~~
Crazy. the Libyan National Army just disbanded today??
It's a container and logistics port???
Last edited:
Libya News and Interests
- Thread starter anatta
- Start date
Crazy. the Libyan National Army just disbanded today??
It's a container and logistics port???
NEW LIBYA TWITTER FEED ^ above info
~~
Oded Berkowitz
@Oded121351 https://twitter.com/Oded121351
Intelligence analyst at a private geopolitical risk consulting firm.
Tweet mainly on Egypt, Libya and the rest of the Maghreb.
improvised explosive device was defused near a fuel station in the area of Souq Alahad, south of Tripoli,
the General Directorate for the Protection of Diplomatic Missions revealed Saturday.
The General Directorate explained on Facebook that its team arrived at the site after receiving a report on the existence of an explosive device in the area, noting that the bomb squad managed to dismantle the bomb before it went off.
The southern suburbs of Tripoli experienced during the period from 26 August to 25 September intensive fighting between armed groups, which left more than 100 dead and hundreds others wounded.
cancel2 2022
Canceled
Salame pushes for change in Tripoli militia-dominated security status quo
https://www.libyaherald.com/2018/09...ripoli-militia-dominated-security-status-quo/
https://www.libyaherald.com/2018/09...ripoli-militia-dominated-security-status-quo/
He also pointed out the resurgence of ISIS in Libya, as terror attacks rise, noting that 57 people have been killed in 14 attacks since the start of the year, including two in the latest one on the National Oil Corporation’s Tripoli headquarters.
It is not clear if now Serraj will have the courage to reform Tripoli’s militias. It is also not clear if he can and whether they will give up their huge power and influence.
It is also not clear if militias will negotiate themselves out of their positions of influence and some of their positions of wealth or whether they need to be defeated militarily.
The latest Tripoli militia fighting has also puts Faiez Serraj’s position as head of the Presidency Council in question with the House of Representatives and the High State Council at least now talking about reforming the Presidency Council. It has become more unlikely that Serraj will remain as its head.
It is not clear if now Serraj will have the courage to reform Tripoli’s militias. It is also not clear if he can and whether they will give up their huge power and influence.
It is also not clear if militias will negotiate themselves out of their positions of influence and some of their positions of wealth or whether they need to be defeated militarily.
The latest Tripoli militia fighting has also puts Faiez Serraj’s position as head of the Presidency Council in question with the House of Representatives and the High State Council at least now talking about reforming the Presidency Council. It has become more unlikely that Serraj will remain as its head.
Surge in fighting among Libya’s ‘super militias’ imperils Western peace efforts
https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...1b7af255aa5_story.html?utm_term=.213450094b32
Libyan forces loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA), Libya's internationally recognized government, guard from a position south of Tripoli, Libya, Sept. 25, 2018. (Str/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
~~
The rise of “super militias,” which last month month triggered the worst spasm of violence in the Libyan capital Tripoli in four years, has exposed the weakness of Western efforts to stabilize Libya while creating an opening for the Islamic State to resurrect itself in North Africa.
Since late August, clashes between rival armed groups have shattered Tripoli. Rockets and heavy artillery have destroyed residential neighborhoods, forcing thousands of families to flee their homes. The violence has killed more than 115 and injured hundreds more, pushing the United Nations to declare a state of emergency in the capital.
Another cease-fire was declared Wednesday. But few observers expect the violence to vanish while the militias’ long-standing rivalries and economic ambitions persist. Previous cease-fire agreements have repeatedly broken down.
The recent violence is the starkest evidence yet of how the strategy adopted by the United Nations and Western powers after the ouster and death of Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi during the 2011 Arab Spring revolts has faltered. That strategy involved installing the Government of National Accord, a U.N.-endorsed interim authority, in 2016 as a way to bring peace and stability to the country.
From the beginning, that government has been largely reliant on heavily armed militias to exert control, and many Libyans have seen it as an authority imposed on them by outside powers.
Today, those militias are battling for the capital. Many of them have linked up with other armed factions to form larger, more-powerful armed groups that some analysts have dubbed “super militias.” Their goal, analysts say, is to assert political control, seize territory and wrest economic spoils, including a share of one of the continent’s largest reserves of oil and natural gas.
ince the GNA’s establishment, a handful of local militias have grown powerful and wealthy, even as they remain nominally loyal to the government of Prime Minister Fayez Serraj. Today, those militias dominate the government through their control of key ministries and elements of the financial system, as well as by overseeing security in the capital.
The recent clashes pitted the Seventh Brigade, an armed force from Tarhouna, 45 miles southeast of Tripoli, against two powerful pro-government militias: the Tripoli Revolutionary Brigades and the Nawasi. Smaller armed groups in and around the capital have joined both sides.
The violence was initially sparked by envy and resentment, according to analysts and the militias themselves. Facebook posts by pro-government militia leaders — flaunting their flashy lifestyles, expensive cars and luxury vacations — proved provocative at a time when most Libyans are struggling economically. On Aug. 26, the Seventh Brigade launched an assault on Tripoli, vowing to cleanse corrupt rivals from Libya.
The violence has raged despite calls by Serraj to end the fighting.
“The GNA has been on life support for a considerable period of time,” said Mary Fitzgerald, a Libya researcher who has focused on the country’s militias. “This current episode underscores its powerlessness, and the fact that it depends on these armed groups more than these armed groups depend on it.” Serraj’s words “simply do not have any effect,” she said.
In 2014, clashes between rival militias engulfed the capital for weeks. As in the latest battles, residential areas were destroyed by heavy artillery and thousands were displaced. The fighting left an opening for the Islamic State to emerge. By the next year, the militants had seized the coastal city of Sirte and transformed it into the de facto capital of their North African operations.
The extremists were pushed out in December 2016 after militias turned their military might against the Islamic State. But extremist groups remain a threat. In May, for instance, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for an assault by suicide bombers on Libya's electoral commission in Tripoli, killing at least 12 people, and the group attacked a checkpoint in western Libya in August, killing four.
Most significantly, the Islamic State attacked the Tripoli offices of Libya’s National Oil on Sept. 10 in the midst of the militia clashes, killing two employees and injuring 10 others. It was a sign of the extremists’ willingness to take advantage of a power vacuum.
“This is an ideal breeding ground for ISIS,” Wehrey said, using another name for the Islamic State. “It gives them space. The more these Libyan factions are focused on fighting each other and not containing or battling ISIS, that’s a win for ISIS both in terms of plotting operations but also recruitment.”
The tensions in Tripoli could also embolden Gen. Khalifa Hifter, a military strongman aligned with a separate government in eastern Libya that does not recognize the GNA. Supported by France, Egypt and other regional powers, Hifter has long vowed to send his forces into Tripoli, though he lacks the military capabilities, analysts say.
Still, the violence plays into the strongman’s argument that Libya needs an authoritarian to bring stability. The chaos in Tripoli “helps him with his narrative, that this model in the east of relative stability through a military-led rule works,” Wehrey said.
The clashes have jeopardized hopes for holding elections at the end of the year. France and the United Nations view them as a vital step toward political stability. But other European governments such as Italy, as well as many Libyans, see holding a vote as untenable given Libya’s chaotic swings. The violence last month only reinforced that view.
Few analysts expect that to happen in the near future. The United Nations, analysts say, did little to push the militias out of government roles over the past two years. Rather, it relied on the militias to provide security for the capital, ministries, embassies and even U.N. facilities
he battle for Tripoli will be over only when grievances have been resolved, militias have been defeated and new political arrangements have emerged. None of that has happened, he wrote. “Therefore it’s just a lull.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...1b7af255aa5_story.html?utm_term=.213450094b32
Libyan forces loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA), Libya's internationally recognized government, guard from a position south of Tripoli, Libya, Sept. 25, 2018. (Str/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
~~
The rise of “super militias,” which last month month triggered the worst spasm of violence in the Libyan capital Tripoli in four years, has exposed the weakness of Western efforts to stabilize Libya while creating an opening for the Islamic State to resurrect itself in North Africa.
Since late August, clashes between rival armed groups have shattered Tripoli. Rockets and heavy artillery have destroyed residential neighborhoods, forcing thousands of families to flee their homes. The violence has killed more than 115 and injured hundreds more, pushing the United Nations to declare a state of emergency in the capital.
