Libya Updates 6/12/17

Libyan Militias Launch Assault on Vital Oil Terminals
12/7/16

BENGHAZI, Libya — Libyan militias that were expelled from the eastern city of Benghazi are now advancing toward the country's vital oil terminals, seeking to establish control over Libya's primary revenue source.

[link to www.nytimes.com]

ISIS Remains Threat in Libya Despite Defeat in Surt, U.S. Officials Say
12/8/16

The government’s top counterterrorism official, Nicholas J. Rasmussen, said the Islamic State’s defeat in Surt had dealt a major setback to the militancy’s ambitions to expand its caliphate in North Africa. But he said he remained “very concerned” about the ability of surviving fighters to exploit the country’s economic and political vacuum.

“The concern we have about external attacks from Syria and Iraq extends to Libya if ISIL is able to maintain a stable foothold there,” Mr. Rasmussen, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, told a security conference here on Wednesday. The Islamic State is also known as ISIL or ISIS.

[link to www.nytimes.com]

Stop fucking up other peoples nations and killing their leaders, and you won't have to worry about the murderous proxy you created causing problems there......unless of course that's what you wanted in the first place.

Libya mine-clearing to take weeks in ex-IS stronghold
12/9/16

MISRATA, Libya - Libyan forces said Friday they will need weeks to clear the multitude of mines planted by the defeated Islamic State group in its former stronghold of Sirte before residents can return.

"All the city's residential areas were planted with mines and explosives," said General Mohamed Geneidi, a commander of the forces allied with Libya's UN-backed unity government.

"Removing (them) will take some time," he told AFP. "We hope this will be completed... within a month and a half."

[link to www.enca.com]
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eNCA (South Africa)
[link to en.wikipedia.org (secure)]
[link to www.enca.com]

News Roundup - Sat, Dec 10, 2016

[link to www.libyaobserver.ly]

Russia in Libya, A Driver for Escalation?
12/11/16

Since summer 2016 Russia has stealthily joined the fray in Libya, having disengaged in 2011 when its hopes at protecting up to $10 billion in contracts with the Qaddafi regime were frustrated. In early November, a small number of Russian military technicians appeared on the ground in Cyrenaica, reportedly to help re-fit General Khalifa Haftar’s forces, renew weapons systems, and upgrade naval and air defenses. Several sources mention that Russian military advisors are providing assistance to Haftar either from Cyrenaica or Cairo. Along with reports that Abdul Basit Al-Badri—Haftar’s middleman and the Libyan ambassador to Saudi Arabia—request small arms and aircraft in September, this lends some credence to claims published in Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Haftar has garnered 4 billion Libyan dinars ($2.9 billion) in military deals with Russia.

[link to www.thecairoreview.com (secure)]

News Roundup - Mon, Dec 12, 2016
12/11/16

[link to www.libyaobserver.ly]

Libya's National Commission for Human Rights condemns constraints on press in eastern Libya
12/13/16

The National Commission for Human Rights in Libya has strongly condemned the constraints on press and media outlets as well as on civil societies in Benghazi, Al-Bayda, Tobruk and Derna.
In a statement on Tuesday, The NCHR said targeting journalists and the tightening the grip on the freedoms of media outlets in the eastern region are crimes against humanity and violations of the international conventions pertaining to human rights, civil rights, cultural, and political rights.

[link to www.libyaobserver.ly]

The Sirte liberation and implications for Libya
12/14/16

Sirte had been under the control of Daesh since early 2015, when the Takfiri group took advantage of the chaos in the country to bolster its presence in Libya and provide a regional base from which to launch further offensives.

But why did it take so long for Libyan forces to take back this territory — especially considering that Western countries backed the push? And could this be the start of a new dawn for Libya in the post-Gaddafi era?

