🇱🇾 Libyan leaders agree to form new unified government
Three key Libyan leaders said on Sunday they had agreed on the "necessity" of forming a new unified government that would supervise long-delayed elections.
The leaders are the president of the Presidential Council (PC) Mohamed Menfi, the head of High State Council (HSC) Mohamed Takala, who are both based in Tripoli, and Aguila Saleh, speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) in Benghazi.
In a joint statement, the three leaders also called on the U.N. Mission in Libya and the international community to support their proposals.
They said they had agreed to form a technical committee to "look into controversial points".
They met in Cairo at the invitation of Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
"The measures that were agreed upon today, we believe, are a very important beginning. They are results that live up to the ambition of Libyans to hold elections," Menfi told.
#Libya
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Three key Libyan leaders said on Sunday they had agreed on the "necessity" of forming a new unified government that would supervise long-delayed elections.
The leaders are the president of the Presidential Council (PC) Mohamed Menfi, the head of High State Council (HSC) Mohamed Takala, who are both based in Tripoli, and Aguila Saleh, speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) in Benghazi.
In a joint statement, the three leaders also called on the U.N. Mission in Libya and the international community to support their proposals.
They said they had agreed to form a technical committee to "look into controversial points".
They met in Cairo at the invitation of Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
"The measures that were agreed upon today, we believe, are a very important beginning. They are results that live up to the ambition of Libyans to hold elections," Menfi told.
#Libya
@africaintel
🇱🇾 At least 50 migrants dead on a boat coming from Libya
Survivors rescued from a deflating rubber dinghy in the central Mediterranean say about 50 people who left Libya with them a week ago died during the journey, humanitarian relief group SOS said.
The ship Ocean Viking spotted the dinghy with 25 people on board on Wednesday. Two of them were unconscious and were evacuated by the Italian army for treatment. The other 23 people are in serious condition, exhausted, dehydrated and burned by the fuel on board the boat.
Organization spokesperson said that refugees are native to Senegal, Mali and the Gambia.
The United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM) says 227 people have died along the perilous central Mediterranean route this year through March 11, not counting new people reported missing and presumed dead.
#Libya
@africaintel
Survivors rescued from a deflating rubber dinghy in the central Mediterranean say about 50 people who left Libya with them a week ago died during the journey, humanitarian relief group SOS said.
The ship Ocean Viking spotted the dinghy with 25 people on board on Wednesday. Two of them were unconscious and were evacuated by the Italian army for treatment. The other 23 people are in serious condition, exhausted, dehydrated and burned by the fuel on board the boat.
Organization spokesperson said that refugees are native to Senegal, Mali and the Gambia.
The United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM) says 227 people have died along the perilous central Mediterranean route this year through March 11, not counting new people reported missing and presumed dead.
#Libya
@africaintel
🇱🇾🇲🇱 Libyan-Malian discussions to strengthen cooperation relations.
Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdoulaye Diop, and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs in the Government of National Unity, Mohamed Issa, discussed Libyan-Malian relations and ways to strengthen and develop them.
During the meeting held at the Libyan delegation’s residence in Bamako, Diop affirmed the depth of bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries, stressing the importance of enhancing political ties between the two countries.
Diop expressed his thanks and welcomed Libya’s participation in the meeting of the African political alliance.
Issa stressed the importance of the role played by Mali in Africa, especially the Sahel region, highlighting the importance of strengthening security cooperation, especially combating terrorism.
Issa thanked and appreciated Mali for its cooperation with Libya on regional issues and called for the importance of signing and approving the protocol of the African Investment Bank.
#Libya #Mali
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Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdoulaye Diop, and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs in the Government of National Unity, Mohamed Issa, discussed Libyan-Malian relations and ways to strengthen and develop them.
During the meeting held at the Libyan delegation’s residence in Bamako, Diop affirmed the depth of bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries, stressing the importance of enhancing political ties between the two countries.
Diop expressed his thanks and welcomed Libya’s participation in the meeting of the African political alliance.