Another cease-fire was declared Wednesday. But few observers expect the violence to vanish while the militias’ long-standing rivalries and economic ambitions persist. Previous cease-fire agreements have repeatedly broken down.
The recent violence is the starkest evidence yet of how the strategy adopted by the United Nations and Western powers after the ouster and death of Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi during the 2011 Arab Spring revolts has faltered. That strategy involved installing the Government of National Accord, a U.N.-endorsed interim authority, in 2016 as a way to bring peace and stability to the country.
From the beginning, that government has been largely reliant on heavily armed militias to exert control, and many Libyans have seen it as an authority imposed on them by outside powers.
Today, those militias are battling for the capital. Many of them have linked up with other armed factions to form larger, more-powerful armed groups that some analysts have dubbed “super militias.” Their goal, analysts say, is to assert political control, seize territory and wrest economic spoils, including a share of one of the continent’s largest reserves of oil and natural gas.
ince the GNA’s establishment, a handful of local militias have grown powerful and wealthy, even as they remain nominally loyal to the government of Prime Minister Fayez Serraj. Today, those militias dominate the government through their control of key ministries and elements of the financial system, as well as by overseeing security in the capital.
The recent clashes pitted the Seventh Brigade, an armed force from Tarhouna, 45 miles southeast of Tripoli, against two powerful pro-government militias: the Tripoli Revolutionary Brigades and the Nawasi. Smaller armed groups in and around the capital have joined both sides.
The violence was initially sparked by envy and resentment, according to analysts and the militias themselves. Facebook posts by pro-government militia leaders — flaunting their flashy lifestyles, expensive cars and luxury vacations — proved provocative at a time when most Libyans are struggling economically. On Aug. 26, the Seventh Brigade launched an assault on Tripoli, vowing to cleanse corrupt rivals from Libya.
The violence has raged despite calls by Serraj to end the fighting.
“The GNA has been on life support for a considerable period of time,” said Mary Fitzgerald, a Libya researcher who has focused on the country’s militias. “This current episode underscores its powerlessness, and the fact that it depends on these armed groups more than these armed groups depend on it.” Serraj’s words “simply do not have any effect,” she said.
In 2014, clashes between rival militias engulfed the capital for weeks. As in the latest battles, residential areas were destroyed by heavy artillery and thousands were displaced. The fighting left an opening for the Islamic State to emerge. By the next year, the militants had seized the coastal city of Sirte and transformed it into the de facto capital of their North African operations.
The extremists were pushed out in December 2016 after militias turned their military might against the Islamic State. But extremist groups remain a threat. In May, for instance, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for an assault by suicide bombers on Libya's electoral commission in Tripoli, killing at least 12 people, and the group attacked a checkpoint in western Libya in August, killing four.
Most significantly, the Islamic State attacked the Tripoli offices of Libya’s National Oil on Sept. 10 in the midst of the militia clashes, killing two employees and injuring 10 others. It was a sign of the extremists’ willingness to take advantage of a power vacuum.
“This is an ideal breeding ground for ISIS,” Wehrey said, using another name for the Islamic State. “It gives them space. The more these Libyan factions are focused on fighting each other and not containing or battling ISIS, that’s a win for ISIS both in terms of plotting operations but also recruitment.”
The tensions in Tripoli could also embolden Gen. Khalifa Hifter, a military strongman aligned with a separate government in eastern Libya that does not recognize the GNA. Supported by France, Egypt and other regional powers, Hifter has long vowed to send his forces into Tripoli, though he lacks the military capabilities, analysts say.
Still, the violence plays into the strongman’s argument that Libya needs an authoritarian to bring stability. The chaos in Tripoli “helps him with his narrative, that this model in the east of relative stability through a military-led rule works,” Wehrey said.
The clashes have jeopardized hopes for holding elections at the end of the year. France and the United Nations view them as a vital step toward political stability. But other European governments such as Italy, as well as many Libyans, see holding a vote as untenable given Libya’s chaotic swings. The violence last month only reinforced that view.
Few analysts expect that to happen in the near future. The United Nations, analysts say, did little to push the militias out of government roles over the past two years. Rather, it relied on the militias to provide security for the capital, ministries, embassies and even U.N. facilities
he battle for Tripoli will be over only when grievances have been resolved, militias have been defeated and new political arrangements have emerged. None of that has happened, he wrote. “Therefore it’s just a lull.”
Russia is suspected of deploying troops to Libya, but what's Moscow's play in this muddy conflict?
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/1...t-what-s-moscow-s-play-in-this-muddy-conflict
Russian and Western media outlets say Moscow has been deploying troops to Libya for the past several months, reportedly to bolster one group in the country’s civil war. Russia is apparently filling a vacuum: the U.S. has effectively abandoned its efforts to intervene in the situation, and European nations are more concerned with stemming the flow of immigrants from Africa than resolving the conflict. Meduza takes a look at who’s fighting whom in Libya, and what Russia’s interests are in this messy conflict.
What’s going on in Libya? Is Russia really planning to fight a war here?
The current scare in the media began on October 8 with an article published in The Sun, claiming that “Vladimir Putin wants to make the war-torn North African country ‘his new Syria.’” Citing sources in British intelligence, the tabloid claimed that Russia has already embedded “dozens” of GRU agents and Spetsnaz troops in eastern Libya, and established two military bases in the coastal towns of Tobruk and Benghazi, supposedly using the Wagner private military group as “cover.” Russian Kalibr anti-ship missiles and S-300 air-defense systems are also reportedly on the ground in Libya. The tabloid’s sources claimed that the Kremlin has sided with the warlord General Khalifa Haftar in an effort to “seize control of the country’s coastline.” This would allegedly give Russia the power to unleash a “fresh tidal wave of migrants” across the Mediterranean “like a tap.”
While The Sun’s reports are often unreliable and hyperbolic, reporters from the Russian business magazine RBC later verified the story, finding sources who confirm that Moscow has been transferring troops to Libya for several months now. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has denied any participation in the Libyan conflict.
In recent years, rumors have circulated regularly that Russia might intervene more aggressively in Libya. Speculation only intensified in early 2018, when Moscow announced its latest troop withdrawal from Syria, which some analysts viewed as a pivot to Libya.
In February, citing “dozens of interviews with current and former European, Libyan, and American officials,”
The New York Times reported that Moscow was suspected of “attempted weapons-for-oil deals, attempted bribery, and efforts to influence top government defense appointments, as well as printing money and stamping coinage for the Haftar-allied government.” But journalists still lacked concrete evidence of Russia’s growing intervention.
Who’s fighting whom in Libya? Who’s on Russia’s side?
The simplest answer is that everyone is fighting against everyone. It’s been that way, almost without interruption, since early 2011, at the outset of the nationwide rebellion against Muammar el-Qaddafi, who ruled the country for more than 40 years.
After the dictator’s overthrow, Libya witnessed a series of constitutional crises, leading to dueling parliaments: the General National Congress and the House of Representatives.
The General National Congress was elected in 2012 as a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution, but it effectively functioned as a parliament.
Armed clashes and pressure on voters marred the June 2014 elections for the House of Representatives.
In many areas, voting stations were never even opened. Proponents of a secular state (largely represented by figures with ties to the former Qaddafi regime) claimed victory, but Islamists from the General National Congress rejected the election results and refused to disband.
The House of Representatives set up operations in the city of Tobruk, a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast.
General Khalifa Haftar, who later received the rank of field marshal, became the group’s commander-in-chief.
A veteran of the Libyan Army, Haftar served under Qaddafi.
In the late 1980s, he was captured in the conflict with Chad, fled to the United States, and then joined the opposition against Qaddafi.
In late 2015, Libya’s two warring parliaments reached a political agreement and created a national unity government headed by Fayez al-Sarraj (another former functionary from the Qaddafi era).
Today, Sarraj's is the only legitimate government recognized by United Nations members, including Russia, but Field Marshal Haftar and several deputies in the House of Representatives rejected the settlement.
Western experts believe that Moscow is secretly supporting Haftar and his insurgents.
In 2016 and 2017, Haftar visited Moscow three times, reportedly to ask for Russian military aid.
In January 2017, he also received a full-dress parade aboard Russia’s only aircraft carrier, where he video-conferenced with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu from the ship’s stateroom.