[link to www.presstv.ir]

Powerless Serraj appeals to rivals to join bid for united Libya
12/14/16

Libya’s UN-backed president Fayez Serraj and Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat have urged all Libyan factions to get around the negotiating table to reach a consensus for a united Libya under Serraj’s stewardship.
Addressing a press conference at Castille following bilateral talks, Muscat said that Malta unequivocally recognized Serraj’s UN-backed Government of National Accord as the legitimate Libyan government, but that it “will not rest solely on formal recognition”.

[link to www.maltatoday.com.mt]

One year on, UN-backed government fails to unite Libya
12/16/16

One year ago there was optimism in the air when Libya Dialogue, a commission of Libyan representatives chaired by the United Nations Support Mission for Libya (Unsmil), announced the GNA, appointing as prime minister Fayez Al Serraj, a Tripoli politician and businessman. It was Libya Dialogue which drafted the LPA under which Mr Al Serraj leads a nine-strong presidency.

This is where things have become deadlocked. The HOR has refused to endorse the GNA or the transitional constitution, demanding that it, not the GNA, should appoint the commander of Libya’s army – signalling its determination to keep Field Marshall Haftar in that role. But he would not be acceptable to all. Though popular in eastern Libya for his campaign against militias in Benghazi, many factions in western Libya dislike him.

[link to www.thenational.ae]
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Can Libya’s new government balance international, domestic duties?
1/7/16

According to UN envoy to Libya Martin Kobler, Libya will have one government by the end of January 2016, and it will be in Tripoli. Despite the difficulties facing it, the new government of national accord has already won major international approval. On Dec. 23, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2259, recognizing it as the sole legitimate government of the war-torn country.

[link to www.al-monitor.com]

Libya’s HoR Speaker enlists Russia’s assistance and influence
12/16/16

Libya’s development requires the experience and assistance of Russia and the country intends to promote bilateral cooperation with Moscow in various spheres, including the military one, Libyan House of Representatives Speaker Aqilah Saleh told Sputnik Friday.

[link to www.libyanexpress.com]

At least 3 soldiers killed by IS suicide bomber in Libya
12/18/16

BENGHAZI – A jihadist suicide bombing targeting forces loyal to Marshal Khalifa Haftar in Libya's second city Benghazi on Sunday killed at least three soldiers and wounded nine, a military source said.

The attack was claimed by the Islamic State group, which was driven out of its Libyan stronghold of Sirte earlier this month.

"A suicide bomber in a small truck exploded his vehicle in the Qanfouda region," one of the last bastions of the jihadists in Benghazi, a Special Forces source told AFP in the eastern city.

[link to www.enca.com]

Libya is way more fragmented one year after Skhirat agreement
12/18/16

One year ago, the GNC and HoR representatives, who signed in Skhirat on the GNA agreement, were not agreed on by neither of the parties, thus making the UN-brokered deal so fragile that it broke on the shores of Tripoli Navy Base, once the GNA Prime Minister, Fayez Al-Sirraj, arrived in April this year.
Since then, not only the GNA helped create a third rival government, besides the GNC’s Salvation Government in Tripoli and the HoR’s Al-Thanni Government in the east, but it also let hell break loose in the country in terms of the basic needs for the citizens.

[link to www.libyaobserver.ly]

Controversial Libyan General Haftar visits Algeria
12/18/16

Libyan General Khalifa Haftar was received on Sunday in Algiers by the minister of Maghreb and African Affairs Abdelkader Messahel who recalled his country’s position in favor of a political solution in Libya, APS agency reports.

Haftar’s visit comes shortly after the Libyan head of the national unity government (GNA)Fayez al-Sarraj announced the retake of Sirte from the Islamic State (IS).

[link to www.africanews.com]
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The General really has stolen the spotlight during the past year....

(Speech given on 4/17/11)

It's interesting to watch this, and not because of Gadaffi's amusing style and demeanor. Notice that Bashar Assad is in attendance, and is laughing at the Colonel, especially when he mentions the West could be coming after one of them very soon. I wonder if he's still laughing.....

