In her UN Security Council briefing on 22 April, SRSG Hanna Tetteh noted that although no violations of the 2020 ceasefire agreement were recorded, the security situation remained fragile. She said that localised incidents, particularly in southern border areas, underscore the need for tangible progress toward the unification of Libya’s security and political institutions. In the western region, the northwest coastal line remains volatile among armed groups and criminal networks vying for control over territory and creating space for illicit activities. She added that amidst reports of a continued flow of weapons into Libya in violation of the arms embargo, renewed tensions among security actors were reported against the backdrop of an uneasy co-existence.
On the positive side, she praised the US AFRICOM FLINTLOCK 2026 exercise in Sirte, welcoming ‘this joint training and the establishment of joint operation rooms as building blocks to help advance the unification of the military and security institutions.’
Tetteh went on to highlight continuing reports of arbitrary detention, intimidation, and reprisals by security actors against perceived political opponents, human rights defenders particularly women, public officials, and detainees. She noted that attacks also continued against members of the Sufi community and their shrines, underscoring risks to religious freedom and social cohesion.
On 25 April, a Sufi detainee reportedly died in prison in eastern Libya. According to human rights reports, Jumaa Muhammad Al-Sharif (65 years old) died inside Al-Kuweifiya prison in Benghazi, after his health deteriorated as a result of what was described as ‘medical negligence’ and ‘deprivation of necessary treatment,’ in addition to accusations of ‘being subjected to torture during his detention, which began in September 2024,’ as part of a broader campaign that targeted dozens of followers of Sufi orders.
Nevertheless, Tetteh also welcomed recent steps taken in the West and in the East, including the granting of access to Mitiga prison in Tripoli to UNSMIL’s Human Rights Service on 11 April 2026 and the visits by the Benghazi-based National Committee for Monitoring the Conditions of Prisoners and Prisons to detention facilities in the East, which reportedly led to the release of a significant number of detainees.