But Haftar’s adversary, Fayez al-Sarraj, has come to Moscow several times, as well.
At least until recently, Moscow seemed to be applying the lessons learned in Syria to its actions in Libya, experts say. This meant keeping the Kremlin’s options open and maintaining ties to more than one group.
Haftar’s forces control individual cities and enclaves mainly on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, closer to the border with Egypt, which also supports the field marshal.
Sarraj’s government occupies Tripoli (the capital) and several territories in the west.
Meanwhile, at the high-point of Libya’s armed conflict, most of the country was in the hands of local tribal leaders and field commanders.
Who supports the West?
Unlike the Western consensus in Syria, where Europe and the U.S. uniformly oppose the Assad regime,
there’s no comparable Western unity in Libya.
In formal diplomatic relations, everyone recognizes Sarraj’s government, but there’s no single political strategy or tactic.
American armed forces played a significant role in Qaddafi's overthrow, but Washington has since adopted a policy that critics call “leading from behind.”
As a presidential candidate and as president, Donald Trump has opposed any large-scale intervention in Libya, with the narrow exception of counter-terrorism operations against ISIS.
The Trump administration technically supports Sarraj’s government, but it has yet to send an ambassador to Tripoli, and it still hasn’t replaced Obama’s special envoy for Libya, who resigned after Trump entered the White House.
The Europeans are concerned primarily with reducing immigration from Libya.
In March 2018, there were an estimated 180,000 internally displaced people and 662,000 migrants from other African countries residing in Libya (whose total population is just seven million people).
Most refugees are concentrated closer to Libya’s west coast, which is controlled by Sarraj’s government.
In 2016, roughly 181,000 people came from Libya to Italy by sea. In 2017, the number of arrivals dropped to less than 120,000 people.
Experts attribute the decline to the fact that the Italian government pays Sarraj to keep as many migrants from coming to Italy as possible. Conditions for refugees in Libya, however, remain extremely difficult.
In May 2018, the French government brought together Libya’s two warring sides and negotiated elections to be held in December.
The agreement hasn’t won the support of all observers, however, given that Paris, like Moscow, is suspected of supporting Khalifa Haftar.
Additionally, France’s negotiations did not include representatives from the local authorities who control most of the country, which obviously complicates the feasibility of staging a nationwide election.
Why would Russia get involved in this mess?
Russia could dramatically expand its influence in the Mediterranean region with another military outpost.
According to another theory, Russia is trying to gain control over Libya’s oil reserves, which rank 10th in the world. While Libyan oil production is only 20th worldwide, the country has steadily expanded its output in recent years.
In February 2017, Rosneft and Libya’s National Oil Corporation signed a cooperation agreement.
The corporation is formally headquartered in Tripoli, but the bulk of its oil fields are located in the country’s east, near positions occupied by Field Marshal Haftar’s soldiers — which could explain why Moscow is now apparently doubling down on its partnership with Haftar.
At the same time, Russia’s strategic goal might be to slow Libyan production, in order to prevent a collapse in world oil prices.
Additionally, before the start of Libya’s civil war, the Qaddafi regime signed a deal with Russian Railways to build a high-speed railway between Tripoli and Benghazi.
Worth roughly 2.2 billion euros ($2.5 billion), the project was put on hold when Qaddafi was deposed.
According to The New York Times, then Russian Railways head Vladimir Yakunin tried to bribe Libyan officials into restarting the construction, in exchange for “a percentage of the contract as a commission.” (Yakunin’s spokespeople deny these allegations.)
Also, Russian arms dealers reportedly estimate that Moscow lost nearly $4 billion in weapons sales to the Qaddafi regime. Apparently, the Kremlin would like to return to this market, as well.
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/1...t-what-s-moscow-s-play-in-this-muddy-conflict
Russian and Western media outlets say Moscow has been deploying troops to Libya for the past several months, reportedly to bolster one group in the country’s civil war. Russia is apparently filling a vacuum: the U.S. has effectively abandoned its efforts to intervene in the situation, and European nations are more concerned with stemming the flow of immigrants from Africa than resolving the conflict. Meduza takes a look at who’s fighting whom in Libya, and what Russia’s interests are in this messy conflict.
What’s going on in Libya? Is Russia really planning to fight a war here?
The current scare in the media began on October 8 with an article published in The Sun, claiming that “Vladimir Putin wants to make the war-torn North African country ‘his new Syria.’” Citing sources in British intelligence, the tabloid claimed that Russia has already embedded “dozens” of GRU agents and Spetsnaz troops in eastern Libya, and established two military bases in the coastal towns of Tobruk and Benghazi, supposedly using the Wagner private military group as “cover.” Russian Kalibr anti-ship missiles and S-300 air-defense systems are also reportedly on the ground in Libya. The tabloid’s sources claimed that the Kremlin has sided with the warlord General Khalifa Haftar in an effort to “seize control of the country’s coastline.” This would allegedly give Russia the power to unleash a “fresh tidal wave of migrants” across the Mediterranean “like a tap.”
While The Sun’s reports are often unreliable and hyperbolic, reporters from the Russian business magazine RBC later verified the story, finding sources who confirm that Moscow has been transferring troops to Libya for several months now. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has denied any participation in the Libyan conflict.
In recent years, rumors have circulated regularly that Russia might intervene more aggressively in Libya. Speculation only intensified in early 2018, when Moscow announced its latest troop withdrawal from Syria, which some analysts viewed as a pivot to Libya.
In February, citing “dozens of interviews with current and former European, Libyan, and American officials,”
The New York Times reported that Moscow was suspected of “attempted weapons-for-oil deals, attempted bribery, and efforts to influence top government defense appointments, as well as printing money and stamping coinage for the Haftar-allied government.” But journalists still lacked concrete evidence of Russia’s growing intervention.
Who’s fighting whom in Libya? Who’s on Russia’s side?
The simplest answer is that everyone is fighting against everyone. It’s been that way, almost without interruption, since early 2011, at the outset of the nationwide rebellion against Muammar el-Qaddafi, who ruled the country for more than 40 years.
After the dictator’s overthrow, Libya witnessed a series of constitutional crises, leading to dueling parliaments: the General National Congress and the House of Representatives.
The General National Congress was elected in 2012 as a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution, but it effectively functioned as a parliament.
Armed clashes and pressure on voters marred the June 2014 elections for the House of Representatives.
In many areas, voting stations were never even opened. Proponents of a secular state (largely represented by figures with ties to the former Qaddafi regime) claimed victory, but Islamists from the General National Congress rejected the election results and refused to disband.
The House of Representatives set up operations in the city of Tobruk, a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast.
General Khalifa Haftar, who later received the rank of field marshal, became the group’s commander-in-chief.
A veteran of the Libyan Army, Haftar served under Qaddafi.
In the late 1980s, he was captured in the conflict with Chad, fled to the United States, and then joined the opposition against Qaddafi.
In late 2015, Libya’s two warring parliaments reached a political agreement and created a national unity government headed by Fayez al-Sarraj (another former functionary from the Qaddafi era).
Today, Sarraj's is the only legitimate government recognized by United Nations members, including Russia, but Field Marshal Haftar and several deputies in the House of Representatives rejected the settlement.
Western experts believe that Moscow is secretly supporting Haftar and his insurgents.
In 2016 and 2017, Haftar visited Moscow three times, reportedly to ask for Russian military aid.
In January 2017, he also received a full-dress parade aboard Russia’s only aircraft carrier, where he video-conferenced with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu from the ship’s stateroom.
But Haftar’s adversary, Fayez al-Sarraj, has come to Moscow several times, as well.
At least until recently, Moscow seemed to be applying the lessons learned in Syria to its actions in Libya, experts say. This meant keeping the Kremlin’s options open and maintaining ties to more than one group.
Haftar’s forces control individual cities and enclaves mainly on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, closer to the border with Egypt, which also supports the field marshal.
Sarraj’s government occupies Tripoli (the capital) and several territories in the west.
Meanwhile, at the high-point of Libya’s armed conflict, most of the country was in the hands of local tribal leaders and field commanders.
Who supports the West?
Unlike the Western consensus in Syria, where Europe and the U.S. uniformly oppose the Assad regime,
there’s no comparable Western unity in Libya.