Putin Promotes Libyan Strongman as New Ally After Syria Victory
12/22/16

Flush with success in supporting his ally in Syria, Vladimir Putin has a new ambition: supporting another one, this time in Libya. The effort is beginning to undermine the UN-backed government there.

Russian President Putin’s government is befriending a powerful military leader, Khalifa Haftar, who now controls more territory than any other faction in the tumultuous, oil-rich North African state. In two visits to Moscow in the past half-year, Haftar met the defense and foreign ministers, plus the national-security chief, to seek support. A top ally also visited last week and Russia is supplying funds and military expertise to Haftar’s base in the east.

[link to www.bloomberg.com (secure)]
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When I started this thread at the beginning of the year, I had never heard of General Haftar. There's been numerous articles about him posted here during that time, and you can see how he's gone from obscurity (in the West, anyway) to his current position. He was a former friend of Gaddafi, who allegedly worked with the opposition to overthrow the Libyan leader.

Libya’s Ganfouda may be another Aleppo
12/22/16

Libya’s ongoing civil war has gone on for years, recently spilling into a residential area in the city of Benghazi called Ganfouda. Militias and foreign forces, such as the United Arab Emirates loyal to Gen. Khalifa Haftar, have laid siege to the neighbourhood for months, depriving families of food, water and medicine. The UN and Human Rights Watch have called the situation an emergency humanitarian crisis. Simply put: the world can’t afford to stand around and do nothing on this one.

This disaster didn’t appear out of nowhere and, like Syria, it’s not without its own bad actors. Libya’s ongoing civil war has pit a legitimate, UN-recognized government based in the West side of the country against the Tobruk government in the East, which has allied with the brutal Khalifa Haftar, whose forces turned Ganfouda into a living hell and killed more than 60 civilians.

[link to www.thestar.com (secure)]

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As you can see, not everyone is a fan of the General.
But I wonder where this author was when NATO and western-backed militias did this for 7 months in 2011....
Haftar has the support of Egypt and Russia, to name a few.
Haftar has always been against the West/EU/UN-backed 'unity government', and is said to have more control than they do.
The author claims that the UN supported PM Serraj is the legitimate leader of Libya, but that's kind of stupid to say, since the country is in a continual state of civil war.........

Hijackers threaten to blow up Libyan plane diverted to Malta
12/23/16

VALLETTA, Malta – Two hijackers diverted a Libyan commercial plane to Malta on Friday and threatened to blow it up with hand grenades, Maltese authorities and state media said.

[link to www.foxnews.com]

Libyan plane hijackers surrender in Malta; passengers and crew freed
12/23/16

LONDON — An hours-long hostage drama at an airport on the Mediterranean island of Malta ended peacefully Friday with two hijackers who had threatened to blow up a Libyan passenger jet choosing instead to surrender to authorities.

Their arrest brought to a close a tense international confrontation that began when the two hijackers — apparently armed with a hand grenade and handguns — commandeered the plane over Libyan skies, then diverted it 300 miles north to Malta.

[link to www.washingtonpost.com (secure)]

Real-life Libya plane hijack halts hijack film shoot
12/23/16

A film being shot at Malta airport about a plane hijacking was disrupted amid the real hijacking of a Libyan Airbus A320, an official told the BBC.

"It's very ironic because then there was the real hijack on," said Magda Magri Naudi, the mayor of Lija.

The movie - Entebbe - is based on a hostage situation that occurred 40 years ago in Uganda.

Unlike that hijacking, the two hijackers in Friday's incident surrendered peacefully to police.