Issa stressed the importance of the role played by Mali in Africa, especially the Sahel region, highlighting the importance of strengthening security cooperation, especially combating terrorism.
Issa thanked and appreciated Mali for its cooperation with Libya on regional issues and called for the importance of signing and approving the protocol of the African Investment Bank.
#Libya #Mali
@africaintel
🇷🇼🇱🇾 Rwanda receives dozens of refugees from Libya
Rwanda has received 91 refugees and asylum seekers from Libya under a programme supported by the UN's refugee agency, African Union and European Union.
The arrivals include 38 Sudanese people, 33 Eritreans, 11 Somalis, seven Ethiopians and two people from South Sudan.
The refugees and asylum seekers were evacuated under the Emergency Transit Mechanism programme, which has seen 2,150 refugees sent to Rwanda from Libya since 2019.
Out of these,1,600 have gone on to resettle in the US and across Europe.
"Rwanda remains committed to offering refuge to people in need," the country's emergency management ministry said.
#Rwanda #Libya
@africaintel
Rwanda has received 91 refugees and asylum seekers from Libya under a programme supported by the UN's refugee agency, African Union and European Union.
The arrivals include 38 Sudanese people, 33 Eritreans, 11 Somalis, seven Ethiopians and two people from South Sudan.
The refugees and asylum seekers were evacuated under the Emergency Transit Mechanism programme, which has seen 2,150 refugees sent to Rwanda from Libya since 2019.
Out of these,1,600 have gone on to resettle in the US and across Europe.
"Rwanda remains committed to offering refuge to people in need," the country's emergency management ministry said.
#Rwanda #Libya
@africaintel
🇱🇾 Sixty-five migrants' bodies found in Libya mass grave, IOM says
At least 65 migrants' bodies have been discovered in a mass grave in southwest Libya, the International Organization for Migration said.
IOM said in a statement the circumstances of the migrants' death and nationalities was unknown "but it is believed that they died in the process of being smuggled through the desert."
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the interior ministry in Tripoli said the bodies were found in al-Jahriya valley in Al Shuwairf town, about 421 km south of Tripoli.
The department said that after taking DNA samples, all the bodies were buried in a cemetery on instructions from the attorney general of the appeals chamber in Gharyan town.
According to the IOM, at least 3,129 deaths and disappearances of migrants were recorded in 2023 along the Mediterranean route, which it described as "the deadliest migratory route."
#Libya
@africaintel
At least 65 migrants' bodies have been discovered in a mass grave in southwest Libya, the International Organization for Migration said.
IOM said in a statement the circumstances of the migrants' death and nationalities was unknown "but it is believed that they died in the process of being smuggled through the desert."
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the interior ministry in Tripoli said the bodies were found in al-Jahriya valley in Al Shuwairf town, about 421 km south of Tripoli.
The department said that after taking DNA samples, all the bodies were buried in a cemetery on instructions from the attorney general of the appeals chamber in Gharyan town.
According to the IOM, at least 3,129 deaths and disappearances of migrants were recorded in 2023 along the Mediterranean route, which it described as "the deadliest migratory route."
#Libya
@africaintel
🇱🇾 Libyan western PM's residence targeted with RPGs, no casualties reported
The residence of Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah was targeted with rocket-propelled grenades on Sunday in an attack that left no casualties, a Libyan minister told.
The minister, who spoke in condition of anonymity, confirmed in a message that the attack only caused some damage. The minister has not disclosed any further details.
Two citizens said they had heard massive explosions near the sea in Tripoli's luxury Hay Andalus neighbourhood, the home to PM Dbeibah's residence.
A citizen said that after the massive explosions were heard, heavy security forces with their vehicles were deployed around the area.
#Libya
@africaintel
The residence of Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah was targeted with rocket-propelled grenades on Sunday in an attack that left no casualties, a Libyan minister told.
The minister, who spoke in condition of anonymity, confirmed in a message that the attack only caused some damage. The minister has not disclosed any further details.
