Libya

Germany is hosting a new international conference on Libya on Wednesday 23 June. The presence of many countries and actors on the ground should make it possible to consolidate the progress made in recent months, in particular as regards the conduct of elections. The withdrawal of foreign forces planned by the first conference in Berlin 18 months ago has not been followed.…

French leaders of Amesys and Nexa Technologies are accused of participating in an act of torture for the sale of surveillance equipment to Egypt and Libya. This follows a complaint from the International Federation for Human Rights and The League of Human Rights. To date, four men, former directors or still in office, have been…

The National Unity Government unilaterally announced the opening of the coastal road between Sirte and Misrata, a road that is still closed alongside Khalifa Haftar's forces, the latter leading the largest military operation since October last year, and I followed a peace agreement. He has just declared that he has closed the border with Algeria. Khalifa Haftar is thus sending several messages to the…

Germany will try to arbitrate a permanent solution to the Libyan crisis, as the sides will gather in Berlin to figure out a way to ensure that the country holds general elections in December. Efforts to end a decade-long spiral of violence in Libya would bring the country's transitional government, as well as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, to Berlin for the personal UN-sponsored talks. In a telephone conversation with Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush just days before the meeting, Blinken stressed "the…

Libya's Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) will hold a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland from June 28 to July 1, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said on Sunday. The personal meeting is an opportunity for members of the LPDF to develop proposals to further facilitate the conduct of national elections on December 24, in particular the constitutional basis for voting, UNSMIL said in a statement. Ahead of the meeting, the LPDF Advisory Committee will be convened from 24-26 June in Tunisia for a preparatory meeting to…

At a time when Libya and the international community are increasing the pressure for all mercenaries and foreign forces to leave Libya, Khartoum is worried that Sudan's 'mercenaries' will return from Libya. During an interview in Doha, alongside the Arab League meeting, the two Sudanese and Libyan foreign ministers Maryam al-Mahdi and Najla al-Mangoush spoke of "this danger".…

After a two-year closure, the coastal road between eastern and western Libya was opened on Sunday, June 20. Reopened at the front line, about 370 kilometers from the capital Tripoli, in the presence of Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibah and several of these ministers. The road connects west of Libya, from its border with Tunisia, east to Egypt. An important step towards calming the country.…

The head of a human trafficking ring, Tewelde Goitom, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Monday by a court in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This Eritrean nickname "Walid" had been at the head of a gang of smugglers and a detention center in Libya between 2014 and 2018, where crimes were committed daily against African migrants.…

Several high-level security rallies took place on Monday, June 14, in Tripoli to try to end the clashes that have taken place since Thursday in Ajaylat, a city 90 kilometers west of the Libyan capital. The clashes left eight victims, including civilians. The Presidency, the authority leading the armed forces and security forces…

Putschist General Khalifa Haftar is blocking a constitutional referendum in Libya because he knows he cannot run for president because of his dual citizenship, Libya's top prime minister said on Tuesday. Speaking to journalists in the capital Tripoli, Khalid al-Mishri pointed to an article from the draft constitution that those with dual citizenship could not be candidates for the presidency. Haftar has both Libyan and American citizenship, which excludes him from Libya's future political landscape.…