Magnum Opus: the real secret soldiers of Benghazi
It had been leased to Lodge, a representative of the UAE firm Opus Capital Asset, at €240,000 for each boat for a 90-day period. Key management personnelAmanda Kate Perry is the managing director of Lancaster6 DMCC, as well as Opus Capital Asset (BVI) and Opus Capital Assets DMCC. Lodge, as a representative of Opus Capital Assets DMCC also appeared on the BIMCO contract with Sovereign Charterers in June 2019. Finally, Opus Capital Asset Limited (BVI) is a director/shareholder in Vital Corporate Solutions (BVI). That transaction was settled from an Opus Capital Asset FZE bank account.
Source:Libya Today
June 02, 2020 11:10 UTC
Russia Expands Its Presence in Libya
In doing so, Russia is cementing itself as an immovable pillar in Libya. Russia’s decision to send its air force into Libya is an attempt to do the same in Libya. However, because of Russia’s power in Libya, the only way Europe will rid Libya of Russian influence is through an agreement. As the situation stands in Libya, Iran has thrown its support behind the local Islamic militias in Tripoli and Misrata. Given Russia’s current military presence in Libya, as a result of a temporary alliance or agreement, Russia must turn a blind eye to Germany’s conquest.
Source:Libya Today
June 02, 2020 11:05 UTC
WHO sends medical supplies to prevent the spread of Coronavirus in Sabha
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday that it had sent, in coordination with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), personal protective equipment for use against the Coronavirus pandemic, along with disinfectants and other medical equipment to Sabha to assist in tackling the rapid spread of the virus. The WHO office in Libya, explained on its official Facebook page, that the supplies should be sufficient to cover the needs of approximately 8,000 patients, expressing its gratitude to China and the British Department for International Development, for what it described as the generous support provided. The present count from the COVID-19 pandemic in the country has risen to 168 cases, 52 of which have achieved recovery, with a fatality rate of five to date.
Source:Libya Observer
June 02, 2020 08:26 UTC
We are witnessing a colossal failure to care for migrants in Libya
The vast majority of migrants in Libya live in neighbourhoods of the country's cities, such as Darha in central Tripoli. Today the situation is even worse, further exposing the flaws of international aid agencies helping Libya’s migrants. While we do not condone the arbitrary detention of migrants and refugees, we also have to acknowledge the reality on the ground. The vast majority of migrants, including those who were released or escaped from detention centres in recent months, live in Libya’s main cities. At the very least, we must make the protection of migrants and refugees trapped in Libya an international priority.
Source:Libya Today
June 02, 2020 07:52 UTC
Libya mercenaries: UN Panel sceptical Fenech did not know RHIBs had military use
Fenech is charged in a Maltese court for breaching EU sanctions against Libya, by exporting the RHIBs without an appropriate export licence. But the Dubai firm has turned out to be a front for the Emirates’ support of Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army, which together with another private military contractor, Lancaster 6, hatched a plan to supply Haftar with military helicopters. The Panel also insisted that Fenech’s were military equipment under UN resolutions on Libya. The Panel said Fenech was in technical non-compliance with resolution 1970 (2011) for the provision and transfer of military equipment to a private military company supporting an armed group in Libya. Fenech also told the Panel that one of his RHIBs was lost at sea after hitting a rock during the evacuation procedures.
Source:Libya Today
June 02, 2020 06:11 UTC
Illegal floating prisons | Carla Camilleri
Illegal floating prisons | Carla CamilleriWe need to ask ourselves why Malta still operates migration through management-by-crisis, without long-term vision or contingency plans for emergencies and instead chooses to use human lives as pawns in a bid to find a solution to a global crisis
Source:Libya Today
June 02, 2020 05:37 UTC
Malta fiddles on migrants, as Libya burns
Malta's new prime minister was recently in war-torn Tripoli to strike deals on migrants, as Libya continues to fall apart. The migrant deal appears to be limited to opening two "coordination" offices, one in Malta and one in Libya, with Malta declining to give more details. It comes as Maltese prime minister Robert Abela wrestles with a series of accusations on how his navy mistreated migrant boats in recent weeks. Malta, a micro-state of less than half a million people, already hosts about 50,000 migrants and wants more EU solidarity. The Libya war was complicated further when Turkey sent troops and drones to fight on al-Sarraj's side this year.
