Libya: Flights from Egypt to restart today after 6-year break
Civilian flights between Tripoli and Cairo will re-start today after a suspension of more than six years and the Egyptian embassy will re-open soon, Reuters reported Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh saying yesterday. Egypt closed its Tripoli embassy and halted flights in 2014 as the conflict that saw rival governments set up in Tripoli and in the east of Libya intensified. Egypt supported eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar but is striking a more conciliatory tone with a new interim government led by Dbeibeh. "God willing we will open the embassy and consulate after Eid," Dbeibeh said. READ: Egypt denies national air carrier layoffs
Source:Libya Today
April 21, 2021 14:26 UTC
Libya's HoR elects Al-Siddiq Al-Sour a new Attorney General
The Libyan House of Representatives (HoR) has unanimously elected Al-Siddiq Al-Sour as the new Attorney General in a session held on Tuesday. The spokesman for the Libyan HoR, Abdullah Bliheq said the members selected Al-Sour out of eight candidates from the judicial authorities nominated by the Supreme Judicial Council for the position of the Attorney General. Bliheq said that Al-Sour got the vote of all of the attendees of the session and was endorsed as the new Libyan Attorney General. He also said that the HoR members voted on holding a session in Tripoli in the coming period as well as on issuing a statement by the HoR on the unfortunate incidents taking place in Chad and to encourage the security apparatuses in south Libya to monitor the area, especially the border areas with Chad, according to the media office of the HoR.
Source:Libya Observer
April 21, 2021 14:03 UTC
"Libya Quartet" welcomes progress toward political solution
The members of the "Libya Quartet" which brings together the United Nations, the League of Arab States, the African Union and the European Union met virtually on Tuesday to discuss the situation in the country, welcoming the significant progress towards advancing an inclusive and comprehensive political solution in Libya. Libya Quartet members issued a joint communiqué after their virtual meeting, saying they applauded the important outcomes of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF), the adoption of the Roadmap for the Preparatory Phase of a Comprehensive Solution, and the smooth transfer of power to the new interim authority. It also expressed full support for efforts to implement the LPDF Roadmap and successfully complete Libya’s democratic transition. Libya Quartet encouraged the unity government, and other institutions, to uphold their commitment to appoint women in at least 30 per cent of senior positions, and to promote rights-based reconciliation throughout the country. Libya Quartet also condemned the continued violations of the UN arms embargo and emphasized that all external military intervention in Libya is unacceptable.
Source:Libya Observer
April 21, 2021 14:03 UTC
Chad rebels threaten to depose slain president's son
N'DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — Rebels in Chad threatened to depose the son of the country's slain president after he was named interim leader of the strategic central African nation, raising the specter Wednesday of a violent power struggle. The rebel group that the military blamed for President Idriss Deby Itno's killing said Wednesday in a statement that they were giving his family until midnight to bury him. The fighters gave no indication of their positions after saying the day before that they were “heading toward N’Djamena at this very moment.”The group known as the Front for Change and Concord in Chad again decried Deby's son assuming the presidency. The 37-year-old army commander was chosen to lead an 18-month transition instead of following constitutional protocol after his father's death. “We call on all justice-loving Chadians to join us in this struggle to stop our dear republic from becoming a monarchy,” the statement said.
Source:Libya Today
April 21, 2021 10:30 UTC
In a sign of improved liquidity: Sahara bank announces unlimited cash withdrawal limit
In a sign of improved liquidity: Sahara bank announces unlimited cash withdrawal limitBy Sami Zaptia. London, 21 April 2021:In a sign of the improvement in Libya’s cash crisis, more and more banks are raising their daily and weekly cash withdrawal limits for customers. State-owned Jumhouria Bank, Libya’s largest bank, announced yesterday that it had raised its ATM withdrawal limits to LD 400 per day, 1,200 dinars per week, and 2,000 per month. Sahara Bank, however, announced that unlimited cash will be available in all its branches. On 18 April, the CBL granted banks a LD 5 billion loan to help ease the bank clearance process and the country’s bank liquidity crisis.