Two citizens said they had heard massive explosions near the sea in Tripoli's luxury Hay Andalus neighbourhood, the home to PM Dbeibah's residence.
A citizen said that after the massive explosions were heard, heavy security forces with their vehicles were deployed around the area.
#Libya
@africaintel
🇱🇾🇹🇳 Gunmen Attack Tunisian Military Patrol Near Libya Border, Soldier Killed
Unidentified attackers opened fire on a Tunisian military patrol near the Libyan border on Wednesday, killing a soldier, the Tunisian Ministry of Defense said.
The Tunisian Ministry said in a statement published on its official website that a military patrol operating in the Remada, near the border with Libya, was carrying out its regular duties at the border buffer zone when it was suddenly subjected to gunfire from an unknown source. This resulted in the death of a soldier from the military patrol.
The statement added that local authorities, with the permission of the public prosecutor at the Military Primary Court in Sfax, have opened an investigation into the incident.
#Tunisia #Libya
@africaintel
Unidentified attackers opened fire on a Tunisian military patrol near the Libyan border on Wednesday, killing a soldier, the Tunisian Ministry of Defense said.
The Tunisian Ministry said in a statement published on its official website that a military patrol operating in the Remada, near the border with Libya, was carrying out its regular duties at the border buffer zone when it was suddenly subjected to gunfire from an unknown source. This resulted in the death of a soldier from the military patrol.
The statement added that local authorities, with the permission of the public prosecutor at the Military Primary Court in Sfax, have opened an investigation into the incident.
#Tunisia #Libya
@africaintel
🇱🇾🇹🇳 UN probing reported mass grave on Libya-Tunisia border
The U.N. human rights chief said on Tuesday that his office was following up on reports of a mass grave in the desert along the Libya-Tunisia border, after the bodies of at least 65 migrants were found at another site earlier this year.
In a speech, Volker Turk denounced widespread violations against migrants and refugees in Libya, which straddes a dangerous transit route that runs through the Sahara Desert and across the southern Mediterranean.
Abuses against migrants were being "perpetrated at scale, with impunity" by both state and non-state actors, Turk said, listing crimes including human trafficking, torture, forced labour, extortion, starvation, detention and mass expulsions.
"I urge the authorities to respond swiftly to our inquiries, and to investigate these crimes fully," he told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva in a speech addressing Libya's human rights record over the last year.
#Libya #Tunisia
@africaintel
The U.N. human rights chief said on Tuesday that his office was following up on reports of a mass grave in the desert along the Libya-Tunisia border, after the bodies of at least 65 migrants were found at another site earlier this year.
In a speech, Volker Turk denounced widespread violations against migrants and refugees in Libya, which straddes a dangerous transit route that runs through the Sahara Desert and across the southern Mediterranean.
Abuses against migrants were being "perpetrated at scale, with impunity" by both state and non-state actors, Turk said, listing crimes including human trafficking, torture, forced labour, extortion, starvation, detention and mass expulsions.
"I urge the authorities to respond swiftly to our inquiries, and to investigate these crimes fully," he told the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva in a speech addressing Libya's human rights record over the last year.
#Libya #Tunisia
@africaintel
🇱🇾 Libyan orders arrest of airline official over transport of migrants to Nicaragua
Libyan authorities on Monday ordered the arrest of an airline official on charges of helping to illegally transport migrants to the United States via Nicaragua.
The commercial director of Ghadames Air was under investigation for "committing an activity harmful to the interests of the country," said a statement from the Tripoli-based Attorney General's office, which did not name the suspect.
It said Ghadames Air had transported hundreds of people to the Central American country of Nicaragua, who intended to then illegally enter the United States.
#Libya
@africaintel
Libyan authorities on Monday ordered the arrest of an airline official on charges of helping to illegally transport migrants to the United States via Nicaragua.