In formal diplomatic relations, everyone recognizes Sarraj’s government, but there’s no single political strategy or tactic.
American armed forces played a significant role in Qaddafi's overthrow, but Washington has since adopted a policy that critics call “leading from behind.”
As a presidential candidate and as president, Donald Trump has opposed any large-scale intervention in Libya, with the narrow exception of counter-terrorism operations against ISIS.
The Trump administration technically supports Sarraj’s government, but it has yet to send an ambassador to Tripoli, and it still hasn’t replaced Obama’s special envoy for Libya, who resigned after Trump entered the White House.
The Europeans are concerned primarily with reducing immigration from Libya.
In March 2018, there were an estimated 180,000 internally displaced people and 662,000 migrants from other African countries residing in Libya (whose total population is just seven million people).
Most refugees are concentrated closer to Libya’s west coast, which is controlled by Sarraj’s government.
In 2016, roughly 181,000 people came from Libya to Italy by sea. In 2017, the number of arrivals dropped to less than 120,000 people.
Experts attribute the decline to the fact that the Italian government pays Sarraj to keep as many migrants from coming to Italy as possible. Conditions for refugees in Libya, however, remain extremely difficult.
In May 2018, the French government brought together Libya’s two warring sides and negotiated elections to be held in December.
The agreement hasn’t won the support of all observers, however, given that Paris, like Moscow, is suspected of supporting Khalifa Haftar.
Additionally, France’s negotiations did not include representatives from the local authorities who control most of the country, which obviously complicates the feasibility of staging a nationwide election.
Why would Russia get involved in this mess?
Russia could dramatically expand its influence in the Mediterranean region with another military outpost.
According to another theory, Russia is trying to gain control over Libya’s oil reserves, which rank 10th in the world. While Libyan oil production is only 20th worldwide, the country has steadily expanded its output in recent years.
In February 2017, Rosneft and Libya’s National Oil Corporation signed a cooperation agreement.
The corporation is formally headquartered in Tripoli, but the bulk of its oil fields are located in the country’s east, near positions occupied by Field Marshal Haftar’s soldiers — which could explain why Moscow is now apparently doubling down on its partnership with Haftar.
At the same time, Russia’s strategic goal might be to slow Libyan production, in order to prevent a collapse in world oil prices.
Additionally, before the start of Libya’s civil war, the Qaddafi regime signed a deal with Russian Railways to build a high-speed railway between Tripoli and Benghazi.
Worth roughly 2.2 billion euros ($2.5 billion), the project was put on hold when Qaddafi was deposed.
According to The New York Times, then Russian Railways head Vladimir Yakunin tried to bribe Libyan officials into restarting the construction, in exchange for “a percentage of the contract as a commission.” (Yakunin’s spokespeople deny these allegations.)
Also, Russian arms dealers reportedly estimate that Moscow lost nearly $4 billion in weapons sales to the Qaddafi regime. Apparently, the Kremlin would like to return to this market, as well.
https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201810271069241251-libya-seven-years-without-gaddafi/
This October 23 marks the anniversary of the "end of the civil war" in Libya in 2011.
According Boris Dolgov, Senior Researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies, Institute of Oriental Studies, RAS, when NATO intervened in that internal military conflict, it led to the collapse of the Muammar Gaddafi rule and the collapse of the Libyan state.
"As a result Libya has collapsed as a state; and today there are various political forces, including Islamist ones, competing to become the only authority in the country," the expert says.
At the moment there are two main political forces fighting for power in the country — the House of Representatives and the Government of National Accord, but there are other forces as well. In Libya there are various clans that have armed groups in their areas of influence. Some of the groups adhere to radical Islam.
Tripoli Sees Russia As Key Player in Creating Stability in Libya - Deputy PM
Russia, like other members of the international community, is making great efforts to find a solution to the Libyan crisis, but so far no one has managed to obtain any tangible result in the process.
Moscow is working with Libya's most influential forces, like the armed forces of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar who is fighting radical Islamists and aims to rebuild the Libyan state.
Russia is working together with various forces in Libya to reach a political consensus among them and make the political process a priority.
The representatives and delegations of various political forces even went to Russia to take part in talks.
In the future, Russia will continue working to resolve the crisis.
"Russia hasn't officially declared it will send military advisers or other Russian military personnel to Libya, but, in my opinion, it would be possible if the Libyan side, for instance the forces such as those led by Marshal Haftar, asked for it," Dolgov explained.
Russia can help solve the Libyan crisis. It could help end the local conflict with the aid of Russian military advisors or instructors on the ground who can pass on their experience to the Libyans.
Khalifa Haftar is Libya's most powerful military force. According to the Marshal, he is fighting against radical Islamic groups.
This is really important for Russia as these groups pose a threat not only to Libya, but also to the region as a whole, and even to Russia itself.
We know that Islamists from Syria and Iraq have arrived in Libya; in one of the regions, they have even created a para-state that swore allegiance to Daesh (terrorist group banned in Russia). This poses a threat to Russia as Daesh terrorists and other affiliated groups have stated that their goal is to promote jihad in Russia, namely in the Caucasus and southern Russia.
"Haftar's forces are helping to eliminate this threat, so that Moscow's willingness to cooperate with these forces becomes clear," the expert said.
What we are seeing in Libya today is a very complex process. An armed conflict can have repercussions; finding a compromise among a number of armed groups will take time. But perhaps the elections in Libya will somehow glue society together.
"The normalization won't happen tomorrow or the day after; it won't happen even in a year, but at least we've found the right path and hopefully Libyan society will follow it," Dolgov concluded.
Libya's economy is almost nothing — hundreds of billions of dollars have come in from the sale of oil, but for 8 years not a single strategic development project has been implemented in the country.
We see the constant waste of national wealth and bloody confrontations. Lots of people are armed and we constantly hear about victims and wounded. Libya has become hell."
"Whose fault is it? It's the elite, who betrayed everyone and let NATO into the country. The government was overthrown, but in the end nothing good came out of this.
The country is fragmented, there is no dialogue between south, north, west and east, and no one contributes to getting out of the crisis. When Khashoggi was killed, all the media was talking about that.
But in Libya lots of people, journalists and activists are constantly being killed.
The DAESH and Al-Nusra extremists as well as the opposition from Sudan and Chad have found a home in the country. Can you imagine what Libya has turned into? Can you imagine the current situation in the country?" the expert concluded.
This October 23 marks the anniversary of the "end of the civil war" in Libya in 2011.
According Boris Dolgov, Senior Researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies, Institute of Oriental Studies, RAS, when NATO intervened in that internal military conflict, it led to the collapse of the Muammar Gaddafi rule and the collapse of the Libyan state.
"As a result Libya has collapsed as a state; and today there are various political forces, including Islamist ones, competing to become the only authority in the country," the expert says.
At the moment there are two main political forces fighting for power in the country — the House of Representatives and the Government of National Accord, but there are other forces as well. In Libya there are various clans that have armed groups in their areas of influence. Some of the groups adhere to radical Islam.
Tripoli Sees Russia As Key Player in Creating Stability in Libya - Deputy PM
Russia, like other members of the international community, is making great efforts to find a solution to the Libyan crisis, but so far no one has managed to obtain any tangible result in the process.
Moscow is working with Libya's most influential forces, like the armed forces of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar who is fighting radical Islamists and aims to rebuild the Libyan state.
Russia is working together with various forces in Libya to reach a political consensus among them and make the political process a priority.
The representatives and delegations of various political forces even went to Russia to take part in talks.
In the future, Russia will continue working to resolve the crisis.
"Russia hasn't officially declared it will send military advisers or other Russian military personnel to Libya, but, in my opinion, it would be possible if the Libyan side, for instance the forces such as those led by Marshal Haftar, asked for it," Dolgov explained.
Russia can help solve the Libyan crisis. It could help end the local conflict with the aid of Russian military advisors or instructors on the ground who can pass on their experience to the Libyans.
Khalifa Haftar is Libya's most powerful military force. According to the Marshal, he is fighting against radical Islamic groups.
This is really important for Russia as these groups pose a threat not only to Libya, but also to the region as a whole, and even to Russia itself.