Source:Libya Herald
April 21, 2021 09:45 UTC
US embassy provides support to more than 600 females in Libya
The United States Embassy in Libya announced the provision of support to more than 600 women and girls during the month of February past. The US embassy in Libya stated on its official Facebook page that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) humanitarian aid office has partnered with the International Medical Corps to ensure that women and girls have full access to important safety information about the Coronavirus pandemic, along with gender-based violence during these pivotal times. It added that during the month of February alone, in excess of 5,300 text messages, along with more than 830 informational brochures, pamphlets and posters were distributed with the International Medical Corps providing personal skills training, psychosocial support sessions and many other forms of support activities to approximately 600 females across the country.
Source:Libya Observer
April 20, 2021 20:15 UTC
Sanallah reviews expanding cooperation with French TOTAL
The Chairman of the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC), Mustafa Sanallah, discussed Tuesday in Tripoli with the Chief Executive Officer of French oil company TOTAL, Patrick Pouyanné and his accompanied delegation, strengthening the bilateral relationships and expanding the scope of mutual cooperation between the two sides. The two sides discussed the needs of the two companies, Al Waha and Mabrouk, for the purpose of increasing production rates according to short, medium and long-term plans, as well as introducing renewable energy technology (solar energy) in the systems of the Waha Oil Company. The NOC said in a statement that Social initiatives programs in the company's operations areas were addressed as well, as TOTAL CEO promised to make more contributions, on top of which is the contribution to financing the World Health Organization’s proposal submitted to the National Oil Corporation regarding the provision of medicines and treatment for a segment of children from oncology patients in Libya. The National Oil Corporation said it "seeks to achieve these vital goals with its partner TOTAL, in order to advance the Libyan oil sector, which is the main and only supporter of the national economy."
Source:Libya Observer
April 20, 2021 15:33 UTC
UN, EU and others push ahead with Libya ceasefire monitors
The UN, the European Union and others on Tuesday voiced support for the sending of ceasefire monitors to Libya and called for the swift exit of foreign forces from the North African oil exporter. A statement from the Libya Quartet, a grouping of the UN, EU, the Arab League and the African Union, backed sending the monitors as well as efforts towards holding national elections in Libya in December. Mr Borrell wrote on Twitter that the group would “do everything possible to strengthen the current positive momentum” in Libya. Important meeting of the Libya Quartet today: Excellent to resume co-ordination between the 4 organisations (UN, AU, LAS and EU) at this crucial juncture for Libya. The country was then divided in 2014 between an internationally recognised government in Tripoli and a rival administration in the west, each backed by various local militias and foreign forces from Turkey, Russia, Egypt and elsewhere.
Source:Libya Today
April 20, 2021 15:20 UTC
Oil hits $68 on Libya force majeure despite pandemic surge
Libya declared force majeure on exports from the port of Hariga and said it could extend the measure to other facilities, citing a budget dispute. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained 17 cents, or 0.3%, to $63.55. Worldwide coronavirus cases have exceeded 142.16 million and a surge in infections in India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer, has dampened optimism for a sustained demand recovery. Hong Kong will suspend flights from India, Pakistan and the Philippines from April 20 for two weeks. Oil was underpinned by a weak U.S. dollar, which makes oil cheaper for buyers using other currencies.
Source:Libya Today
April 20, 2021 15:00 UTC
Audit Bureau to review contracting procedures of controversial ECTN
Audit Bureau to review contracting procedures of controversial ECTNBy Sami Zaptia. London, 20 April 2021:The Audit Bureau announced yesterday that it is to review the contracting procedures of the Electronic Cargo Tracking Network (ECTN) system. The announcement by the Audit Bureau yesterday came after a meeting yesterday between the new Finance Minister, Khaled Abdullah, and Audit Bureau head, Khaled Shakshak. On the issue of the ECTN, the Audit Bureau reported that the meeting, which was held at the Bureau’s Tripoli’s headquarters, dealt with ‘‘the new procedures related to the electronic tracking system. It also continues despite the Audit Bureau instigating an investigation into the controversial contract for the ECTN service with Turkish company SCK.
