On 15 December, the Maltese newspaper MaltaToday reported that a group of 14 British private military contractors (PMCs) were intercepted by Maltese...
International actors
Our archive of international activity in Libya’s security space including military operations, the presence of foreign operatives and diplomacy pertaining to Libya’s security.
MSF rescues 90 people off the coast of Libya
On 6 December, the international NGO Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors without Borders, announced that they had rescued 90...
Reports of Russian grain sent to Libya from occupied areas in Ukraine
On 3 December, Bloomberg reported that Russian vessels had been exporting grain from Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine to Libya and Iran. According...
Dabaiba meets with Bathily in Tunisia and expresses support for Bathily
On 1 December, the Government of National Unity (GNU) Prime Minister, Abdul Hameed Dabaiba, met with the UN Special Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye...
Zenenga attends workshop on State Monopoly on Weapons in Libya
On 28 November, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) reported that the UN Deputy Envoy for Political Affairs in Libya Raisedon Zenenga attended...
EU ministers endorse new migrant plan to curb illegal crossings from North Africa
On 25 November, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that European Union (EU) interior ministers agreed on a plan to improve cooperation on migrant...
Italy to provide boats to Libyan coastguard
On 19 November, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, said that Italy is seeking to provide police patrol...
Bathily calls out Libyan stakeholders as ‘hindering’ process at UNSC
On 15 November, UN Special Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, addressed the UN Security Council (UNSC). He asserted that ‘there is an increasing...
US Special Envoy Norland meets with GNU and HSC officials during diplomatic visit to Libya
On 10 November, the US Embassy to Libya released a statement detailing the visit of US Special Envoy, Richard Norland, to Libya from 8-10 November...
Operation Irini intercepts vessel violating arms embargo
On 9 November, the European Union’s Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI announced that on 11 October it had conducted an inspection of the merchant vessel...
UNSMIL’s mandate extended by UNSC for a year
On 28 October, the United National Security Council (UNSC) voted unanimously to extend the United Nations Support Mission in Libya’s (UNSMIL)...
Dabaiba signs military cooperation agreements with Turkey
On 25 October, during a visit to Istanbul, the Government of National Unity (GNU) Prime Minister, Abdul Hameed Dabaiba, signed two military...
Turkish Commander inspects military camps in Misrata
On 15 October, the Commander of the Turkish forces in the Western Region, Colonel Osman Itaj, inspected military camps in Misrata.
SRSG Bathily begins work in Tripoli
On 14 October, new Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission Libya (UNSMIL),...
Egyptian intelligence Head visits Haftar in Rajma
On 12 October, the Head of Egyptian Intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel, met with the head of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Khalifa Haftar, in...
15 migrants killed by human traffickers in Sabratha
On 7 October, at least 15 migrants and asylum-seekers were killed in Sabratha. Eleven charred bodies were found inside a docked boat with a further...
Russia looks to reopen Embassy in Tripoli and Consulate in Benghazi
On 5 October, Russian Envoy to the Middle East and Africa, Mikhail Bogdanov, told the media that Moscow is looking to restore its presence in Libya...
Turkish military planes land in Misrata and Watiya Air Base
On 5 October, two Turkish Air Force (TAF) aircraft departed from Etimesgut Air Base, near Ankara and landed in Libya. One aircraft landed at Libya’s...
Military vehicles in Jordan reportedly headed for eastern Libya
On 2 October, a video was published on Libyan media of hundreds of military vehicles at Aqaba port, Jordan, reportedly destined for eastern Libya....
British frigate docks in Tripoli port
On 28 September, a British amphibious assault ship, HMS Albion, docked in Tripoli port as part of the UK’s Operation Achillean. While the ship was...
New UN Special Envoy to Libya Abdoulaye Bathily assumes his duties
On 28 September, the UN announced that Senegalese political and diplomat, Abdoulaye Bathily, had officially assumed his duties as the new Special...
P3+2 release statement backing UN envoy
On 23 September, the P3+2 (US, UK, France, Germany, and Italy) issued a joint statement following a meeting of representative on the margins of the...
Egypt reportedly conducts airstrike on LNA units near Rabyanah
On 20 September, the Egyptian Air Force (EAF) reportedly conducted airstrikes on Libyan National Army (LNA) units in Rabyanah, south-eastern Libya....
Sudanese mercenaries attack Zillah police station and release prisoner
On 19 September, a Sudan Liberation Movement-affiliated armed group attacked Zillah's police station, located in southwest Libya. The attack was...
