On June 9, Sirte-Jufra Ops Room Cmdr. Bait al-Mal stated main coastal road not to be reopened without guarantees foreign fighters to be expelled.
On June 11, UNSMIL head Kubiš, Haftar have phone call on upcoming Berlin Conference preparations;
On June 12, unidentified men break into Egypt Embassy in Tripoli, steal five service cars;
On June 12, Turkey high-level delegation lands in Libya for unannounced visit to local Turkish troops, plans to meet PC head Al-Menfi, other officials;
TRIPOLI
- on June 12, unidentified men broke into the Egyptian Embassy in Tripoli and stole five cars belonging to Embassy staff, according to reports released by 218 News. This incident comes at a time when countries continue to reopen their Embassies in Tripoli, as part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ unremitting efforts to consolidate diplomatic relations with many world countries. Last month, Egypt appointed a new Chargé d’Affairs to its Embassy in Tripoli, as Cairo seeks to restore diplomatic relations with Libya after a six-year hiatus;
AL-AJAYLAT
- On June 10 at nighttime, clashes erupted between the local Al-Shalfouh aligned militia and a militia affiliated with Mohamed Bahroun (known as Al-Far) from Al-Zawiya. Seven people have been confirmed to have died in the fighting. College student, Shifaa Kroz was struck by a stray bullet that killed her instantly;
KUFRA-TAZIRBU
- on June 13, the LNA announced that the Subul Al-Salam Brigade in the city of Kufra, seized 3 fuel smuggling trucks, 2 of which were on the way back from Chad, and the third had 20,000 liters of gasoline on board, bound for the gold mine. Subul al-Salam indicated that the truck drivers were not Libyan. The brigade added that the men were arrested west of the city of Tazirbu.
SIRTE-JUFRA
- On June 9, Commander of the Sirte and Al-Jufra Operations Room, Major General Ibrahim Bait Al-Mal stated that the main coastal road will not be opened without guarantees, and the fulfilment of the remaining conditions agreed upon by the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC). In press statements on Wednesday, Bait Al-Mal stressed the importance of immediately implementing the outputs of the JMC. He noted that the call for assigning the Head of the Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Menfi, as the Supreme Commander of the Army, “remained unclear.”;
INTERNAL AFFAIRS
- on June 11, UK newspaper The Times reported that it had received reliable information that the British-educated son of the former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi is planning to stand in the forthcoming elections in Libya. In its report, The Times explained that Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi has not been seen or heard from publicly since he was captured ten years ago. In a call arranged to clarify his relationship with a team of advisers acting on his behalf, he confirmed his identity and that he was well. As he re-emerges into public life, he has been reaching out to western and other diplomats in order to establish his credentials. The International Criminal Court (ICC) continues to seek him for war crimes;
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- on June 12, a Turkish high-level delegation landed in Libya for an unannounced visit upon the instruction of Turkish President Erdoğan. The visit comes prior to the June 14 NATO summit in Brussels. The delegation led by FM Çavuşoğlu, includes Nat’l Def. Minister Hulusi Akar; Interior Minister, Suleyman Soylu; Chief of General Staff, Yasar Güler; Chief of the Intelligence Agency, Hakan Fidan; Communications Director, Fahrettin Altun and Presidential Spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin. During the one-day visit, the Turkish delegation will hold talks with Libyan PM Al-Dabaiba and other top officials. The delegation is also expected to meet with PC President Mohammed al-Menfi;
- On June 12, Italian PM Draghi held a meeting with UK PM Johnson on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Cornwall. During the talks, the two Prime Ministers covered a number of shared international priorities including the importance of supporting a lasting ceasefire in Libya to provide the foundation for a long-term peaceful democratic transition;
- On June 12, UN Special Envoy Kubiš conducted a telephone conversation with Morocco’s FM Bourita about the ongoing efforts aimed at advancing the implementation of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF)’s Roadmap. These talks focused on holding the elections and advancing the file of sovereign positions;
- On June 12, LNA spox, Major General Ahmed Al-Mismari, described the Turkish presence in the North-African country as an “occupation,” calling on Ankara to withdraw all forces and affiliated mercenaries immediately;
- On June 11, US Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, stressed the need for the departure of Turkish forces from Libya and respect for the arms embargo imposed by the UN;
- On June 11, UN Special Envoy Kubiš and LNA’s Marshal Haftar discussed during a telephone call the preparations of the Second Berlin Conference on Libya, which be held on 23 June. UNSMIL said in a statement that Kubiš continued his engagements with national and international stakeholders to mobilize further support for the “multi-track UN-facilitated, Libyan-led, and Libyan-owned political process.”;
- On June 11, the Italian Ambassador to Algeria, Giovanni Pugliese said that Rome and Algiers share common views on a number of issues, including on Libya. Pugliese commented on the statements made by Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in an interview with the Al Jazeera news channel, that “Tripoli was a red line,” and that Algeria would not allow mercenaries to occupy the capital;
- On june 11, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces for Western Libya, Mohamed Al-Haddad, met with Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary of the United Kingdom in Tripoli. The meeting was attended by the commanders of the military regions, chiefs of the qualitative staff, and members of the 5+5 Joint Military Committee (JMC). As well as the Director of the Office of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Commander of the Misrata militias stationed in Abu Qurayn, Ibrahim Bait Al-Maal, and the Commander of the Western Military Region, Osama Al-Juwaili.