Source:Libya Herald
April 20, 2021 14:15 UTC
Oil futures end lower on India’s weaker demand prospects, news on anti-OPEC bill
Oil futures ended lower on Tuesday as record cases of COVID-19 in India dimmed the outlook for the nation’s economy and energy demand. Still, oil got hit with a “triple whammy of bearish news,” Phil Flynn, senior market analyst at The Price Futures Group, told MarketWatch. Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of a negative price close for the front-month WTI crude futures contract. On April 20, 2020, the soon-to-expire May WTI crude dropped 306%, or $55.90, to settle at negative $37.63. The disruption could see the country’s output fall by 280,000 barrels a day, taking it below 1 million barrels a day for the first time since October, he said.
Source:Libya Today
April 20, 2021 12:10 UTC
Military: Chadian president killed after 30 years in power
Edouard Takadji and Krista LarsonAssociated PressN'DJAMENA, Chad — Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno, who ruled the central African nation for more than three decades, died Tuesday of wounds suffered on the battlefield during a fight against rebels, the military announced on national television and radio. The circumstances of Deby's death could not immediately be independently confirmed due to the remote location of the fighting. The military said Deby had taken "the heroic lead in combat operations against terrorists who had come from Libya." The Chadian military had only acknowledged five deaths in weekend fighting in which it said it had killed 300 rebels. Deby's son, Mahamat, has served as a top commander for Chadian forces taking part in that effort.
Source:Libya Today
April 20, 2021 11:42 UTC
President of Chad Is Killed as Soldiers Clash With Rebels
NDJAMENA, Chad — Gunshots rang out in the capital of Chad Monday night into early Tuesday morning as supporters of the president, Idriss Déby, fired in the air celebrating the announcement that after three decades of iron-fisted rule, he had just won a sixth term. Meanwhile, Mr. Déby was dying on a battlefield north of the capital, Ndjamena, of wounds sustained while fighting rebels trying to overthrow his government, his military generals said. His death was announced on Tuesday. Chad is a desert nation three times the size of California, surrounded on all sides by countries facing serious instability, like Libya, to the north, and Nigeria to the south. Its military forces have been key to both the war in the Sahel, a vast stretch of territory to the south of the Sahara, and the fight against Boko Haram and its splinter groups in the Lake Chad region.
Source:Libya Today
April 20, 2021 11:31 UTC
Egypt's PM, 11 ministers head to Libya for talks on cooperation issues
CAIRO - 20 April 2020: Egypt's PM, 11 ministers head to Libya to discuss cooperation issuesPrime Minister Mostafa Madbouli headed for Tripoli, Libya, on Tuesday leading a delegation comprising 11 ministers, head of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), and several representatives of bodies concerned and investors. The delegation groups the ministers of electricity and renewable energy, oil and mineral wealth, manpower, education, international cooperation, health, information technology and communication, housing, transport, civil aviation, and trade and industry. The Egyptian premier is expected to meet with the Head of the Libyan Unity Government Abdul Hamid al-Dbaiba for talks on a set of issues and files of mutual concern along with means of boosting cooperation in all fields. In March, it was reported that Libyan Presidential Council Head Mohammad Younes Menfi reached an agreement with Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Sisi on the reopening of the Egyptian embassy in Tripoli, which was closed more than six years ago due to disagreements between Cairo and the former government in western Libya.
Source:Libya Today
April 20, 2021 11:26 UTC
Chad President Idriss Deby killed on frontline, son to take over
Chad’s President Idriss Deby, who ruled his country for more than 30 years and was an important Western ally in the fight against Islamist militants in Africa, has been killed on the frontline against rebels in the north. Deby's son, Mahamat Kaka, was named interim president by a transitional council of military officers, spokesman Azem Bermendao Agouna said in a broadcast on state television. Deby, 68, came to power in a rebellion in 1990 and was one of Africa's longest-ruling leaders, surviving numerous coup attempts and rebellions. LOVED THE FRONTLINEDéby had joined the army in the 1970s when Chad was going through a long-running civil war. A senior regional diplomat told Reuters: "We understand from our sources that he was indeed on or near the frontline.
Source:Libya Today
April 20, 2021 10:51 UTC