Source:Libya Today
June 02, 2020 05:15 UTC
Turkey’s Kurds demand spending probe, end to military ops in Libya, Syria
JEDDAH: Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has called for an “immediate” end to the country’s military spending and armed presence in Libya and Syria. Tulay Hatimogullari, the HDP’s lawmaker from the southern province of Adana, submitted a parliamentary inquiry to Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu questioning the financial impact of Turkey’s military campaign in Libya on the national budget. The lawmaker asked for the total amount of Turkey’s military expenditure in Libya to be revealed including money allocated to the Government of National Accord and local groups collaborating with it. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan admitted for the first time in February that his government had sent Syrian mercenaries to Libya. There are also people from the Syrian National Army,” he told media in Istanbul.
Source:Libya Today
June 01, 2020 23:03 UTC
Turkey’s Libya gas moves could upset Egypt, say experts
CAIRO: Turkey will start exploring Libya’s coast for gas within three months, the country’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez said, with experts saying the move will create tension with Egypt. A dispute has been ongoing for several years between Turkey and Greece, Cyprus and Egypt regarding the ownership of natural resources in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Turkish Petroleum Company has submitted an application to Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) for permission to excavate in the Eastern Mediterranean. Ankara also wants to seize the value of compensation of suspended projects in Libya, estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars. Despite the excavations carried out by Ankara, the region's marine areas have no gas or oil fields.
Source:Libya Today
June 01, 2020 20:32 UTC
PM non-committal on what happens to migrants on ship detentions
Prime Minister Robert Abela has said he is hopeful a solution is found for migrants stuck at sea by the time ports reopen. “We will not give up on finding a solution for these migrants,” Abela said. In light of his announcement, that the airport and ports will be reopening, Abela was asked whether migrants moored outside territorial waters will be allowed to disembark in Malta. Four tourist boats have been chartered by the government to host 425 migrants. READ ALSO: Army rescues 75 migrants, fourth tourist boat chartered to host them outside Maltese waters
Source:Libya Today
June 01, 2020 19:18 UTC
Haftar's forces carry out attacks on Gharyan, retake Al-Asaba town
Khalifa Haftar's forces have conducted attacks under a drone cover on Ghout Al-Reeh town between Gharyan and Al-Urban, which is one of Haftar's latest footholds in western Libya. A convoy of about 70 military vehicles headed to Ghout Al-Reeh from which the Government of National Accord forces withdrew after UAE drone strikes, said sources from Al-Urban town, adding that Haftar's forces then advanced on Al-Asaba and entered without fighting. Meanwhile, the spokesman for Gharyan Protection Force Motaz Shanbar told Libya Alahrar TV that Haftar's attack on Gharyan was facilitated by UAE drones, saying GNA forces pulled out from Al-Asaba town to Kikla. A commander at the Volcano of Rage Operation said the attacks of Haftar's forces at this time aims to pull out forces laying siege to Tripoli International Airport and Qasir Benghashir and send them far from south Tripoli, adding that Haftar's forces aim to reinforce their defense lines in those frontlines as they are about to collapse. The source said the forces sent to Al-Asaba town haven't been withdrawn from southern Tripoli frontlines but are army units in Gharyan and Al-Zawiya.
Source:Libya Observer
June 01, 2020 17:37 UTC
Civilian Forces Movement rejects dialogue with Haftar
The Civilian Forces Movement in Libya has reiterated that dialogue with warlord Haftar is something from the past. The movement said in a statement that their position is definite on the rejection of a place for Haftar in any military, political or economic dialogue, noting that his only true place will be in a court of law, to try him for war crimes and his crimes against the Libyan people. This statement came in response to a statement issued by the German Foreign Ministry, in which it said that it had received proposals from Haftar relating to his willingness to take part in fresh dialogue. The movement urged the Libyan legislative, executive and political authorities not to negotiate with Haftar, hoping that any future dialogue will only involve of the actors in the eastern region who reject the military rule.