We know that Islamists from Syria and Iraq have arrived in Libya; in one of the regions, they have even created a para-state that swore allegiance to Daesh (terrorist group banned in Russia). This poses a threat to Russia as Daesh terrorists and other affiliated groups have stated that their goal is to promote jihad in Russia, namely in the Caucasus and southern Russia.
"Haftar's forces are helping to eliminate this threat, so that Moscow's willingness to cooperate with these forces becomes clear," the expert said.
What we are seeing in Libya today is a very complex process. An armed conflict can have repercussions; finding a compromise among a number of armed groups will take time. But perhaps the elections in Libya will somehow glue society together.
"The normalization won't happen tomorrow or the day after; it won't happen even in a year, but at least we've found the right path and hopefully Libyan society will follow it," Dolgov concluded.
Libya's economy is almost nothing — hundreds of billions of dollars have come in from the sale of oil, but for 8 years not a single strategic development project has been implemented in the country.
We see the constant waste of national wealth and bloody confrontations. Lots of people are armed and we constantly hear about victims and wounded. Libya has become hell."
"Whose fault is it? It's the elite, who betrayed everyone and let NATO into the country. The government was overthrown, but in the end nothing good came out of this.
The country is fragmented, there is no dialogue between south, north, west and east, and no one contributes to getting out of the crisis. When Khashoggi was killed, all the media was talking about that.
But in Libya lots of people, journalists and activists are constantly being killed.
The DAESH and Al-Nusra extremists as well as the opposition from Sudan and Chad have found a home in the country. Can you imagine what Libya has turned into? Can you imagine the current situation in the country?" the expert concluded.
ISIS militants murder four at Libya police station in savage attack
https://www.express.co.uk/news/worl...police-station-kidnap-execution-latest-attack
The local authorities have said the attack occurred on a police station in central Libya.
The Municipal Council of the Jufra district wrote on Facebook: “Currently, four people from the al-Fuqaha area have died as a result of the attack.
“Among them is the son of the chairman of the local council in the Jufra district.”
ISIS terrorists kidnapped a significant amount of young men, the council representative told news website, Sputnik.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/worl...police-station-kidnap-execution-latest-attack
The local authorities have said the attack occurred on a police station in central Libya.
The Municipal Council of the Jufra district wrote on Facebook: “Currently, four people from the al-Fuqaha area have died as a result of the attack.
“Among them is the son of the chairman of the local council in the Jufra district.”
ISIS terrorists kidnapped a significant amount of young men, the council representative told news website, Sputnik.
Haftar arrived in the Italian capital on Sunday and met with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte for a series of meetings ahead of the November 12 to 13 summit
Libya remains mired in chaos since the fall of dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011
Four key leaders from Libya agreed at a conference in Paris in May to hold landmark polls on December 10 as part of a French-led plan to stabilize the crisis-hit country despite ongoing violence.
But France has faced opposition to the election timetable from the United States along with other European Union countries, notably Italy.
Haftar is set to meet Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi on Monday.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1395776/middle-east
ROME: Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, whose self-styled Libyan National Army dominates the country’s east, was in Rome Monday for talks ahead of next month’s Sicily conference on the conflict-hit North African nation.
Italy is trying to convince Haftar to support a crisis resolution plan drawn up by the UN’s envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, which will be presented to the Security Council a few days before the Sicily meet, Italian media reported.
Haftar arrived in the Italian capital on Sunday and met with Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte for a series of meetings ahead of the November 12 to 13 summit, which will be held in Palermo.
The Italian premier had also held separate meetings on Friday with the head of Libya’s UN-backed government, Fayez Al-Sarraj, and the UN’s Salame.
Libya’s Ancient Cultural Areas Suffer Damage
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/libya-s-ancient-cultural-areas-suffer-damage/4630535.html
A man takes a picture of his friend in the ancient ruins of the Greek and Roman city of Cyrene, in Shahhat, Libya October 20, 2018
Cyrene is an ancient city in eastern Libya that was founded by the Greeks more than 2,600 years ago. The historic site once appealed to tourists. But today, it suffers greatly from damage and lack of care.
Cyrene is one of Libya’s five UNESCO World Heritage sites -- places that are considered to have special cultural or physical importance. UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
The sites also include the ruins of the Roman city of Leptis Magna and Sabratha, a site famous for its amphitheater. There are also prehistoric rock cuttings in the Akakous mountains in the southern Sahara Desert, near Libya’s border with Algeria.
But since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, insecurity and looting have harmed many of these areas.
Tourist once walked to Cyrene, a city founded by Greeks and later expanded by Romans. It is in the mountains around 200 kilometers east of Benghazi, within the small community of Shahat.
But today, foreign tourists no longer visit Cyrene. Only Libyan families come to its sites.
Some locals have taken the land for themselves. Others have written graffiti on the ancient city’s structures and walls.
Local officials are trying to stop the damage. Ahmad Hussein is an official in eastern Libya. He said, “In Cyrene, instead of speaking to one owner, now we speak to 50…”
He said owners have built houses on the ancient sites.
A 2013 law permitted people to reclaim land that was taken from them under Gaddafi’s rule. That ruling worsened the problem. Some people took the amount of land they felt they deserved.
Hussein said he wants to hold those people responsible for their actions.
There has been some success, however. Hussein said about 1,700 objects that were stolen from historic sites have been returned. The returned objects had been looted inside the country. Many other objects have been illegally taken out of the country.
Leptis Magna is an ancient site in northwestern Libya. It has mostly avoided damage because of local people who are fans of history. The site, which is near the city of Misrata, is also more secure than other places.
The site of Sabratha has been repeatedly hit by fighting between warring groups. Last year, UNESCO appealed for help in protecting the site. But the site received no help.
In Tripoli, the capital, one director is trying to save 18 Roman graves. The graves are around 1,700 years old. They were found in 1958 in the western town of Janzour.
The director is al-Amari Ramadan Mabrouk. He said, “There is no support for this site.”
Sometimes, Libyan families come to the site. But mostly, the graves remain covered with spiders and dust.
Mabrouk said, “I cannot give a number for tourists who visit Libya…but I can say that, before 2011, tourism was popular in Libya.”
https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/libya-s-ancient-cultural-areas-suffer-damage/4630535.html
A man takes a picture of his friend in the ancient ruins of the Greek and Roman city of Cyrene, in Shahhat, Libya October 20, 2018
Cyrene is an ancient city in eastern Libya that was founded by the Greeks more than 2,600 years ago. The historic site once appealed to tourists. But today, it suffers greatly from damage and lack of care.
Cyrene is one of Libya’s five UNESCO World Heritage sites -- places that are considered to have special cultural or physical importance. UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
The sites also include the ruins of the Roman city of Leptis Magna and Sabratha, a site famous for its amphitheater. There are also prehistoric rock cuttings in the Akakous mountains in the southern Sahara Desert, near Libya’s border with Algeria.
But since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, insecurity and looting have harmed many of these areas.
Tourist once walked to Cyrene, a city founded by Greeks and later expanded by Romans. It is in the mountains around 200 kilometers east of Benghazi, within the small community of Shahat.
But today, foreign tourists no longer visit Cyrene. Only Libyan families come to its sites.
Some locals have taken the land for themselves. Others have written graffiti on the ancient city’s structures and walls.
Local officials are trying to stop the damage. Ahmad Hussein is an official in eastern Libya. He said, “In Cyrene, instead of speaking to one owner, now we speak to 50…”
He said owners have built houses on the ancient sites.
A 2013 law permitted people to reclaim land that was taken from them under Gaddafi’s rule. That ruling worsened the problem. Some people took the amount of land they felt they deserved.
Hussein said he wants to hold those people responsible for their actions.
There has been some success, however. Hussein said about 1,700 objects that were stolen from historic sites have been returned. The returned objects had been looted inside the country. Many other objects have been illegally taken out of the country.
Leptis Magna is an ancient site in northwestern Libya. It has mostly avoided damage because of local people who are fans of history. The site, which is near the city of Misrata, is also more secure than other places.
The site of Sabratha has been repeatedly hit by fighting between warring groups. Last year, UNESCO appealed for help in protecting the site. But the site received no help.
In Tripoli, the capital, one director is trying to save 18 Roman graves. The graves are around 1,700 years old. They were found in 1958 in the western town of Janzour.
The director is al-Amari Ramadan Mabrouk. He said, “There is no support for this site.”
