International actors

Western countries’ statements and gestures of support for the Government of National Accord (GNA) Presidential Council continued to pour in throughout the week. Germany has pledged to provide the Presidency Council with €3 million in immediate aid to spend on “much-needed security infrastructure,” with a further €10 million ear marked for a stabilization fund to […]

On 1 April, the European Union imposed sanctions on three prominent Libyan politicians opposed to the installation of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). The three targets were Agilah Saleh, president of the House of Representatives (HoR), Khalifa Ghwell, prime minister of the General National Congress (GNC), and Nouri Abusahmen, president of the GNC.   […]

The Guardian reports that British Special Air Service (SAS) forces have been deployed in Libya since the beginning of the year. This information comes from a leaked memo detailing a confidential briefing given to US congressional leaders in January 2016 by Jordan’s King Abdullah. The memo indicates that US lawmakers were personally briefed about plans […]

The UK parliament’s foreign affairs select committee asked the government whether it intends to send 1,000 non-combat troops to Libya to train an army capable of driving ISIS from the country. Senior members of the committee said they were told in Tunis that the Italians would provide 5,000 troops and the UK 1,000, with more […]

In an Atlantic article from the April 2016 issue, US President Barack Obama hinted that America’s European and British partners have gravely disappointed in their support for Libya. Meanwhile last week’s comments by Italian Prime Minister Renzi against French ‘haste’ in 2011 have generated their fair share of scorn. The US, UK and EU called […]

A recent article by the Washington Post said that the Pentagon had presented the White House with the most detailed set of military options yet for attacking the growing ISIS threat in Libya. The plans are said to include a range of potential airstrikes against training camps, command centres, munitions depots and other militant targets. […]

As the political process for Libya mediated by the UN begins to flounder, signals are emerging that the international community is more seriously considering the ‘military option’. International media reports have begun to reveal the different roles played by western countries such as France, the US and the UK in supporting various power brokers in […]

Despite the inconsistency of the Western community’s position vis-à-vis ISIS in Libya, as well as the faltering Libyan political process, an international bombing campaign of ISIS forces in the country seems a very probable prospect in the near future…Although US Secretary of State John Kerry, downplayed the US role or the intentions of President Barack Obama to intervene militarily in Libya, the chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee said that Obama is “on the verge of taking action” against ISIS in Libya.

Days before the Italian president’s visit to the White House on 9 February, US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter reportedly told media that the Italians have indicated that they want the lead in Libya, an impulse the US is willing to support. … Meanwhile Russian media is reporting that Russian Ambassador to Libya Ivan Moltokov has unveiled his country’s intention to fight terrorism, also saying that Russia has approached the UN Security Council with a request to lift arms sanctions against Libya to enable its fight against ISIS.