USAID confirmed its willingness to provide assistance for Libya’s High National Elections Commission (HNEC) in the area of managing and executing the upcoming elections, thereby bolstering their preparedness for the achievement of the democratic process in Libya. John Cardenas, the representative of USAID, accompanied by his deputy Nathan Park, paid a visit to the HNEC headquarters on Wednesday, in support of the international community’s efforts to encourage and facilitate democratic practices in Libya. The HNEC, for their part, expressed their gratitude towards the international community’s endeavors in bringing the transitional phase to a close and establishing a secure democratic state through a transparent electoral process. Read more from the Libya Herald.
Category: Latest Libya News
UN Envoy in Berlin for Talks on Libya’s Political and Security Situation
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily, held consultations in Berlin yesterday with the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, on the political and security situation in Libya, in the presence by the German government’s special envoy for the Libyan question, Christian Buck. The parties called on Libyan institutions to focus on preparing for presidential and parliamentary elections in 2023, urging the international community to unite in supporting the Libyan people’s aspirations to elect legitimate institutions. The German Foreign Ministry said in a message on its Twitter profile that the consultations discussed ways to help Libya find a way out of the political impasse and move towards elections. Read more from Libya Update.
US Seeks to Expel Russian Mercenaries from Sudan, Libya
The United States has stepped up pressure on Middle East allies to expel the Wagner Group, a military contractor with close ties to Russia’s president, from chaos-stricken Libya and Sudan where it expanded in recent years, regional officials told The Associated Press. The U.S. effort described by officials comes as the Biden administration is making a broad push against the mercenaries. The U.S. has slapped new sanctions on the Wagner Group in recent months over its expanding role in Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Biden administration has been working for months with regional powers Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to pressure military leaders in Sudan and Libya to end their ties with the group, according to more than a dozen Libyan, Sudanese, and Egyptian officials. They asked for anonymity to speak freely because they were not authorized to discuss the issue with the media. Read more from the AP.
ENI Boosts Gas Production In Libya with $8 Billion Investment
Eni’s decision last week to push ahead with the Structures A&E development offshore Libya will be a shot in the arm for the country’s gas-fired power generation when the giant project comes on stream in 2026. Notably, the $8 billion project, which the Italian major is developing in partnership with the National Oil Corporation of Libya (NOC), is also being billed as an additional source of natural gas for Europe as the region cuts its gas-supply ties with Russia. Read more from Upstream.
SRSG Bathily Calls for Resources, Political Commitment to Ceasefire
After the conclusion of the latest meeting of the Joint Military Commission (5+5) in Sirte, SRSG Abdoulaye Bathily Monday called on the national authorities to recommit to fully support the implementation of Libya’s 2020 ceasefire agreement. He called upon the government to allocate appropriate resources and step up political efforts to end the stalemate and reestablish legitimacy to Libyan institutions through elections. SRSG Bathily, who chaired the two-day meetings, commended JMC members for their “determination and commitment towards peace and stability in Libya and its unity and integrity.” He called on political leaders “to show the same spirit of unity and abnegation as their brothers in uniform in the Joint Military Commission in order to overcome the current crisis.” Read more from UNSMIL.
CIA Director Bill Burns Arrives in Libya on Surprise Visit
U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief William Burns made a rare trip to Libya on Thursday, meeting Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah in Tripoli, the Libyan government said. Dbeibah’s Government of National Unity announced the visit on its Facebook page, posting a picture of Burns and Dbeibah together. Two sources close to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, who is based in Benghazi, said Burns had also met with him. The CIA, which does not regularly announce such visits, declined to comment. Read more from Reuters.
Libyan Oil Minister, US State Department Officials Meet in Washington
Libya’s Minister of Oil and Gas, Mohammed Oun, met with US State Department and White House officials in Washington this week. During the meeting, Oun presented the ministry’s vision for the future of the oil sector, and its endeavor to improve transparency and good governance. Oun highlighted the importance of American technology and experience and the role the US can play in exploring and developing oil fields in Libya, in addition to exploiting shale oil and gas reserves which would contribute to the needs of the global market. The American side reaffirmed support for the vision of the Ministry of Oil and Gas in Libya and the importance of taking the benefit from oil revenues to serve Libyans, noting that the American administration does not object to providing technical and practical assistance through its companies in the field of oil and gas. Read more from the Libya Observer.
US Ambassador Statement on HoR + HSC Discussions in Cairo
On Twitter, US Special Envoy Ambassador Richard Norland said, “The conclusion of discussions between the leaders of the HoR and HSC today in Cairo leaves no reason to delay setting an early date for parliamentary and presidential elections. We share the desire of all Libyans to see Libyan leaders adopt the necessary measures as quickly as possible allowing HNEC to proceed w/ setting the electoral process in motion. We express our appreciation to the Government of Egypt for facilitating this important milestone.” The United States strongly supports UNSMIL SRSG BAthily and calls for a national consensus in Libya on establishing a clear timeline for elections. There is no other way to secure stability and long-term peace. Read the full statement on Twitter.
Remarks by UNSMIL Head at a UN Security Council Briefing
The U.N. special envoy for Libya warned that signs of partition are already evident in the troubled North African nation and urged influential nations to pressure Libya’s rival leaders to urgently finalize the constitutional basis for elections. Bathily told the U.N. Security Council that the continuing disagreement between the two rivals — specifically, the speaker of Libya’s HoR, Aguila Saleh, and Khaled al-Mashri, the president of the HSC based— on a limited number of provisions in the constitution “can no longer serve as a justification to hold an entire country hostage.” If the two institutions can’t reach an agreement swiftly, Bathily said, “an alternative mechanism”, can and should be used “to alleviate the sufferings caused by outdated and open-ended interim political arrangements.” He did not elaborate on what that mechanism could be. Read more from UNSMIL.