Sometimes, Libyan families come to the site. But mostly, the graves remain covered with spiders and dust.
Mabrouk said, “I cannot give a number for tourists who visit Libya…but I can say that, before 2011, tourism was popular in Libya.”
"Libya's economy is almost nothing — hundreds of billions of dollars have come in from the sale of oil, but for 8 years not a single strategic development project has been implemented in the country.
We see the constant waste of national wealth and bloody confrontations. Lots of people are armed and we constantly hear about victims and wounded. Libya has become hell."
"Whose fault is it? It's the elite, who betrayed everyone and let NATO into the country. The government was overthrown, but in the end nothing good came out of this.
The country is fragmented, there is no dialogue between south, north, west and east, and no one contributes to getting out of the crisis. When Khashoggi was killed, all the media was talking about that. "
We see the constant waste of national wealth and bloody confrontations. Lots of people are armed and we constantly hear about victims and wounded. Libya has become hell."
"Whose fault is it? It's the elite, who betrayed everyone and let NATO into the country. The government was overthrown, but in the end nothing good came out of this.
The country is fragmented, there is no dialogue between south, north, west and east, and no one contributes to getting out of the crisis. When Khashoggi was killed, all the media was talking about that. "
Libya’s Peace Process in Tatters, the West Hits Reset Button
https://www.wsj.com/articles/with-l...tatters-the-west-hits-reset-button-1542037928
Western officials launched a new bid to rescue Libya’s troubled peace process, days after the United Nations officially discarded a plan to hold elections this year.
An Italy-sponsored summit in Sicily’s capital is the latest effort to resolve the political crisis that has gripped Libya since the 2011 revolution and North Atlantic Treaty Organization intervention that ousted former ruler Moammar Gadhafi.
Libya’s warring factions gathered here to break the impasse with European and American counterparts, though looming over the conference was the role of Khalifa Haftar, a militia general who controls a vast swath of the country’s east.
Mr. Haftar arrived Monday night after days of uncertainty about his participation. As late as Monday morning, a spokesman for his group, the Libyan National Army, told The Wall Street Journal he didn’t know if the general would attend. Even after he arrived, it was unclear whether he would take part in all of the planned meetings, or meet with officials on the sidelines.
The gathering comes at a difficult moment in Libya, which is split between two rival governments and an array of armed factions that continue to fight each other. European and Arab states have led separate initiatives to mediate the conflict, complicating U.N.-led efforts to resolve the differences.
A U.N. effort to hold elections in December fell apart last week as fighting continued. The U.N.’s new plan, announced last week, calls instead for a national political congress followed by elections in 2019.
“We face a common challenge and the risks of a further deterioration of the situation on the ground are weighing on all of us,” said Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, according to an interview with Italian La Stampa newspaper published on Monday.
The gathering here, which concludes on Tuesday, is the second major European-backed Libyan political conference this year, following a meeting in Paris in June when the election plan was first agreed upon.
“We keep having grand meeting after grand meeting without a lot of concrete progress on the ground,” a senior White House official said, speaking before this week’s summit.
This time, the leaders are gathering in a grand hotel overlooking the shimmering blue of the Mediterranean in Italy, the country that occupied Libya as a colonial power in the early 20th century.
In addition to Libyan leaders including Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, at least 38 foreign officials and heads of state and representatives of international organizations are expected at the summit. Among them are Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev.
The officials face a complex set of issues including the timing of possible elections and the task of restoring security to the capital Tripoli. In late August and September, fighting among rival militias paralyzed Tripoli, underscoring the challenge of reigning in armed groups, some of whom are on the payroll of Libya’s central bank.
Another challenge is Mr. Haftar, who opposes the internationally recognized government in Tripoli and has made attempts to seize control of Libya’s vast oil wealth.
Hopes for a breakthrough appear dim. The Italian government circulated a document listing a thin schedule of events for the meeting, including a “working dinner,” a group photo for the attendees, and just two hours allotted for the main political meeting.
“There’s a lot of grandstanding going on, a lot of theatrics. It remains to be seen how this will be felt on the ground in Libya,”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/with-l...tatters-the-west-hits-reset-button-1542037928
Western officials launched a new bid to rescue Libya’s troubled peace process, days after the United Nations officially discarded a plan to hold elections this year.
An Italy-sponsored summit in Sicily’s capital is the latest effort to resolve the political crisis that has gripped Libya since the 2011 revolution and North Atlantic Treaty Organization intervention that ousted former ruler Moammar Gadhafi.
Libya’s warring factions gathered here to break the impasse with European and American counterparts, though looming over the conference was the role of Khalifa Haftar, a militia general who controls a vast swath of the country’s east.
Mr. Haftar arrived Monday night after days of uncertainty about his participation. As late as Monday morning, a spokesman for his group, the Libyan National Army, told The Wall Street Journal he didn’t know if the general would attend. Even after he arrived, it was unclear whether he would take part in all of the planned meetings, or meet with officials on the sidelines.
The gathering comes at a difficult moment in Libya, which is split between two rival governments and an array of armed factions that continue to fight each other. European and Arab states have led separate initiatives to mediate the conflict, complicating U.N.-led efforts to resolve the differences.
A U.N. effort to hold elections in December fell apart last week as fighting continued. The U.N.’s new plan, announced last week, calls instead for a national political congress followed by elections in 2019.
“We face a common challenge and the risks of a further deterioration of the situation on the ground are weighing on all of us,” said Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, according to an interview with Italian La Stampa newspaper published on Monday.
The gathering here, which concludes on Tuesday, is the second major European-backed Libyan political conference this year, following a meeting in Paris in June when the election plan was first agreed upon.
“We keep having grand meeting after grand meeting without a lot of concrete progress on the ground,” a senior White House official said, speaking before this week’s summit.
This time, the leaders are gathering in a grand hotel overlooking the shimmering blue of the Mediterranean in Italy, the country that occupied Libya as a colonial power in the early 20th century.
In addition to Libyan leaders including Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, at least 38 foreign officials and heads of state and representatives of international organizations are expected at the summit. Among them are Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev.
The officials face a complex set of issues including the timing of possible elections and the task of restoring security to the capital Tripoli. In late August and September, fighting among rival militias paralyzed Tripoli, underscoring the challenge of reigning in armed groups, some of whom are on the payroll of Libya’s central bank.
Another challenge is Mr. Haftar, who opposes the internationally recognized government in Tripoli and has made attempts to seize control of Libya’s vast oil wealth.
Hopes for a breakthrough appear dim. The Italian government circulated a document listing a thin schedule of events for the meeting, including a “working dinner,” a group photo for the attendees, and just two hours allotted for the main political meeting.
“There’s a lot of grandstanding going on, a lot of theatrics. It remains to be seen how this will be felt on the ground in Libya,”
A tussle for influence in Libya between France and Italy overhangs the summit. A French-Libyan summit held in Paris in May – to the annoyance of the Italians – set the date for the elections as 10 December, but that timetable has slipped.
The UN special envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salamé, speaking on the fringes of the summit, said the vote would now be held between late March and late June, but the format would depend on what was decided at the national conference scheduled for early next year.
“We want to ask at the national conference: what type of election do you want, parliamentary or presidential, and what kind of law,” he said.
Salamé said the national conference should “preferably” take place on Libyan soil, adding that surveys had shown 80% of Libyans wanted elections to end the stalemate between the country’s rival administrations, both of which have been backed by armed groups.
Leaders of the internationally recognised house of representatives, politically close to Haftar, called for the dismissal of the envoy after he criticised its members for being “time wasting”, “sterile” and wanting elections to be “resisted at all costs”.
Salamé showed no signs of backing down, insisting the Palermo conference needed to put pressure on the house for persistently refusing to approve a new election law, and generally obstructing progress.
He has been supported by his deputy, Stephanie Williams, an American whose appointment signals a reignited US interest in Libya.
Monday was devoted to technical meetings on economics, sectarian and security issues, among the main Libyan institutions and representatives of the foreign powers, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
The UN has been trying to engineer a merger of the two rival central banks, starting with a financial audit of both, as well as measures to reduce corruption and the black market, and edge towards a unified security sector.
