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.
Bathily hints at alternative mechanism should the HoR and HSC not finalise basis for elections
On 16 December, UN Special Envoy to Libya and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily, addressed the UN Security Council (UNSC). Bathily expressed concern about signs of a partition in Libya, calling on Libya’s political rivals (i.e., the...
Maltese police intercept British private military contractors en route to Libya
On 15 December, the Maltese newspaper MaltaToday reported that a group of 14 British private military contractors (PMCs) were intercepted by Maltese police on 10 December before boarding a private flight to Libya. The men were later released without charge, but they...
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 people off of Libya’s coast. They reported that 90 people were on a rubber boat that had left Libya on the evening of 5...
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 to Bloomberg’s reporting, Russia used a complex means to disguise their activities involving floating cranes and feeder...
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 Bathily, in Tunisia. Dabaiba reaffirmed the GNU’s preparedness to hold elections. He also called for more dialogue and...
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 a workshop on ‘State Monopoly on Weapons in Libya’ organised by the Libyan Joint Operations Centre. According to UNSMIL,...
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 arrivals. While no concrete decisions were reportedly taken, ministers welcomed a 20-point action plan proposed by the...
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 boats to the Libyan Coast Guard to stop human smugglers. According to Italian media, Tajani had discussed this with his...
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 recognition that some institutional players are actively hindering progress towards elections’, adding: ‘The genuine...