NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES
- Nearly 70 days after Storm Danielle devastated Derna and the Green Mountain region of Libya, a member of Derna’s crisis committee has warned that the death toll has now surpassed 20,000. Hamad Al-Shalwi, in remarks to the media, stated that the crisis committee confirmed over 20,000 fatalities in Derna alone from the devastating flooding caused by Danielle. He described the situation in Derna, previously home to 50,000 residents, as “tragic.”
- In videos published by the NGO Refugees in Libya on its X account, three men and two women are violently beaten by human traffickers. The victims are believed to be detained in the town of Bani Walid in western Libya, which is under the government of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh. They can be seen pleading for help. Their names are: Aaron Tadesse, Deacon Nftalem, Lewam Addis Beyene, and Adam Mehamed. They have been detained for at least three weeks in unbearable conditions in secret prisons in western Libya, run by militias. These are unofficial prisons, different from those run by Dbeibeh’s Directorate for Combatting Illegal Migration (DCIM), a department of the interior ministry.
NATIONAL POLITICS AND SOCIAL ISSUES
- The UN envoy for Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, has proposed a new UN mission initiative aimed at resolving Libya’s ongoing political crisis, the High Council of State announced. The announcement came following a phone call between Bathily and Council head Mohamed Tekala. It comes on the heels of an unsuccessful Cairo meeting between Tekala and House of Representatives chief Aguila Saleh last week.
- The head of the Supreme Council of State, Mohamed Tekala, discussed with the U.S. Special Envoy to Libya, Ambassador Richard Norland, the anticipated initiative of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, to resolve the political crisis in Libya, which he intends to announce in the coming days, according to the media office of the Supreme Council of State.
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A new UN political initiative was the focus of a telephone conversation yesterday between Chairman of the High Council of State, Mohamed Takala, and UN Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, revealed the council. In a brief statement, the council also said that the two discuss political situation in Libya. It did not disclose any information about the initiative.
- Libya has been designated vice-president of the 42nd conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) based in Paris. Moussa al Maqrif, Minister of Culture of the Government of National Unity, commented on the importance of this election in strengthening national participation in key UNESCO bodies.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- Libya’s National Security Adviser Ibrahim Bushnaf concluded his visit to Russia, which came at the invitation of Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev. During the visit, Bushnaf met with Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Patrushev’s deputy Venediktov Nikolaevich, and several other Russian officials.
- The Libya Oil, Gas, and Renewable Energy Exhibition kicked off in Benghazi, marking its third edition held in the coastal city. The opening ceremony saw Prime Minister Osama Hammad in attendance, along with senior government officials and representatives from various companies.
- The Franco-Libyan Transport Forum will be held from 11 to 12 December at MEDEF’s Paris headquarters. MEDEF, the Mouvement des entreprises de France, or the Movement of the Enterprises of France, is the largest employer federation in France, established in 1998.
