhtar Al-Mansoori, revealed that the border crossing is closed to traffic. He noted that traffic has almost stopped, as only Libyans stranded in Tunisia are allowed to enter and humanitarian cases are allowed to exit. In press statements, Al-Mansoori added that the commercial movement is suspended at the Ras Ajdir border crossing. He said that the number of cars that have entered so far range between 20 and 30, while the total number since the crossing was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic reached more than 5,000 cars;
- Jul. 23, Acting United States (US) Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Joey Hood, said that the US is confident that the Libyan elections will be held on scheduled date, next December, in accordance with the roadmap and Security Council resolution. In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Hood indicated that it is necessary to hold elections “to meet the demands of the Libyans in an elected government that represents the whole population, and is able to unite the army and protect all borders;
- Italy will host a series of talks next July 25 that may be decisive in “rescuing” the Libyan elections scheduled for 24 December, following the failure of recent discussions under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva, according to the Italian new agency, NOVA. The meeting of the new parliamentary special committee will take place in Rome Jul. 25, and expected to last several days. The committee was formed by the Libyan Parliament to draft an electoral law, and to hold the December elections as scheduled. Libyan Parliament Speaker, Ageela Saleh, the Head of the Libyan High National Electoral Commission (HNEC), Emad Al-Din Al-Sayeh, and high-ranking figures in the Libyan scene are set to participate in the meeting;
- The lack of local data in Libya has led to its exclusion from a recent report published by Forbes magazine, on the size of Arab countries’ debts in 2021 in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP). Sudan topped the ranking, with a gross debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio of 211.7%, followed by Bahrain, Lebanon, Egypt, and Tunisia, respectively;
- The Head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Mnifi, stressed the “depth of the strong relations and the historical ties that bind the two peoples of Libya and Egypt,” during a telephone call Jul. 20, between him and Egyptian President, Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi, to exchange congratulations on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha. Notably, the Prime Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, authorized the General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL) to contract by direct assignment with the Egyptian Rowad Engineering and Construction Company to implement the Derna gas station project for a total of EUR 1.15 bn;
- The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) confirmed its commitment to support the elections, and the political transition in Libya. In his meeting with the Head of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Jan Kubis, USAID Chief Advisor Mark Feuerstein, also drew attention to their commitment to providing support to the Libyan people to strengthen democratic institutions after the elections. The two sides discussed the importance of Libya’s political progress towards “transparent, credible, and secure elections on December 24, 2021,” according to a statement by USAID;
- Jul. 19, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova slammed a number of British banks for illegally holding assets worth billions of dollars that belong to Libya. In press statement, Zakhrova said that British banks had been locking away assets that belong to the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and his family. “In line with the UNSC Resolution 1973 adopted on March 17, 2011, the assets that belonged to the Gaddafi family and his closest entourage kept in banks outside of Libya were frozen. Muammar Gaddafi was then killed, and it is still unclear, what happened to the accounts of Libya’s former leader,” she stressed;
- The Libyan authorities have repatriated more than 3,000 citizens who were stranded in Tunisia, said the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transportation of the Interim Government of National Unity (GNU), Wissam Al-Idrissi. The government’s measures to evacuate Libyans in Tunisia include the formation of an emergency committee at Carthage Airport, to take over the repatriation of Libyans. Passengers should obtain a negative PCR result that is valid for 24 hours, and flights to Tripoli and Benghazi are being operated from Carthage Airport;
- Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, has terminated its lobbying contract on behalf of former Libyan Interior Minister and presidential hopeful, Fathi Bashagha almost as soon as it began. The firm signed a seven-month, USD 50,000-a-month contract with Bashagha effective Jun. 29 but terminated it Jul. 9, according to a new lobbying filing. The firm was supposed to “assist with promoting free and fair elections in Libya, and support for anti-corruption efforts within the financial system and donor-funded programs.”