Eastern Libya oil tanker captured attempting to smuggle diesel into Albania
On 12 September, Albanian police reportedly intercepted and seized a tanker, the Queen Majeda, containing about 2,275 tons of smuggled diesel at...
GNU assigns new embassy compound for US, UAE, and Qatar
On 11 September, the Government of National Unity (GNU) issued a decree to create a new embassy compound east of Mitiga Air Base in central Tripoli....
P3+2+2 meets in Berlin
On 8 and 9 September, Ambassadors to Libya from the P3+2+2 countries, composed of the US, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Turkey and Egypt met in Berlin...
Cairo walks out on GNU FM Mangoush during Arab League meeting
On 6 September, during the 58th session of the Arab League's Council of Arab Foreign Ministers, the Egyptian delegation swiftly departed the meeting...
US Ambassador to Libya discusses de-escalation with Bashaagha
On 3 September, according to the US Embassy, US Ambassador Richard Norland held a call with the Government of National Stability (GNS) Prime...
Bathily appointed as new UN Special Envoy to Libya
On 2 September, UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced that the Senegalese politician and diplomat Abdoulaye Bathily had been appointed as...
International actors condemn violence in Tripoli
On 27 August, the UN along with several other international states including the US, UK, France, and Italy issued statements expressing concerns...
US Department of State calls for de-escalation by all sides in Tripoli
On 22 August, the US Department of State issued a statement expressing that it was deeply concerned by threats of violent confrontation in Tripoli...
US drone shot down in Benghazi, LNA claims responsibility
On 22 August, a US drone, identified as a MQ-9 Reaper, was shot down near Benghazi. According to a US Africa Command (AFRICOM) spokesperson,...
Libya and China UN Permanent Representatives meet
On 22 August, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Libya to the UN, Taher Sunni, met with the Permanent Representative of China to the UN...
Turkish and Libyan intelligence officials meet in Tripoli
On 18 August, Turkey’s Deputy Head of Intelligence, Jamal al-Din Çalık, met with the Head of the Libyan Intelligence Service along with other...
Abdoulaye Bathily nominated as possible UN Special Envoy
On 14 August, Senegalese politician and diplomat, Abdoulaye Bathily, is alleged to have been nominated as a possible new UN Special Envoy to Libya...
Turkey reportedly hosts Juwaili in Ankara
On 12 August, Zintani commander, Osama Juwaili, reportedly travelled to Ankara to meet with Turkish officials. The nature of the discussions is...
Haddad meets with UK MoD delegation
On 10 August, the GNU- affiliated Libyan Army Chief of General Staff, Mohammed Haddad met with a delegation from the UK’s Ministry of Defence and...
Libyan Army conducts military exercise in Mitiga with Italian presence
On 10 August, the GNU-affiliated Libyan Special Forces and the Air Force conducted a tactical military exercise at Mitiga military base in the...
Operation IRINI publishes monthly report
On 2 August, the European Union's Operation IRINI released their results report for July 2022. They reported 74 merchant ships were investigated via...
Shell reportedly falls on TIA, injures 6-11 Syrian mercenaries
On 1 August, 9 Syrian mercenaries believed to be part of the Constitution Protection Force under the Government of National Unity) Ministry of...
Saleh visits Ankara to secure backing for Bashaagha
Between 1-2 August, House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker, Aqeela Saleh, and Deputy Head Presidential Council (PC), Abdulalah al-Lafi, met with...
Turkish frigate observed outside Khoms port
On 28 July, a Turkish G-class frigate was reportedly observed off the coast of Khoms. It is unclear whether the vessel docked at Khoms port.
UNSC votes to extend UNSMIL mandate until October
On 28 July, the UN Security Council (UNSC) voted with twelve votes in favour and three abstentions to extend the mandate of the United Nations...
UNSMIL condemns clashes in Tripoli
On 22 July, United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) issued a statement condemning the clashes in Tripoli and called for all actors to...
Turkey to host Libyan and international meetings
Media reports claim Turkey is set to host a meeting in Ankara in July between House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Aqeela Saleh, High State...
Libya Contact Group meets in Ankara
On 21 July, the Libya Contact Group – comprising the US, the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Turkey, Egypt, and the UN - met in Ankara to discuss...
US Ambassador to Libya calls for appointment of new SRSG following Williams’ departure
On 21 July, US Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, thanked Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General (SASG) Stephanie Williams for her role as...
Operation Irini finds cargo in breach of arms embargo
On 20 July, Operation Irini announced that during an inspection on 18 July it had found the MV VICTORY RORO to be transporting military vehicles to...
