Libya Security Highlights (November 07 – 13, 2022)

NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES

• International Organization for Migration IOM met Thursday with a delegation from the Gambian and the Libyan offices of Migrants Forum in Asia (MFA) to discuss collaboration on migrants protection, according to IOM. The delegation will work to register and provide travel documents to over 300 Gambians currently stranded in Libya and who are willing to return via Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) program, IOM tweeted.
• The United States of America has renewed its call for Libya to extradite Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who is under an International Criminal Court arrest warrant on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes.  This came in a speech by the Deputy Representative of the United States to the United Nations, Ambassador Richard Mills, during a briefing to the UN Security Council presented by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, on the situation in Libya.
• The US ambassador and envoy to Libya, Richard Norland, has warned against the entrenchment of the presence of mercenaries and foreign forces in Libya. “I expressed U.S. support for efforts to secure the departure of foreign mercenaries and fighters as well as all foreign forces, and cautioned against their further entrenchment in Libya,” Norland said in a tweet, after a meeting with General Mohamed Haddad, the leading commander in western Libya armed groups. “We discussed promising efforts to form a joint unit as a first step toward reunifying Libyan military forces.” Norland added.

• The European Union Naval Force’s Operation Irini has seized dozens of BATT UMG armoured vehicles destined for Libya in violation of United Nations sanctions. At least 28 BATT UMGs, manufactured by the United Arab Emirates’ The Armoured Group, were being transported by the MV Meerdijk to Libya when the merchant vessel was inspected by Irini forces on 11 October.

• The Public Prosecutor’s Office has announced on Monday the imprisonment of three officials from the Libyan Airlines company, on charges of financial and administrative corruption. A statement published by the office indicated that the Public Prosecution launched an investigation into suspicions about the administrative and financial activity of the state-owned Libyan Airlines company in the past years.

• UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), have urged European governments to swiftly offer a place of safety and allow the immediate disembarkation of nearly 600 people who remain on NGO vessels after being rescued in Maltese and Libyan search and rescue (SAR) zones on the Central Mediterranean.

• EU Civilian Border and Security Sector Mission (EUBAM) in Libya has said participants of different Libyan Border Management Agencies from Mitiga Airport in Tripoli and  Benina Airport in Benghazi received basic level training on document security, in close cooperation with the Dutch Royal Military Police (Marechaussee).
  
• Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Shahriar Alam has said that Bangladesh supports legal migration to other countries and wants to enhance cooperation with Libya in order to curb illegal migration, according to a report by Bangladeshi news website New Age. He conveyed this to newly appointed ambassador of Libya in Bangladesh Abdulmutalib Suliman during a meeting on Sunday as the Libyan ambassador his rule. Alam thanked the Libyan government for their continued support to the Bangladeshi workers working in Libya.

NATIONAL POLITICS AND SOCIAL ISSUES

• The Speakers of the House of Representatives, AguilaSaleh, and the State Council, Khaled Al-Mashri, will hold a meeting in Turkey today, Saturday, November 12, to seek agreement on a constitutional basis for theupcomingelections, Member of Parliament Abdel Moneim Al-Orfi confirmed. He added in press statements that the real problem lies in the constitutional rule, the approval of elections and the file of sovereign positions, and how to agree on them.

• The regional spokeswoman for the US State Department, Hala Ghrait, said: There is no military solution to the crisis in Libya, adding that her country firmly rejects the use of violence and supports the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the country.
• Member of the House of Representatives, Abdel Moneim Al-Orfi, said that the State Council’s vote to prevent military personnel and dual nationals from running in the elections is contrary to the agreement of Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh and State Council President Khaled Al-Mashri.
• The Prime Minister-designate, Fathi Bashagha, has listened to the vision of the leaders of the National Fedral Party on the political crisis. This came during a meeting between Bashagha on Monday, the head of the National Fedral Party, Belqasim al-Nimr, and a number of party leaders, at the Prime Ministry headquarters in Benghazi, according to a statement by the Benghazi-based government.

• The First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Fawzi Al-Nuwairi arrived at the House headquarters in Benghazi ahead of parliamentary session. According to a brief statement from the House, Libyan lawmakers will gather to discuss “a number of laws listed in the House agenda”.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

• The Libyan Foreign Minister of the Government of National Unity, Najla Mangoush, held talks on Sunday with her Maltese counterpart Ian Burg at the government’s headquarters in Tripoli, according to a brief statement by government-owned media platform Hakomitna. Neither the Libyan Foreign Ministry nor the state-owned Hakomitna platform disclosed the exact purpose of the visit. However, Italian news agency Nova reported that “some agreements could be signed between the two governments”, citing unnamed Libyan government sources.
• Head of the European Union Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) in Libya announced that the Mission would host in Tunis a regional conference from 22 to 23 Nov. on cross-border cooperation between Libya and the Sahel countries. Head of Mission, Natalina Cea said: “I am proud to announce that EUBAM Libya – in cooperation with the EU Special Representative for the Sahel, the Regional Advising and Coordination Cell (RACC) and the program CT-JUST – is hosting in Tunis on 22nd and 23rd November 2022 a regional conference on cross-border cooperation between Libya and the Sahel countries.
• The Deputy Chairman of Libya’s Presidential Council, Mussa al-Koni, has expressed his belief that “return to a governorate system” as an administrative division of a state and “decentralization” will be “basic and effective solution” to end the political deadlock in the country, according to a statement by the council.
• Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez confirmed that “the Turkish-Libyan memorandum opened new horizons for Ankara, to become a partial supplier for selling natural gas to the world through Libya.” “States do not have the right to object to the agreement, as it was concluded between two sovereign states,” Donmes said in press statements.

• Speaker of Libya’s House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, and Chairman of the High Council of State, Khaled Mishri, are preparing to hold a new round of “Turkish-mediated talks” to address forming constitutional basis for the long-delayed elections, reports London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat. Citing unnamed parliamentary sources, Asharq Al-Awsat stated that Saleh is preparing to visit Turkey where he will meet again with Mishri.
• Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has affirmed his country’s support for the efforts to reach presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya as soon as possible. This came during a phone call that Tajani had with his Libyan counterpart, Najla Al-Mangoush, according to the Libyan Foreign Ministry.

• Libyan Foreign Minister, Najla Mangoush, spoke on the phone today with her Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani, during which they discussed “commitment to the stabilization” of Libya and “fight combat human trafficking”, according to brief statement by the Italian Foreign Ministry via Twitter. The Libyan Foreign Ministry also reported on the bilateral call, stating that Tajani expressed “support for the efforts of the current Government of National Unity to reach the presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.”