The commercial director of Ghadames Air was under investigation for "committing an activity harmful to the interests of the country," said a statement from the Tripoli-based Attorney General's office, which did not name the suspect.
It said Ghadames Air had transported hundreds of people to the Central American country of Nicaragua, who intended to then illegally enter the United States.
#Libya
@africaintel
🇱🇾 🇮🇹 Italian PM Meloni comments on migration and energy crisis at forum in Tripoli
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made remarks on migration and the energy crisis as she took part in the Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum in Tripoli, Libya on Wednesday.
Meloni stressed the importance of fighting against human trafficking.
"There are people making lots of money using the desperation of the fragile persons. And we cannot allow it, for these organizations are becoming very powerful, but they do not care about those human rights and human beings."
Libya is a major route, albeit deadly, for migrants trying to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea from different parts of Africa.
Italy is one of the main points of arrival on the other side of the Mediterranean.
According to the United Nations, more migrants and refugees in Africa are heading northward toward the Mediterranean and Europe, crossing perilous routes in the Sahara where criminal gangs subject them to enslavement, organ removal, rape, kidnapping for ransom and other abuses.
Meloni also made comments about the energy crisis in Europe and said that Europe and Africa should increase cooperation in this sector.
"Now we have a problem in Europe about energy sources. Africa is.... North Africa, but all Africa is potentially a huge producer of energy for itself mainly, but also that it could export," she added.
Other participants in the forum include the prime ministers of Malta and Tunisia, as well as the European Union Commissioner Margaritis Schinas.
The forum is hosted by Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who heads the Tripoli-based government.
#Libya #Italy
@africaintel
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made remarks on migration and the energy crisis as she took part in the Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum in Tripoli, Libya on Wednesday.
Meloni stressed the importance of fighting against human trafficking.
"There are people making lots of money using the desperation of the fragile persons. And we cannot allow it, for these organizations are becoming very powerful, but they do not care about those human rights and human beings."
Libya is a major route, albeit deadly, for migrants trying to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea from different parts of Africa.
Italy is one of the main points of arrival on the other side of the Mediterranean.
According to the United Nations, more migrants and refugees in Africa are heading northward toward the Mediterranean and Europe, crossing perilous routes in the Sahara where criminal gangs subject them to enslavement, organ removal, rape, kidnapping for ransom and other abuses.
Meloni also made comments about the energy crisis in Europe and said that Europe and Africa should increase cooperation in this sector.
"Now we have a problem in Europe about energy sources. Africa is.... North Africa, but all Africa is potentially a huge producer of energy for itself mainly, but also that it could export," she added.
Other participants in the forum include the prime ministers of Malta and Tunisia, as well as the European Union Commissioner Margaritis Schinas.
The forum is hosted by Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who heads the Tripoli-based government.
#Libya #Italy
@africaintel
🇱🇾🇸🇩 Libya: UN Representative visits Kufra to see the situation of Sudanese refugees
Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General and Resident Humanitarian Coordinator, Georgette Gagnon, led a mission to Kufra on 18 July with the heads of five UN agencies to see the situation of Sudanese refugees and host communities, and guide the UN’s scaled up humanitarian response and action.
Since war broke out in Sudan in April 2023, over 1.8 million refugees, according to UNHCR, have been forced to flee to neighboring countries including to Libya, particularly to Kufra in southeastern Libya which hosts thousands of refugees from Sudan.
“Local authorities and host communities in Kufra and other cities in Libya have been actively assisting Sudanese refugees since the conflict,” said Gagnon. “More support, access and coordination are urgently needed to meet the increasing humanitarian and protection needs.”
#Libya #Sudan
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Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General and Resident Humanitarian Coordinator, Georgette Gagnon, led a mission to Kufra on 18 July with the heads of five UN agencies to see the situation of Sudanese refugees and host communities, and guide the UN’s scaled up humanitarian response and action.
Since war broke out in Sudan in April 2023, over 1.8 million refugees, according to UNHCR, have been forced to flee to neighboring countries including to Libya, particularly to Kufra in southeastern Libya which hosts thousands of refugees from Sudan.