[link to www.bbc.com]

Op-Ed: Libyan commander Haftar may grow stronger under Trump regime
12/24/16

Pack, rightly warns, that should Haftar make a move against Tripoli, his opponents could soon unify. Pack believes that Haftar's announcement is simply to give notice to his rivals and potential allies as well as provide leverage to be included in negotiations about Libya's future. In spite of, or perhaps because of, Haftar's threats, the UN envoy Martin Kobler insists that Haftar must have a place in any new Government of National Accord. However, it is unclear how Kobler or anyone else will be able to incorporate Haftar as commander in chief of a national army as seems to be his desire without having the GNA implode, Many members of the Presidency Council and even more the High State Council are apposed to Haftar having any role in a new GNA.

[link to www.digitaljournal.com]

West reaffirms support for Presidency Council “as the sole legitimate government of Libya”, says military must be under civilian control
12/24/16

On the eve of Libya’s Independence Day today, seven leading international supporters of the Presidency Council (PC) – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US – issued a statement yesterday praising it for its efforts to rebuild prosperity, security and a united governance to Libya, and for defeating the so-called Islamic State in Sirte,

The PC, the six said, had their “full support”, as did the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA). They also spoke of the Government of National Accord produced by the PC as “the sole legitimate government” of Libya and of the need for other countries to cease all contacts with parallel institutions outside the LPA.

[link to www.libyaherald.com (secure)]
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One month from now, we'll see if this stance changes.

Possible new attack looms against eastern oilfields
12/25/16

Reports say that these appear to be the same forces of what’s called Benghazi’s Defense Brigades (BDB), allegedly sponsored by the proposed Defense Minister of the GNA Mahdi Bargathi. The BDB are deemed loyal to the Grand Mufti Sadeq Ghariani.

[link to www.libyaherald.com (secure)]

Warplanes target Libya’s Benghazi Defense Brigades
12/26/16

A site associated with Libya’s Benghazi Defense Brigades was hit by an airstrike south of the country’s central Al-Jufra area, injuring at least one person, local sources have said.

According to a member of Al-Jufra’s provincial council, who spoke anonymously due to security concerns, the airstrike targeted a Brigades-affiliated camp in the village of Hun (Al-Jufra’s regional capital).

Shortly afterward, forces loyal to Libya’s Tobruk-based parliament -- led by army strongman Khalifa Haftar -- claimed responsibility for the strike.

[link to aa.com.tr]

Russia Urges Libya Leadership Role for UN-Defying Military Chief
12/26/16

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov criticized the United Nations’ envoy to Libya for favoring other political forces in the North African country. His comments marked Russia’s strongest endorsement yet of Haftar, which may complicate Western-led efforts to shore up the weak, internationally-recognized government in the capital, Tripoli. Russia says the UN-mandated body is ineffective.

“We believe that the Libyans have to find a compromise on his participation in the new Libyan leadership,” Gatilov said of Haftar, who controls more territory than any other faction in the divided country, in written answers to questions from Bloomberg News.

[link to www.bloomberg.com (secure)]
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Extremists in Libya Set Up Strongholds
12/26/16

The leaked information showed that ISIS has set mysterious plans based on complicated symbols for Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Mali, and Europe. Reports say that members transported from Iraq and Syria to Libya have reached 1000, including leaders who are responsible of Sinai, Alexandria, and Cairo.

As per “Dinka”, the man pursued by security forces, new information said that he has been residing out of Misrata and that USD50,000 were delivered to his relatives few days ago from outside Libya, which asserted that Dinka is still out of the country. Sources added that Misrata’s Airport received groups from Hamas and Ansar Bait al-Maqdis few weeks ago.

[link to english.aawsat.com]

Libya's oil comeback continues
12/26/16

Analysts indicate General Khalifa Haftar's emergence as a power in Libya has seen the petrostate remake its role in international oil politics by grabbing an exemption to the production freeze orchestrated by OPEC last month.

[link to www.nasdaq.com]
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From obscurity to celebrity. He can't stay out of the headlines now.....

News Roundup - Tue, Dec 27, 2016

[link to www.libyaobserver.ly (secure)]

News Roundup - Wed, Dec 28, 2016

[link to www.libyaobserver.ly (secure)]