Mustafa Sanallah, the chairman of the Libyan National Oil Corporation, said: “Economic transparency was the way to guarantee the fair distribution of oil revenues and bring an end to the feelings of economic injustice that have fragmented Libya.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/12/italy-summit-palermo-future-libya-diplomats
The UN special envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salamé, speaking on the fringes of the summit, said the vote would now be held between late March and late June, but the format would depend on what was decided at the national conference scheduled for early next year.
“We want to ask at the national conference: what type of election do you want, parliamentary or presidential, and what kind of law,” he said.
Salamé said the national conference should “preferably” take place on Libyan soil, adding that surveys had shown 80% of Libyans wanted elections to end the stalemate between the country’s rival administrations, both of which have been backed by armed groups.
Leaders of the internationally recognised house of representatives, politically close to Haftar, called for the dismissal of the envoy after he criticised its members for being “time wasting”, “sterile” and wanting elections to be “resisted at all costs”.
Salamé showed no signs of backing down, insisting the Palermo conference needed to put pressure on the house for persistently refusing to approve a new election law, and generally obstructing progress.
He has been supported by his deputy, Stephanie Williams, an American whose appointment signals a reignited US interest in Libya.
Monday was devoted to technical meetings on economics, sectarian and security issues, among the main Libyan institutions and representatives of the foreign powers, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
The UN has been trying to engineer a merger of the two rival central banks, starting with a financial audit of both, as well as measures to reduce corruption and the black market, and edge towards a unified security sector.
Mustafa Sanallah, the chairman of the Libyan National Oil Corporation, said: “Economic transparency was the way to guarantee the fair distribution of oil revenues and bring an end to the feelings of economic injustice that have fragmented Libya.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/12/italy-summit-palermo-future-libya-diplomats
Libyan govt says Gaddafi's billions were ‘not misused’ despite UN report
nterest on Muammar Gaddafi’s frozen funds in Belgian banks is not subject to UN sanctions and has not been misused or embezzled, the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) insisted following reports to the contrary.
The interest payments amounting to nearly €5 billion ($5.7 billion) had been deposited in “special authority accounts abroad,” until the end of October 2017, when the payments stopped, the LIA said, as quoted by the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya network. The accounts are in Luxembourg, the UK and Bahrain, the Libyan agency noted.
Gaddafi’s assets were frozen in 2011, when NATO intervened on behalf of rebels in Libya to overthrow the long-time leader. Citing British and Belgian legal documents, the LIA insists that interest on frozen assets is not subject to the sanctions, and had been regularly paid out to their accounts. Where exactly the funds went, however, is still being investigated.
Nearly $70 billion from the Libyan Investment Authority was seized across Europe and North America shortly after the UN introduced the sanctions. However, the European authorities had reportedly frozen only the principal amount, allowing the interest and dividends earned since 2011 to be paid out.
The work of the LIA has been negatively impacted by the long-standing political instability in war-torn Libya. Over the past seven years, the organization has seen four presidents, some of them installed by armed groups in control of Tripoli who interfered in LIA's work, according to the UN report.
https://www.rt.com/business/443727-libya-received-interest-frozen-belgium/
nterest on Muammar Gaddafi’s frozen funds in Belgian banks is not subject to UN sanctions and has not been misused or embezzled, the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) insisted following reports to the contrary.
The interest payments amounting to nearly €5 billion ($5.7 billion) had been deposited in “special authority accounts abroad,” until the end of October 2017, when the payments stopped, the LIA said, as quoted by the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya network. The accounts are in Luxembourg, the UK and Bahrain, the Libyan agency noted.
Gaddafi’s assets were frozen in 2011, when NATO intervened on behalf of rebels in Libya to overthrow the long-time leader. Citing British and Belgian legal documents, the LIA insists that interest on frozen assets is not subject to the sanctions, and had been regularly paid out to their accounts. Where exactly the funds went, however, is still being investigated.
Nearly $70 billion from the Libyan Investment Authority was seized across Europe and North America shortly after the UN introduced the sanctions. However, the European authorities had reportedly frozen only the principal amount, allowing the interest and dividends earned since 2011 to be paid out.
The work of the LIA has been negatively impacted by the long-standing political instability in war-torn Libya. Over the past seven years, the organization has seen four presidents, some of them installed by armed groups in control of Tripoli who interfered in LIA's work, according to the UN report.
https://www.rt.com/business/443727-libya-received-interest-frozen-belgium/
Libya uses tear gas, rubber bullets to force migrants off ship
Libyan authorities have used rubber bullets and tear gas to forcibly disembark more than 90 refugees and migrants who had refused to leave a cargo ship docked in the port of Misrata.
The Panama-flagged ship rescued them off the Libyan coast 10 days ago, as their boat began sinking, and brought them to Misrata. Once there, 14 disembarked willingly but, in the first documented case of its kind,
the other 92 refused to leave.
Some of those on board were wounded during disembarkation but were now "in good condition" after treatment in hospital, and all had been taken to a detention centre in the city, said Esskair.
Refugees and migrants on the cargo ship [Sally Hayden/Al Jazeera]
During the 10-day standoff, the migrants pleaded to be taken to Europe,
saying they are prepared to die than be returned to detention in the North African country.
Two of those on board - Kai, 18, and Daniel, 16, both from South Sudan - told Al Jazeera earlier this week that it was too dangerous to go back to the centres, where they risk being abused and sold to people smugglers while having little hope of being evacuated.
The group was brought to Misrata on November 10, four days after setting sail in a rubber boat with the hope of reaching Italy.
Daniel said that the rubber boat had travelled almost 200km before the Panamanian-flagged cargo ship, The Nivin, crossed its path.
Both Daniel and Kai said the crew on board The Nivin told them they would be taken to Italy, but instead brought them to Misrata.
While many on board said they survived torture by human traffickers in Libya, others had stories about serious abuses in official detention centres.
Al Jazeera has previously heard reports of deaths in detention centres run by the Libyan Department for Combatting Illegal Migration (DCIM) which has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
Libya's western coast has been a main departure point for refugees and migrants fleeing wars and poverty and hoping for new lives in Europe.
But since last year, heavy pressure from Italy - which had been bearing the brunt of arrivals - resulted in the disruption of coastal smuggling networks and the withdrawal of charity rescue ships.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018...lets-force-migrants-ship-181120172005338.html
Libyan authorities have used rubber bullets and tear gas to forcibly disembark more than 90 refugees and migrants who had refused to leave a cargo ship docked in the port of Misrata.
The Panama-flagged ship rescued them off the Libyan coast 10 days ago, as their boat began sinking, and brought them to Misrata. Once there, 14 disembarked willingly but, in the first documented case of its kind,
the other 92 refused to leave.
the commander of the central region coastguards, Tawfiq Esskair, told the Reuters news agency by phone on Tuesday.
Some of those on board were wounded during disembarkation but were now "in good condition" after treatment in hospital, and all had been taken to a detention centre in the city, said Esskair.
Refugees and migrants on the cargo ship [Sally Hayden/Al Jazeera]
During the 10-day standoff, the migrants pleaded to be taken to Europe,
saying they are prepared to die than be returned to detention in the North African country.
Two of those on board - Kai, 18, and Daniel, 16, both from South Sudan - told Al Jazeera earlier this week that it was too dangerous to go back to the centres, where they risk being abused and sold to people smugglers while having little hope of being evacuated.
The group was brought to Misrata on November 10, four days after setting sail in a rubber boat with the hope of reaching Italy.
Daniel said that the rubber boat had travelled almost 200km before the Panamanian-flagged cargo ship, The Nivin, crossed its path.
Both Daniel and Kai said the crew on board The Nivin told them they would be taken to Italy, but instead brought them to Misrata.
While many on board said they survived torture by human traffickers in Libya, others had stories about serious abuses in official detention centres.
Al Jazeera has previously heard reports of deaths in detention centres run by the Libyan Department for Combatting Illegal Migration (DCIM) which has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
Libya's western coast has been a main departure point for refugees and migrants fleeing wars and poverty and hoping for new lives in Europe.
But since last year, heavy pressure from Italy - which had been bearing the brunt of arrivals - resulted in the disruption of coastal smuggling networks and the withdrawal of charity rescue ships.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018...lets-force-migrants-ship-181120172005338.html
Libya's oil company says eight gunmen attacked a substation of its southwestern Sharara oilfield but no employees were hurt and production was unaffected.