- On June 10, Libya’s Foreign Minister, Najla al-Mangoush stated that Libya will no longer serve as a base for destabilising the region, confirming that it will not host any foreign power. This came during a joint press conference with the British Minister for the Middle East & North Africa, James Cleverly. Cleverly was visiting Tripoli at the head of a high-level delegation, for talks with senior Libyan officials. Al-Mangoush expressed her appreciation for Britain’s willingness to exert pressure on countries interfering in Libyan affairs, and the unwavering support for Libya’s sovereignty;
- On june 9, Libyan security officials met with EU Support Mission officials, and discussed the administration and security of Libya’s borders. The two sides discussed promoting cooperation in border security management, and the necessary training requirements needed in Libya. The meeting, which was held in Tripoli, was attended by the Chief of Staff, the Head of the Libyan Coast Guard, the General Director of the Customs Authority, and a number of other officials. The European delegation included the European Union’s Director of Planning of Civil Missions, and the Head of Mission, Jose Sabadell. Notably, Italian Interior Minister, Luciana Lamorgese stressed the need to work on concluding a strong strategic partnership agreement with Libya, to combat illegal immigration.
- On june 8, Libya’s Interior Minister, Khaled Mazen met with his Maltese counterpart, Byron Camilleri in Tripoli. The Maltese minister confirmed the strength of bilateral relations, and stressed the need to reactivate agreements to counter drug, money, and human smuggling. As well as discussing agreements to support and train the Libyan Coast Guard, and raising their efficiency in this field. Mazen stressed that the illegal immigration issue is not Libya’s responsibility alone, and that everyone must bear the burden, “this phenomenon requires concerted efforts to reduce, and eliminate it.”;
- On june 8, Libyan Prime Minister, Abdel-Hamid Al-Dabaiba chaired a security meeting to discuss efforts to combat terrorism and achieve stability in Libya. According to a statement by the Government of National Unity (GNU), the meeting dealt with the latest developments in the security situation, efforts to combat terrorism in the various Libyan regions, and the coordination between security services to ensure their joint integration. The meeting was attended by the Head of the General Intelligence Service, the Commander of the Joint Force, the Commander of the Counter-Terrorism Force and his assistant, the Director of Military Intelligence, the Head of the designated Internal Security Service, the Head of the Deterrence Agency for Combating Terrorism and Organised Crime, the Deputy Head of the Stability Support Service, and a number of advisors at the Cabinet Office specialised in security affairs;
- The Italian Minister of Interior, Luciana Lamorgese stressed the need to work on concluding a strong strategic partnership agreement with Libya, to combat illegal immigration. This came during her meeting with the Minister of European and Constitutional Affairs in the Austrian government. Lamorgese warned of the need to conclude this agreement with Libya, Tunisia, and other countries that are sources of illegal immigration;
- On june 8, the official Spokesman for the Libyan National Army (LNA), Major General Ahmed Al-Mismari strongly condemned the suicide attack on the security checkpoint in Sebha. He said that it was an attempt by terrorist organizations, and the Muslim Brotherhood to obstruct the holding of the upcoming December elections. In press statements, Al-Mismari refused to accept that IS claimed responsibility for the bombing, “we are waiting for the results of the investigations in the Sebha military region over the terror attack.”
- On june 7, Libya held a meeting with INTERPOL, and the European Space Agency to discuss border control via satellite. The Libyan Ministry of Interior stated that the meeting included the security authorities concerned with the ministry’s ports, the Internal Security Service, and the General Intelligence Service, with the General Secretariat of INTERPOL, and the European Space Agency of the European Union. A number of points aimed at strengthening the role of security agencies in protecting borders by using satellite monitoring were discussed, in order “to reduce crime and illegal immigration,” the ministry added in a statement;
- On june 7, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) condemned the Islamic State (IS) claimed terrorist attack in Sebha. The suicide bombing killed a number of military officers and injured others, according to local authorities. In a statement, UNSMIL Head, Jan Kubis expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured;
- On june 7, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), said that dozens of Turkish-backed Syrian mercenaries were repatriated from Libya. In a statement, the SOHR said that over the last 48 hours, nearly 95 Syrian fighters from the Al-Hamza division, Faylaq Al-Majd, Sultan Murad, and Al-Mu’tasim division have been repatriated from Libya to Syria for the first time in around ten weeks.
