Mar. 16, Al-Sarraj’s Government of National Accord, Dbaiba’s Government of National Unity hold handover ceremony, marking official transfer of power.
Mar. 18, Presidential Council head Menfi welcomes Tunisian President, Kais Saied in Tripoli for visit “aiming to strengthen cooperation” between both countries.
Mar. 21, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports batch of Syrian mercenaries from “Sultan Murad” group returned to Syria.
NATIONAL POLITICS AND SECURITY
- Mar. 21, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that a group of mercenaries in Libya from the “Sultan Murad” faction and other fighters had returned to Syria. Accordingly, the number of mercenaries who have returned to Syria is estimated at about 120 fighters;
- Mar. 20, the notables and leaders of the Tuareg tribes in Libya held a meeting in Ubari. They agreed to unify the Social and Supreme Councils in a single body, provided that all practical and final arrangements will be made within a maximum period of two months. They also expressed their support to the new Government of National Unity;
- Mar. 18, the Libyan National Army (LNA) will allow Turkish merchant ships to enter ports in eastern Libya, LNA’s Director of Moral Guidance, Major General Khaled Al-Mahjoub declared;
- Mar. 16, a handover ceremony took place between the Head of the newly-elected Presidential Council, Mohamed Menfi, and Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez Al-Sarraj. The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba and members of the GNA’s Presidential Council, Ahmed Maiteeq, Ahmed Hamza, Mohamed Ammari Zayed, and Abdel-Salam Kagman;
- Mar. 16, Libya’s 5 + 5 Joint Military Committee (JMC) welcomed the swearing-in of the new Government of National Unity (GNU) before the Libyan Parliament in Tobruk. In a statement, the Committee appreciated the visit of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba to Sirte hours after his cabinet took its constitutional oath;
- Mar. 15, the UN observer mission attended the third meeting of the 5+5 Joint Military Committee (JMC) at its headquarters in Sirte. The committee resumed its work for the second day in a closed session, and in the presence of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), headed by retired brigadier general, Salim Raad. The meeting was attended by members of the security, military and field committees, as well as military engineering officers.
ORGANIZED CRIME – NALUT
- Mar. 15, the Libyan police seized over 100,000 narcotics tablets and arrested a suspect in the region of Nalut, near the borders with Tunisia and Algeria, the Interior Ministry of the outgoing Government of National Accord (GNA) said in a statement. The police found the drugs in the suspect’s vehicle.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- Mar. 20, the European Union’s (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, confirmed the EU’s readiness to participate and cooperate in monitoring the ceasefire in Libya, provided there is a request from the United Nations (UN);
- Mar. 19, Borrell said that Operation IRINI had achieved “tangible results” in monitoring violations of the United Nations embargo on Libya. He added that the operation contributed to the “positive steps” that the Libyans have achieved by forming the Government of National Unity (GNU);
- Mar. 18, US President Joe Biden stressed the need for the UN Security Council to take action on a range of regional crises, including those in Libya, Syria, Yemen, Ethiopia, and Burma;
- Mar. 18, Italian Defense Minister, Lorenzo Guerini confirmed Rome’s intention to continue strengthening its military-technical cooperation with the Libyan Ministry of Defense. He explained that there was an agreement between the two sides signed in December. After his meeting in Berlin with his German counterpart Annegret Kramp, Guerini said that Italy would focus in particular on the core fields of military cooperation and training;
- Mar. 18, Egyptian President El-Sisi and Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis discussed the latest developments in the region, especially Libya and the eastern Mediterranean. The Egyptian Presidency said that Cairo praised the “constructive cooperation” with Greece. The two leaders also shared a positive evaluation of recent developments in Libya, and stressed the importance of supporting the new Government of National Unity;
- Mar. 18, Head of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohamed Menfi received Tunisian President, Kais Saied in Tripoli. The Media office of President Saied issued a statement claiming that the visit “aims to strengthen cooperation between Tunisia and Libya and to develop solidarity for stability and prosperity”;
- Mar. 16, a report by the United Nations Committee of Experts in Libya revealed numerous violations of the UN arms embargo on Libya by Turkey. The report stated that the signing of the security and military cooperation agreement between the Government of National Accord and Turkey in November 2019 was a strong indication that Ankara wished to increase its military role in Libya. The report also confirmed that the Turkish quasi-military SADAT company, founded by Adnan Tanri Verdi, a former military advisor to Turkish President Erdogan, “provided military training to militias affiliated with the GNA, and financially supervised 5,000 Syrian mercenaries in Libya”;
- Mar. 16, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced that it has provided training to Government of National Accord (GNA) forces, as part of its training, assistance and advice agreement signed in November 2019. “We continue to provide training to the Libyan Army personnel as part of the training, assistance and advice agreement,” the statement noted.
