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.
27 November – 3 December 2019: GNA signs agreement with Turkey that sparks outrage
On 27 November, the GNA signed an agreement on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea with Turkey, along with an MoU to expand security and military cooperation. On 2 December, Speaker of the Tubruq-based HoR demanded to have the MoU retracted. On 2 December, the UNSC issued a statement expressing their “deep concern at the recent escalation of violence in Libya”.
20 – 26 November 2019: US Senate members introduce the ‘Libya Stabilization Act’
On 21 November, members of the US Senate introduced a piece of legislation called ‘the Libya Stabilization Act’. Former Libyan ambassador to the UAE, Aref al-Nayed, met with US NSC officials twice ‘this fall’. On 21 November, an AFRICOM unarmed remotely piloted aircraft was lost over Tripoli. On 20 November, an Italian Air Force MQ-9A Predator B crashed near the city of Tarhouna.
13 November – 19 November: US State Department call on LNA to end offensive on Tripoli
On 14 November, the US State Department released a statement directly addressing the LNA and calling on it to “end its offensive on Tripoli.” On 13 November, representatives of the US State Department started a US-Libya Security Dialogue in Washington, DC with the GNA.
6 – 12 November: Haftar frames foreign support for the LNA as counterterrorism cooperation
In an interview on 4 November, Haftar said that Qatari and Turkish support to the GNA will probably delay his troops’ advances and framed foreign support for the LNA as counterterrorism cooperation. He wished the Berlin conference success if it ever took place.
30 October – 5 November: Head of the GNA and US Ambassador to Libya meet in London
On 3 November, the head of the GNA, Fayez al-Serraj, and US Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, met in London. On 2 November, Italy’s deal with the GNA on migration was automatically renewed without amendments. The GNA and UN formally reopened Mitiga airport on 29 October and said that they planned to resume flights in the next two weeks.
23 – 29 October: German foreign minister and UN Envoy discussed the Berlin conference in Tripoli
On 26 October, US Embassy officials travelled to Benina to meet with notable eastern figures and discuss efforts to end the fighting around Tripoli and seek justice for US victims of the 11 September 2012 attack in Benghazi. On 27 October, the German foreign minister and UN Envoy discussed the Berlin conference in Tripoli. Russia hosted its first Africa summit which was attended by Serraj and eastern government representatives.
16 October – 22 October: NOC hold meeting with key US officials in Washington
On 16 October, NOC chairman Mustafa Sanallah met with key US officials in Washington to discuss the potential increase of oil outputs, investment opportunities and transparency in the Libyan oil sector. On 16 October, the chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs panel on the Middle East introduced a proposal “to clarify and strengthen American policy in support of a peaceful diplomatic resolution to the Libyan conflict.”
9 – 15 October: Berlin Conference delayed as Salame calls for actions not words
The planned “Berlin Conference” on Libya will be delayed until at least November. On 11 October, the UN Envoy to Libya said he remained hopeful that the Berlin Conference would lead to a UN Security Council resolution preventing foreign countries from escalating the crisis in Libya, as well as the implementation of mechanisms to enforce the arms embargo.
2 – 8 October: UNSMIL condemns airstrikes on Equestrian Club
On 6 October, UNSMIL published a statement condemning airstrikes on the Equestrian Club in Tripoli’s Janzour neighbourhood. On 4 October, UNSMIL issued a statement expressing alarm at “indications that parallel, unrecognized authorities in Libya” are threatening the NOC and its subsidiary Brega.