Libya

07 Oct 2020; MEMO: Libya yesterday said it would not take over the presidency of the Arab League’s current session.

In an official statement by Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mohammed Al-Qiblawi, the Libyan representative to the AL, Saleh Al-Shammakhi, apologised on behalf of his government to the league’s general secretariat.

19 Sep 2020; MEMO: Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) declared on Friday that it will not allow Wagner mercenaries to be part of the oil industry in the country.

This came in a statement issued by NOC Chairman of the Board of Directors Mustafa Sanalla, as he objected to what he called: “Politicising the petroleum sector, and using it as a bargaining card in fruitless negotiations for political gain.”

18 Sep 2020; MEMO: Libyan renegade General Khalifa Haftar has reportedly refused to release 18 Italian fishermen until Italy frees four Libyan footballers convicted of human trafficking.

According to local reports, Haftar asked the Italian government to agree to a prisoner exchange.

17 Sep 2020; MEMO: Fayez Al-Sarraj, head of Libya’s internationally-backed government based in Tripoli, yesterday announced plans to step down by the end of October, news agencies reported.

As he was delivering a speech on state TV, Al-Sarraj said that he will hand over power to a new executive authority, noting this is part of efforts being exerted to find a political solution to the country’s conflict.

TRIPOLI, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- More than 20 illegal migrants have drowned off the Libyan coast, said the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday.

"IOM staff report that over 20 migrants lost their lives at sea last night, off Libya," the IOM tweeted.

"This new tragedy signals yet again the need for increased search and rescue capacity in the Mediterranean," the IOM said.

TRIPOLI, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- The forces of the UN-backed government on Tuesday said they disposed of some explosives left by war in south of the capital Tripoli by using a robot for the first time.

"Using a robot for the first time in Libya, an amount of cluster bombs and explosives were detonated by the explosives teams of the interior ministry after collecting them from neighborhoods in southern Tripoli, which were freed from the fleeing terrorist militias of (Khalifa) Haftar (commander of the eastern-based army)," the UN-backed government forces said in a statement.

TRIPOLI, Sept 14 (NNN-Xinhua) — The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) expressed concern over reports of excessive use of force against demonstrators in the eastern Libyan city of al-Marj.

“UNSMIL expresses grave concern regarding reports that one civilian was killed, three were injured, and a number of other demonstrators were arrested on 12 September following the reported excessive use of force by eastern authorities against peaceful demonstrators in the city of al-Marj,” the UNSMIL said in a statement.

12 Sep 2020; MEMO: Scores of people protested in Benghazi on Thursday over power cuts and living conditions, witnesses said, burning tyres and blocking some roads in an unusual public show of dissent in the eastern Libyan city, Reuters reports.

Benghazi is the base of Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army (LNA), which is fighting in a civil war against the internationally recognised Government of National Accord in Tripoli, in the country’s west.

TRIPOLI, Aug 30 (NNN-Xinhua) — The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) stressed the need for an inclusive return to the political process in the country.

“Libya is witnessing a dramatic turn of events that underlines the urgent need to return to a full and inclusive political process that will meet the aspirations of the Libyan people for representative government, dignity, and peace,” the UN body said in a statement.

It urged calm, the application of the rule of law and the preservation of the rights of all citizens to peacefully express their views.

TRIPOLI, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The UN-backed government of Libya on Saturday appointed a new defense minister and a new chief of staff.

Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj said on Monday that he would reshuffle the cabinet or appoint a crisis government, following protests in several cities in western Libya against the political, economic and security instability as well as lack of basic services.

Serraj also pledged to work on providing the basic services for the people, mainly electricity and water.