“Local authorities and host communities in Kufra and other cities in Libya have been actively assisting Sudanese refugees since the conflict,” said Gagnon. “More support, access and coordination are urgently needed to meet the increasing humanitarian and protection needs.”
#Libya #Sudan
@africaintel
🇱🇾🇫🇷 The Supreme Council of State of Libya signed an agreement on technical cooperation with the French Experts Foundation, which will train officials of the North African country.
This agreement is part of an already existing program aimed at improving the skills of officials.
#Libya #France
@africaintel
This agreement is part of an already existing program aimed at improving the skills of officials.
#Libya #France
@africaintel
🇱🇾🇿🇦 Ninety-five Libyan nationals have been arrested on suspicion of receiving training at an "illegal" military camp in South Africa, police have said.
Officers raided the farm near White River - a small town in the northern province of Mpumalanga - on Friday. They said they found military tents, licenced firearms and other military equipment.
The camp was initially registered as a training site for a security company but it appears to have been converted, a second police spokersperson, Donald Mdhluli, was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying.
Mr Mdhluli added that the owner of the security company was a South African national and that the police were investigating if he had permission to run the site as a military-style camp.
Libya has suffered chronic insecurity since the overthrow of its autocratic leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
#Libya #SouthAfrica
@africaintel
Officers raided the farm near White River - a small town in the northern province of Mpumalanga - on Friday. They said they found military tents, licenced firearms and other military equipment.
The camp was initially registered as a training site for a security company but it appears to have been converted, a second police spokersperson, Donald Mdhluli, was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying.
Mr Mdhluli added that the owner of the security company was a South African national and that the police were investigating if he had permission to run the site as a military-style camp.
Libya has suffered chronic insecurity since the overthrow of its autocratic leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
#Libya #SouthAfrica
@africaintel
🇱🇾 Libyan court jails 12 officials over deadly floods
A Libyan court has jailed 12 officials in connection with the collapse of a series of dams in Derna last year that killed thousands of the city's residents, the Attorney General said on Sunday.
The officials, who were responsible for managing the country's dams, were sentenced to between 9 and 27 years in prison by the Court of Appeal in Derna. Four officials were acquitted.
Derna, a coastal city with a population of 125,000, was devastated last September by massive floods caused by Storm Daniel.Thousands were killed and thousands more were missing as a result of the floods that burst dams, swept away buildings and destroyed entire neighbourhoods.
"The convicted officials have been charged with negligence, premeditated murder and waste of public money," a judicial source in Derna told Reuters by phone, adding that they had the right to appeal against the verdicts.
#Libya
@africaintel
A Libyan court has jailed 12 officials in connection with the collapse of a series of dams in Derna last year that killed thousands of the city's residents, the Attorney General said on Sunday.
The officials, who were responsible for managing the country's dams, were sentenced to between 9 and 27 years in prison by the Court of Appeal in Derna. Four officials were acquitted.
Derna, a coastal city with a population of 125,000, was devastated last September by massive floods caused by Storm Daniel.Thousands were killed and thousands more were missing as a result of the floods that burst dams, swept away buildings and destroyed entire neighbourhoods.
"The convicted officials have been charged with negligence, premeditated murder and waste of public money," a judicial source in Derna told Reuters by phone, adding that they had the right to appeal against the verdicts.
#Libya
@africaintel
🇱🇾🇳🇬 Libya's NOC denies it is in talks to supply crude oil to Nigeria
Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) on Sunday denied holding negotiations to supply crude oil to a refinery in Nigeria. A senior executive with Nigeria's Dangote refinery told Reuters last week that it was in talks with Libya to secure crude for the 650,000 barrels per day plant.
"The National Oil Corporation denies that it is negotiating or engaging in any talks regarding the supply of crude oil to an oil refinery in Nigeria," NOC said in a statement on social media platform X.
