International actors
Tracking developments of international actors in Libya’s security space including military activity, the presence of foreign operatives and diplomacy pertaining to Libya’s security.
Migrants die at sea trying to reach Europe from Libya
On 1 April, the Italian coast guard said it found 19 bodies and rescued 58 people after intercepting a dinghy filled with migrants that was in distress about 80 nautical miles from the southern Italian island of Lampedusa. A coastguard spokesperson said the migrants...
Libyan authorities report damaged Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz is out of control
On 31 March, the convoy of the extensively damaged Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz towed by Libyan tugs reached an area near the edge of Malta’s search and rescue (SAR) zone. The General Directorate of Coastal Security reported that the vessel was roughly 62...
Greek FM dicusses maritime & migration issues with Haftar in Benghazi
On 28 March, Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Georgios Gerapetritis visited Benghazi. He was received by Libyan National Army (LNA) Commander Khalifa Haftar who welcomed the Greek delegation. He emphasized the deep historical and economic ties between the two...
22 migrants die at sea en route to Greece
On 28 March, survivors from a boat which had been at sea for six days without food or water after leaving Tubruq on 21 March said that 22 people had died at sea. 26 people survived and were rescued by a European border agency vessel near the island of Crete. Greek...
Drifting Russian tanker initially towed towards Misrata with Egyptian expert support
On 24 March, Libyan officials said that they had brought the Russian LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz under control while it was drifting inside of Libya’s territorial waters near Zuwara towards Libya’s western coast. The tanker was tilting on one side, with its hull...
NOC hires company to manage damaged Russian tanker off Libyan coast
On 21 March, the NOC announced that through its subsidiary Mellitah Oil & Gas and in cooperation with Italy’s Eni, an international company in has been contracted to handle the damaged Russian gas tanker currently drifting off the Libyan coast. The NOC said the...
Malta suspends Harmony Jets’ license after the al-Haddad plane crash
On 18 March, Transport Malta informed the media that it has suspended Harmony Jets’ Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and the company’s ‘Certificate of Airworthiness’ for all aircraft. In a statement sent to Times of Malta, Harmony Jets said that, ‘The company does not...
Human Rights Watch urges Libyan authorities to surrender suspects to ICC
On 11 March, Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Libyan authorities to surrender suspects to the International Criminal Court (ICC). HRW urged Libyan authorities to immediately surrender Osama Najeem aka al-Masri to the ICC which has charged the ‘senior member of the...
Two migrants dead and 40 rescued in Kufra desert as deportation efforts continue
On 11 March, the eastern authorities announced the death of two migrants and the rescue of forty others after the vehicle carrying them overturned in the desert southeast of Kufra. In addition, migrant boats trying to reach Europe have been intercepted, including one...