Libyan actors
Tracking developments of Libyan Actors in Libya’s security space including armed group activity, state security operations and political activities pertaining to Libya’s security.
Italy investigates Libyan human smugglers
On 18 February, the Italian newspaper Avvenire reported that there is an investigation underway in Italy against two key Libyan human smugglers – Abdurrahman al-Milad (aka al-Bija) and his cousin Osama al-Khuni. The investigation has been carried out by the Agrigento...
Italian court rules that sending migrants back to Libya is unlawful
On 18 February, the ruling (made on 1 February) of Italy’s top appeals court, the Court of Cassation, that sending migrants rescued at sea back to Libya is unlawful was made public by the Italian media. The court upheld the conviction of the captain of an Italian...
Zintani calls for Dabaiba’s overthrow and pipeline blockade
On 16 February, the Zintan Revolutionaries demanded the overthrow of Prime Minister Abdul Hameed Dabaiba. They declared that they no longer recognized his government, saying it represents the rule of the Dabaiba clan. They called on all revolutionaries in the country...
Renewed clashes between militias in Zawiyya and Tripoli
On 15 February, at least two people were killed in Zawiyya in a skirmish near the university between Othman al-Lahab's 103rd Brigade (aka al-Silaa Brigade) and members of the Criminal Investigation Department. The al-Silaa Brigade provides security for the university....
AQIM uses southern Libya to transport fighters to Mali: UN report
According to UN reporting presented on 15 February, AQIM (‘Al-Qaida in Libya’) secures transportation routes to cities for transit or as hideouts in the southwest of Fezzan, collaborating with some Tuareg individuals. The report notes that AQIM is present in and...
UN report confirms IS presence in southern Libya
On 15 February, Vladimir Voronkov, Under-Secretary-General at the UN Office of CounterTerrorism, alongside other senior counter-terrorism experts, informed the UN Security Council about the ‘Eighteenth report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by ISIL...
LNA conducts military mobilisations in Central Libya
On 14 February, sources reported that the Libyan National Army (LNA) began conducting military mobilisations in Central Libya. Specifically, Khalifa Haftar's sons, Saddam and Khaled, dispatched fighters and military vehicles towards Sirte and Jufra, to conduct...
Amnesty accuses ISA of abuses and crackdown on personal freedoms
On 14 February, Amnesty International issued a statement accusing the Tripoli-based Internal Security Agency (ISA) of ‘an intensified crackdown on freedom of thought, expression and belief’ with dozens of men, women and children subjected to a range of abuses,...
Clashes break out close to Zawiyya refinery
On 12 February, heavy fighting broke out in the immediate vicinity of the refinery in Zawiyya (north of the Zawiyya Refinery Bridge) lasting for approximately two hours. The clashes were between Othman al-Lahab's 103rd Brigade (aka al-Silaa Brigade) and Muhammad...