NOC added that it is committed to its contracts with its international partners and "adheres to the legal mechanism for selling Libyan crude oil and does not work with the spot sale mechanism".
Libya's national crude oil output is 1.28 million barrels per day, according to NOC.
#Libya #Nigeria
@africaintel
Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) on Sunday denied holding negotiations to supply crude oil to a refinery in Nigeria. A senior executive with Nigeria's Dangote refinery told Reuters last week that it was in talks with Libya to secure crude for the 650,000 barrels per day plant.
"The National Oil Corporation denies that it is negotiating or engaging in any talks regarding the supply of crude oil to an oil refinery in Nigeria," NOC said in a statement on social media platform X.
NOC added that it is committed to its contracts with its international partners and "adheres to the legal mechanism for selling Libyan crude oil and does not work with the spot sale mechanism".
Libya's national crude oil output is 1.28 million barrels per day, according to NOC.
#Libya #Nigeria
@africaintel
🇱🇾 Libya's $70 bln Wealth Fund Sees Thaw in UN Asset Freeze by Year-end
The Libyan Investment Authority is expecting UN sign-off by the end of the year to actively manage its $70 billion in assets for the first time in more than a decade, its chief executive told Reuters.
The LIA, set up under Muammar Gaddafi in 2006 to manage the country's oil wealth, has been under a United Nations asset freeze since the 2011 revolution that toppled Gaddafi.
This means that in order for Africa's largest sovereign wealth fund to make new investments, or even move cash from negative interest rate accounts, where they have been losing money, the LIA needs UN Security Council sign-off.
Chief Executive Ali Mahmoud Mohamed said the authority is confident the council will provide the landmark approval by November or December for an investment plan it submitted in March.
The UN Security Council Committee was not immediately available to comment. Last year, after meeting with the LIA, its members "noted the progress made on the implementation of the LIA's Transformation Strategy" and stressed "the importance of guaranteeing the frozen funds for the benefit of the Libyan people."
If the UN does not approve its investment proposals, Mohamed said "we will keep trying...we will keep asking and requesting."
#Libya
@africaintel
The Libyan Investment Authority is expecting UN sign-off by the end of the year to actively manage its $70 billion in assets for the first time in more than a decade, its chief executive told Reuters.
The LIA, set up under Muammar Gaddafi in 2006 to manage the country's oil wealth, has been under a United Nations asset freeze since the 2011 revolution that toppled Gaddafi.
This means that in order for Africa's largest sovereign wealth fund to make new investments, or even move cash from negative interest rate accounts, where they have been losing money, the LIA needs UN Security Council sign-off.
Chief Executive Ali Mahmoud Mohamed said the authority is confident the council will provide the landmark approval by November or December for an investment plan it submitted in March.
The UN Security Council Committee was not immediately available to comment. Last year, after meeting with the LIA, its members "noted the progress made on the implementation of the LIA's Transformation Strategy" and stressed "the importance of guaranteeing the frozen funds for the benefit of the Libyan people."
If the UN does not approve its investment proposals, Mohamed said "we will keep trying...we will keep asking and requesting."
#Libya
@africaintel
🇱🇾 Local protesters partially shut down Libya's Sharara oil field, field engineers say
Local protesters have partially shut down Libya's Sharara oil field, according to two field engineers.
The Sharara field, one of Libya's largest production areas with a capacity of about 300,000 barrels per day, has been a frequent target for several political reasons and demands by local protesters.
The field is located in Murzuq basin in southeast Libya. It is run by the state oil firm NOC via Acacus company with Spain's Repsol (REP.MC)
#Libya
@africaintel
Local protesters have partially shut down Libya's Sharara oil field, according to two field engineers.
The Sharara field, one of Libya's largest production areas with a capacity of about 300,000 barrels per day, has been a frequent target for several political reasons and demands by local protesters.
The field is located in Murzuq basin in southeast Libya. It is run by the state oil firm NOC via Acacus company with Spain's Repsol (REP.MC)
#Libya
@africaintel