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.
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 unjustified politicization and escalation in its recent reporting on Libya. In the last month Amnesty has published a series 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 the Siwa Oasis and adjacent to Egypt’s western border with Libya. Egyptian Colonel and Spokesperson for the Armed Forces,...
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 reportedly of Asian nationality and disembarked at the Khoms naval base, east of Tripoli. The Libyan Coastguard said...
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 Private Military Company (PMC) had ‘nothing to do’ with the Russian state and was operating in Libya on a ‘commercial...
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, the UNSC’s current pen holder, submitted a draft text for the UNSMIL mandate to be extended for a year. However,...
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 proposed a new four-pronged strategy to deliver justice against war crimes committed in Libya since 2011. In UNSC member...
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 Tebboune is reported to have affirmed his support for GNU Prime Minister Dabaiba in light of the GNU’s internationally...
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, they were carrying Libyan bank notes and a telephone number for the head of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Khalifa...
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 ground in eastern Ukraine including Syrians, Libyans and other fighters recruited by the Russian Private Military...