Wednesday's statement from the National Oil Corporation says the attackers stole three company vehicles and mobile phones in the assault, which took place on Tuesday. Management of the subsidiary running the site, Akakus, along with security teams and regional authorities are seeking out the perpetrators.
The company says the attack "serves to show the ongoing need for heightened security at NOC and subsidiary facilities," adding that oil sector remains a plush target for thieves.
Wednesday's statement from the National Oil Corporation says the attackers stole three company vehicles and mobile phones in the assault, which took place on Tuesday. Management of the subsidiary running the site, Akakus, along with security teams and regional authorities are seeking out the perpetrators.
The company says the attack "serves to show the ongoing need for heightened security at NOC and subsidiary facilities," adding that oil sector remains a plush target for thieves.
Libya has three interrelated challenges, and these challenges are in the political, security and economic spheres, Libya’s Minister of Planning Taher Jehami said.
Jehami was speaking on day two of the Rome 2018 Mediterranean Dialogues conference at the
“Enhancing Libya’s Economy: The Complementary Path to Stabilization” session.
It was a rare occasion where Libya’s internationally-recognized Planning Minister was heard elaborating the country’s economic policy.
“Whatever happens in the political sphere affects the other two”. The effect of the Palermo conference on Libya on the political situation “will help the security and economic reforms” that the Faiez Serraj regime is currently implementing, he added.
“Palermo may make the reunification of Libya’s economic institutions, such as its Central Bank (CBL), much easier”.
The recently introduced economic reforms of the Tripoli-based Faiez Serraj Libyan government “are only a start, but they need to be completed and need to become more comprehensive”, he explained.
“Already since their introduction in September, there have been positive results from Libya’s economic reforms”.
These, Jehami explained, can be seen in four main ways:
Firstly, the gap between the black-market and official foreign exchange rate has narrowed by about 20 percent.
Secondly, foreign currency is now more available to both businesses and the general public.
Thirdly, the liquidity crunch is receding, and it “may disappear” altogether “in weeks”.
And finally, “prices are coming down”.
This is a good start for the economic reforms, insisted Jehami, but there is still the need for the introduction of fuel subsidy reform.
Fuel subsidies are are a drain on the country’s finances, taking up 12 percent of the state budget.
These could take between 18-24 months to introduce fully.
There are also hidden subsidies such as electricity tariffs that need reforming.
Jehami said that Libya needs to restructure its budget to be more productive and less consumptive.
Libya has made some cost savings such as the reduction of its diplomatic missions abroad (which ate paid in hard currency).
Jehami also confirmed that Libya no longer has a current account deficit. He also expects that the foreign exchange rate to “stabilize” to a level that both the CBL and private sector “will be happy with”.
On Libya’s stalled projects, he added that his government was working with the World Bank in assessing these projects. The implication is that some projects would be prioritized whilst others would be delayed or cancelled.
Jehami said that his government was also talking to the World Bank on how to spend its money, how to raise money, and how to get the private sector more involved in the economy.
Tripoli’s Central Bank of Libya Governor Saddek El-Kaber insisted that there is only “one Central Bank” in Libya.
He confirmed that the two CBL “branches” had agreed the terms of reference with the UN Security Council on auditing the two branches – which Faiez Serraj had requested.
However, El-Kaber said that he did not see the two CBL branches reuniting unless first, there is political reunification of the country.
CBL Board Member, Tarik Yousef (Magarief) said that Libya has come some way since 2017 when the distance in outlook and how to move forward between the CBL and the Faiez Serraj Presidency Council and Government of National Accord was wide.
He said that it was an important start and that the economic measures were long overdue.
Revealingly, he said that in his view, the secret to this success was the role of the international community – and specifically the U.S.A.
He said that Libya’s institutional fragmentation was caused by its political fragmentation, but that the CBL had survived despite this political split.
He felt that the CBL was still effective and that these economic reforms were proof of that.
He hoped that the international community would shield Libya from further international interference in order to enable it to move forward.
Michael Schaffer, the World Bank’s (WB) Representative in Libya revealed that the WB will open its office in Tripoli in the next few weeks.
He said that the WB will now play a more proactive role in Libya.
He explained that in 2018 the WB had succeeded in reunifying the country’s budget structure and one payment authority. However, there was still expenditure outside the budget.
He explained that Libya’s Ministry of Finance are trying to introduce better accountability and that the WB was helping with priority spending.
He said that it needs to impose fiscal rules to prevent overspending and needs to reintroduce financial controls for better transparency and accountability.
https://www.libyaherald.com/2018/11/24/libyas-economic-reforms-have-been-successful/
Jehami was speaking on day two of the Rome 2018 Mediterranean Dialogues conference at the
“Enhancing Libya’s Economy: The Complementary Path to Stabilization” session.
It was a rare occasion where Libya’s internationally-recognized Planning Minister was heard elaborating the country’s economic policy.
“Whatever happens in the political sphere affects the other two”. The effect of the Palermo conference on Libya on the political situation “will help the security and economic reforms” that the Faiez Serraj regime is currently implementing, he added.
“Palermo may make the reunification of Libya’s economic institutions, such as its Central Bank (CBL), much easier”.
The recently introduced economic reforms of the Tripoli-based Faiez Serraj Libyan government “are only a start, but they need to be completed and need to become more comprehensive”, he explained.
“Already since their introduction in September, there have been positive results from Libya’s economic reforms”.
These, Jehami explained, can be seen in four main ways:
Firstly, the gap between the black-market and official foreign exchange rate has narrowed by about 20 percent.
Secondly, foreign currency is now more available to both businesses and the general public.
Thirdly, the liquidity crunch is receding, and it “may disappear” altogether “in weeks”.
And finally, “prices are coming down”.
This is a good start for the economic reforms, insisted Jehami, but there is still the need for the introduction of fuel subsidy reform.
Fuel subsidies are are a drain on the country’s finances, taking up 12 percent of the state budget.
These could take between 18-24 months to introduce fully.
There are also hidden subsidies such as electricity tariffs that need reforming.
Jehami said that Libya needs to restructure its budget to be more productive and less consumptive.
Libya has made some cost savings such as the reduction of its diplomatic missions abroad (which ate paid in hard currency).
Jehami also confirmed that Libya no longer has a current account deficit. He also expects that the foreign exchange rate to “stabilize” to a level that both the CBL and private sector “will be happy with”.
On Libya’s stalled projects, he added that his government was working with the World Bank in assessing these projects. The implication is that some projects would be prioritized whilst others would be delayed or cancelled.
Jehami said that his government was also talking to the World Bank on how to spend its money, how to raise money, and how to get the private sector more involved in the economy.
Tripoli’s Central Bank of Libya Governor Saddek El-Kaber insisted that there is only “one Central Bank” in Libya.
He confirmed that the two CBL “branches” had agreed the terms of reference with the UN Security Council on auditing the two branches – which Faiez Serraj had requested.
However, El-Kaber said that he did not see the two CBL branches reuniting unless first, there is political reunification of the country.
CBL Board Member, Tarik Yousef (Magarief) said that Libya has come some way since 2017 when the distance in outlook and how to move forward between the CBL and the Faiez Serraj Presidency Council and Government of National Accord was wide.
He said that it was an important start and that the economic measures were long overdue.
Revealingly, he said that in his view, the secret to this success was the role of the international community – and specifically the U.S.A.
He said that Libya’s institutional fragmentation was caused by its political fragmentation, but that the CBL had survived despite this political split.
He felt that the CBL was still effective and that these economic reforms were proof of that.
He hoped that the international community would shield Libya from further international interference in order to enable it to move forward.
Michael Schaffer, the World Bank’s (WB) Representative in Libya revealed that the WB will open its office in Tripoli in the next few weeks.
He said that the WB will now play a more proactive role in Libya.
He explained that in 2018 the WB had succeeded in reunifying the country’s budget structure and one payment authority. However, there was still expenditure outside the budget.
He explained that Libya’s Ministry of Finance are trying to introduce better accountability and that the WB was helping with priority spending.
He said that it needs to impose fiscal rules to prevent overspending and needs to reintroduce financial controls for better transparency and accountability.
https://www.libyaherald.com/2018/11/24/libyas-economic-reforms-have-been-successful/