The US has stressed that it is willing to sanction spoilers, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ‘designated’ Osama Najeem aka al-Masri, preventing him from entering the US.
On 30 October, Marco Rubio announced that the United States had ‘designated’ former Libyan Judicial Police official Osama Almasri Habeesh Najeem as well as his wife, Aml Faraj Mohamed Makhluf, under Section 7031(c) for his involvement in gross violations of human rights, namely the torture and cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment of detainees in the Mitiga and al Jadida prisons. Following this designation, Najeem and his family members are ineligible for entry to the United States.
On 31 October, US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos reiterated the US position, saying that although some spoilers may think that they have something to gain by standing in the way of Libya’s political transition, the US will not hesitate to pursue serious consequences against those who deliberately stand in the way of this initiative. He said the US will continue to support these Libyan-led efforts, in coordination with UNSMIL, toward national elections and a stable, unified, and prosperous Libya.
Separately, Boulos highlighted progress towards military cooperation between East and West Libya including through US AFRICOM’s Exercise Flintlock held earlier this year.