Source:Libya Observer
June 01, 2020 14:37 UTC
Libya condemns killing of 26 Bangladeshis
Libya has condemned the killings of 26 Bangladeshis by Libyan human traffickers in Mizdah and said it would bring the killers to book. In a condolence message to Bangladesh, Libya's foreign ministry today said the killings were an act of cowardice and the perpetrators would be tried for it. The Libyan foreign ministry also expressed deep sympathy to the families of the bereaved, saying it would keep them updated on the investigations and the subsequent trial. The 26 Bangladeshis were killed and 11 others injured when human traffickers opened fire on a group of migrants they were taking from Benghazi to Tripoli. Libya now is now locked in a civil war between warlord Haftar-led forces and the UN-backed government that's now controlling Tripoli, the capital of Libya.
Source:Libya Today
June 01, 2020 12:00 UTC
LNA recovers Alasabaa town western Tripoli from militias
FILE - LNA spokesperson Ahmed Al-Mesmari- Press photoLibyan Army eliminates Turkish-backed militia head Murad Al-Azizi CAIRO - 30 May 2020: The Military Information Division, affiliated with the Libyan Army, has announced the killing of the Turkish-backed Murad Abu Hamoud Al-Azizi, a Syrian mercenary squad leader, at the axis of the Airport Road in the capital, Tripoli. CAIRO – 1 June 2020: The Libyan National Army (LNA) announced on Monday the restoration of Alasabaa town western Tripoli from militias affiliated to the Government of National Accord (GNA) which had taken over the town on May 21.LNA Spokesperson Ahmed al-Mesmary stated that the Libyan Armed Forces were able to impose control over the town after a raid launched by the Air Force against militias' concentrations on the Western Mountain.The LNA declared on Sunday the killing of three field commanders of the militias protecting the Government of National Accord (GNA) southern Tripoli in clashes.On May 29, Commander of LNA's Western District Mabrouk al-Ghazwi announced the death of 60 and the injury of 100 militants as they attempted to attack concentrations of the Libyan Armed Forces southern Tripoli.The commander stated that at least 1,500 Syrian mercenaries were involved in the attack according to the confessions of a captive.On May 25, the Libyan Air Force struck for the first time in 2 months Mitiga Airbase used by Turkey to pilot drones that target LNA forces. The strikes also targeted a Turkish air defense system at the base.Mesmary said that 100 militants were killed on May 23 in the fighting that resulted in the restoration of Tripoli's Yarmouk Military Camp by the Libyan Armed Forces from militias.In addition, 27 militants were killed in a repelled attack on LNA-held Tarhouna city southern Tripoli.Tripoli militias took over Oqba Bin Nafea Airbase located in Al Watiyah area western Libya from the LNA on Monday.In April, LNA Spokesperson Ahmed al-Mesmary stated that the militias had been attempting to take over the airbase as it can be the substitute of Mitiga Airbase if taken over by the Libyan Armed Forces that lie few kilometers from it.In the same month, the LNA downed 60 Turkish drones piloted from Mitiga Airbase. In December, the Government of National Accord (GNA) and Turkey signed two MoUs on defense and gas drilling in the Mediterranean.As a consequence, Turkey brought into Libya 15,000 Syrian mercenaries to fight in the ranks of militias protecting the Tripoli-based GNA, which is an interim non-elected government that is recognized by the United Nations.Turkey also brought Turkish 1,500 military experts and officers to command the operations rooms of militias, which have been controlling only Tripoli and Misrata since the LNA restored Sirte in January.Fighting has been ongoing as the LNA has been encircling both cities and advancing in their suburbs while militias have been targeting its concentrations.
Source:Libya Today
June 01, 2020 11:26 UTC
Turkey and Russia are at war, and Libya’s the loser
But the fighting is not simply a domestic issue — Libya’s civil war has become a proxy for regional and global power geopolitics. The Tripoli government is supported strongly by Turkey, while Haftar’s coalition is backed by Russia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, France and a smattering of other nations operating clandestinely. Turkey has been particularly engaged, throwing its support behind the Tripoli government. But Turkey and Russia, motivated by oil wealth and regional leverage, never reached a deal. Losing a brutal dictator only to fall into a decade of war has been a sad outcome for the 6 million Libyans.
Source:Libya Today
June 01, 2020 09:56 UTC