Reports of UK proposing Iraqi President as new UN Envoy to Libya
On 14 July, unconfirmed reports from Libyan media claimed that the UK had proposed Iraqi President Barham Salih as the potential new UN Special...
Bashaagha addresses UK Foreign Affairs Committee
On 12 July, the Government of National Stability (GNS) Prime Minister, Fathi Bashaagha, addressed the UK Foreign Affairs Committee in Arabic via...
NGO rescue vessel completes 7 rescues of migrants at sea in 10 days
On 3 July, the European NGO, SOS Mediterranee, announced that its flagship rescue vessel, Ocean Viking, had completed its seventh rescue in less...
UN-mediated talks between Saleh and Mishri fail to reach a conclusion on basis for elections
On 30 June, UN Special Advisor to the Secretary-General (SASG) Stephanie Williams confirmed that the two-day talks on 28 – 29 June in Geneva between...
US Ambassador pushes financial mechanism and oversight committee
Meetings were held from 28-29 June in Tripoli between US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland and a number of high-level Libyan figures, including...
UAE rejects proposed Algerian UN Envoy
On 23 June, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, submitted a proposal to the UN Security Council (UNSC) for former Algerian diplomat, Sabri...
UN recognises rollover of LPDF in absence of elections
On 22 June, the Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Farhan Haq, stated in a press briefing that the UN ‘regrets’ that several...
Reports of Wagner movement in recent weeks
Between 19 and 20 June, movements of operatives from the Russian private military contractor (PMC) the Wagner Group were observed in Tamanhint,...
Italy relaunches its mission in Misrata
On 16 June, Italian Army Corps General, Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, visited the Italian Hippocrates Task Force in Misrata. Figliuolo praised the...
Ergodan requests extension for Turkish military mission in Libya
On 13 June, the Office of Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, officially requested the Turkish parliament to grant an 18-month extension to its...
Reports of SASG Williams departing at the end of June circulate
Italian and local Libyan media reported that UN Special Advisor to the Secretary-General (SASG), Stephanie Williams, will conclude her tenure as...
French NGO holds negotiations to discuss withdrawal of Sudanese forces from Libya
Between 10-11 June, negotiations took place between Sudanese government officials and seven armed factions from the Darfur region in Niamey, Niger,...
UK reopens Embassy in Libya
On 5 June, the UK reopened its Embassy in Libya. UK Ambassador to Libya, Caroline Hurndall, gave an address that coincided with the Queen of...
UNSC extends mandate of EU’s Operation Irini
On 3 June, the UN Security Council (UNSC) adopted resolution 2365 (2022) renewing the authority of Member States and regional organisations to...
Libyan Coast Guard vessel opens fire on Italian ship
On 3 June, reports indicated that a Libyan Coast Guard vessel had opened fire on a fishing vessel on international waters off Benghazi. The Italian...
Tensions in the South related to clashes on the Libya-Chadian border
On 30 May, Chad’s Minister of Defence, General Daoud Yaya Brahim, reported that approximately 100 people have been killed and 40 injured during...
UN Security Council meeting on Libya
On 26 May, the UN Security Council (UNSC) held a briefing on Libya where the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs,...
Workshop on DDR launches in Spain, attended by UN, EU, GNU, and PC
On 23 May, a two-day workshop began on ‘International Ways to Support the Disarmament, Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR) Programme for Libya and...
UAE hosts Dabaiba and Haftar amid reports of meeting between the two men
On 21 May, the UAE hosted the Government of National Unity (GNU) Prime Minister, Abdul Hameed Dabaiba, and the head of the Libyan National Army...
France allegedly makes plans for a federalist conference on Libya
On 21 May, France was reported to be making plans to hold a conference centred on proposing a new federalist mechanism for power-sharing in Libya...
US and UK Embassies condemn clashes in Tripoli
The US and UK embassies to Libya, as well as the UN Special Advisor to the Secretary-General (SASG) Stephanie Williams, issued statements on 17 May...
HoR and HSC meet for second round of constitutional dialogue in Cairo
On 15 May, the second round of the House of Representatives (HoR) and High State Council (HSC) Joint Committee on the Constitutional roadmap in...
GNU MoFA rejects Amnesty International reports of human rights violations
On 12 May, the Government of National Unity (GNU) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) issued a statement accusing Amnesty International of...
Egypt seizes smuggled weapons shipment on western border with Libya
On May 9, the Egyptian Border Guard reportedly seized a large shipment of weapons, ammunition, and narcotics in the Great Sand Sea area, south of...
Turkey assists Libyan Coastguard to rescue migrants
On 5 May, seventeen migrants were rescued off the coast of Misrata by the Libyan Coastguard in coordination with the Turkish navy. The migrants were...
Lavrov claims Wagner invited to Libya by HoR, denied by HoR members
On 2 May, Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, stated in an interview with the Italian broadcaster Mediaset that the Wagner Group...
UNSC extends UNSMIL mandate through end of July
On 29 April, the UN Security Council (UNSC) extended the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) until 31 July 2022. The UK,...
ICC briefs UNSC on Libya
On 28 April, International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan briefed the UN Security Council (UNSC) on the situation in Libya. The ICC...
Dabaiba travels to Algeria with GNU delegation
On 23 April, following a visit by a senior Government of National Unity (GNU) delegation to Algeria days before, Algerian President Abdelmadjid...
Images surface of dead soldiers in Ukraine carrying Libyan banknotes and Haftar’s number
Last week, images surfaced on social media purportedly showing dead Wagner operatives in Popasna, eastern Ukraine. According to Ukrainian sources,...
UNSC holds consultation on UNSMIL
On 19 April, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held consultations on the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), the mandate of...
EU official: 20,000 mercenaries from Syria and Libya in Ukraine
On 19 April, Western media sources reported that an anonymous European Union (EU) official had claimed that 10,000 to 20,000 mercenaries were on the...
LNA 5+5 JMC meets with UN officials
On 13 April, the Assistant Secretary-General and Acting Head of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Raisedon Zenenga, met with Libyan...
UN launches and concludes Joint HOR/HCS Committee meeting in Cairo
On 13 April, the Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General (SASG) on Libya, Stephanie Williams, launched consultations of the Joint Committee of...
Libya votes in favour of suspending Russia from the UNHRC
On 7 April, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for Russia to be suspended from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), with Libya...
Turkish military plane touches down at Watiya Airbase
On 6 April, flight trackers identified a suspected Turkish military cargo plane arriving at Libya's Al-Watiya Air Base, north of Zintan. This...
Change of command at Operation Irini
On 1 April, Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI, whose mandate includes capacity building and training of the Libyan Coast Guard, changed its Force...
US unveils 10 year plan for stability in Libya
On 1 April, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken tweeted that ‘together with our partners, we will implement the 10-year Strategy to Prevent...
Germany to stop providing training to Libya’s coast guard
On 30 March, Germany announced it would no longer provide training to Libya’s coast guard due to concerns over the treatment of migrants. Andrea...
HoR a no show at UN-facilitated HCS and HoR joint committee meeting in Tunis
On 25 March, SASG Stephanie William issued a statement highlighting the conclusion of a three-day consultative meeting with the 12-member HSC...
Unverrified documents surface showing Russia declining LNA support in Ukraine
On 25 March, a series of unverified documents surfaced online purportedly showing the head of the LNA Khalifa Haftar offering military support to...
UNSMIL convenes 6+6 Joint Committee in Tunis
On 22 March, the UN’s Special Advisor of the Secretary General (SASG) on Libya, Stephanie Williams, convened the first meeting of the 6+6 Joint...
Norland meets with Dabaiba
On 16 March, US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland met with Dabaiba to discuss the current political crisis, efforts to prevent the outbreak of...
Chechen President speaks with Dabaiba
On 13 March, Dabaiba spoke with the President of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov. Reports indicate that the conversation focussed on boosting...
Ukrainian intelligence accuses Russia of transferring Libyan mercenaries to fight in Ukraine
On 12 March, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Brigadier General Kirill Budanov, claimed that...
UNSMIL urges restraint amid armed group mobilisation in Tripoli
On 10 March, UNSMIL issued a statement saying that it was closely following with concern reports about the mobilization of forces and movement of...
P3+2 and EU issue joint statement
On 4 March, the governments of France, Germany, Italy, the US and the UK released a joint statement noting the UN Secretary-General’s statement and...
UN concern over HoR vote and pushes UN-led HoR-HSC mediation initiative
On 2 March, the UN released a statement attributable to the Secretary-General expressing concern that the House of Representatives’ (HoR) vote of...
LNA conducts military operation south of Kufra
On 27 February, the LNA’s Commander of the Moral Guidance Department, Khaled Mahjoub, reported that clashes broke out between the LNA’s Subul...
Wagner operatives withdrawn from Sokna
Over the last fortnight, reports emerged that operatives from the Russian private military contractor (PMC) Wagner Group have withdrawn from their...
Erdogan makes neutral statement about Dabaiba and Bashaagha
On 16 February, Turkish President Recep Erdogan upon returning from Dubai told reporters that: ‘Fathi Bashaagha has announced his candidacy. Our...