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UN Report: Libya arms embargo “totally ineffective”

Written by LS on . Posted in News. No Comments on UN Report: Libya arms embargo “totally ineffective”

The confict in Libya continued in 2020, fuelled by external powers that channelled money and weapons to factions inside the country. The country’s porous borders, especially in the south, allowed the smuggling of migrants, foreign fghters and weapons to continue unabated.

A United Nations report slammed multiple countries for flagrantly violating a global arms embargo by funneling weapons to warring sides in Libya, as the Biden administration promised a stepped-up diplomatic campaign aimed at stabilizing the country a decade after the Arab Spring.

In a 550-page report made public Tuesday, a U.N.-appointed panel of experts documented scores of shipments of illicit items, including drones and transport aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, artillery pieces and armored vehicles, as well as the deployment of mercenaries to Libya’s two chief factions by Russia, Turkey, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and others.

“For those member states directly supporting the parties to the conflict, the violations are extensive, blatant and with complete disregard for the sanctions measures,” the group of independent experts, who report to the U.N. Security Council, stated in the report. “The arms embargo remains totally ineffective.”

Libyans ousted a dictator, but an ensuing civil war has drawn in Russia, Turkey and others with a thirst for control

The report, which covers the period from October 2019 through late January 2021, also details some of the myriad other problems that have destabilized Libya in the years since the Western-backed uprising against dictator Moammar Gaddafi in 2011, from armed attacks on airports and oil facilities to targeted assassinations and abuse of migrants seeking to emigrate to Europe.

– Bribes for power –

The experts estimate that up to 2,000 Wagner mercenaries have been deployed in Libya.

“Notwithstanding the ceasefire agreement of 25 October 2020, there have been no indications of any withdrawal from Libya by ChVK Wagner,” they wrote.

Another private Russian company, Rossiskie System Bezopasnosti Group, is cited for its role in refurbishing fighter jets; while the Turkish military contractor SADAT, which has denied any illegal activity in Libya, is also on the list of those incriminated.

The experts reached an identical conclusion when it came to economic sanctions leveled at individuals or entities, citing a “persistent lack of transparency.”

“Implementation of the assets freeze and travel ban measures with regard to designated individuals remains ineffective,” they wrote.

They also say that officials in Libya’s east “have continued their efforts to illicitly export crude oil and to import aviation fuel.”

Refined petroleum products continue to be illicitly exported by land, the report said, adding that while the activity is small it has increase compared to previous years, particularly in western Libya.

The UN experts recommended that the Security Council impose “flag deregistration; a landing ban; and an overflight ban” on aircraft identified as having violated the embargo.

They also asked it to “authorize member States to inspect, on the high seas off the coast of Libya, vessels… that they have reasonable grounds to believe are illicitly exporting or attempting to export crude oil or refined petroleum products.”

The report also said at least three participants in UN-led peace talks held in Tunisia in November were offered bribes to vote for a prime ministerial candidate.

Interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah was selected last month during Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) talks in Tunis.

“The forum participants involved in the incident were categorical in their rejection of the bribes,” the report stated.

A confidential annex seen by AFP states that two forum members “offered bribes of between $150,000 to $200,000 to at least three LPDF participants if they committed to vote for Dbeibah as PM.”

Libya’s parliament last week approved a unity government headed by Dbeibah, who was sworn in Monday.

Full Report: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/who_libya_annual_report_2020.pdf

Libyan Researcher at the World Bank Lists the New Government’s priorities

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Mohamed al-Safi, researcher at The World Bank, said during a televised interview for Libyan WTV channel and Tabadul Platform that 5 points represent the priorities of the new government, namely:

  1. The macroeconomic stability 
  2.  Service improvement; considering that health-care services, education services, and electricity services are very fragile
  3. The political stability; which is not confined to the Government’s functions. It can even play a facilitating role in dealing with all the existing bodies in Libya to achieve the minimum level of political stability and reach the elections scheduled by the end of the year.
  4. The implementation of national projects, including urban planning, social protection policies, and the Covid-19 vaccination campaign.
  5. The stabilization of the security situation, in cooperation with the Presidential Council (PC) and the House of Representatives (HoR).


                
                
            

        
        
        
        
        
    




                




    
    
    
    

        
            

            
                            



                    

    
        
    
        
        
Leaked document states “the main coastal road to reopen soon”

                            

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Tabadul has obtained a leaked document revealing that the Libyan (5+5) Joint Military Commission decided to officially reopen the coastal road.





The document states that the 5 +5 committee will hold a meeting as soon as possible to disclose an official date for the reopening of the coastal road within two weeks.





The commission also met with the UN deployed ceasefire monitors this week to discuss progress on the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement, primarily the departure of foreign forces from Libyan lands.






                
                
            

        
        
        
        
        
    




                




    
    
    
    

        
            

            
                            



                    

    
        
    
        
        
Libya: Ministry of Finance launches salary app

                            

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The Ministry of Finance launched on Monday a new application named 260 “Libya salaries” in order to help public employees check their monthly salary movements and link them directly with the committee for rationalizing the salaries.





The new applicartion is now available for Android users and on the ministry’s official website and will soon be on the IOS.

                
                
            

        
        
        
        
        
    




                




                




    
    
    
    

        
            

            
                            



                    

    
        
    
        
        
Libya records 1,041 new coronavirus infections, 4 deaths in 24 hours

                            

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Libya’s National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) announced the registration of 1,041 new coronavirus infections after the testing of 5,505 samples on Monday.





In it’s daily bulletin released on Tuesday, the center also noted that there were 1071 recoveries from the virus and 4 deaths.





This brings the total number of infections in Libya to 147,121  cases, of which 10,947 are active, with a total of 2,406  deaths since the outbreak began in the country last March

                
                
            

        
        
        
        
        
    




                




    
    
    
    

        
            

            
                            



                    

    
        
    
        
        
Tunisia’s Saied to visit Libya Wednesday

                            

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Tunisia’s President Kais Saied is to travel to Libya Wednesday for the first visit by a head of state between the neighbouring countries since 2012, his office announced, in a boost for its new UN-backed administration.





Saied’s visit aims to show “Tunisia’s support for the democratic process in Libya” following the swearing in on Monday of new interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah on a pledge to reunite the divided country and lead it to December elections, the president’s office said.






                
                
            

        
        
        
        
        
    




                




    
    
    
    

        
            

            
                            



                    

    
        
    
        
        
Non-oil exports conference kicks off in Tripoli

                            

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 The second scientific conference for non-oil exports, which is regulated and supervised  by Libya’s Tripoli Ministry of Economy and Industry along with the Libyan Export Promotion Centre (LEPC), kicked off in Tripoli on Tuesday, under the slogan ‘‘Libyan non-oil exports – reality and future aspirations’’.





Tabadul is the media sponsor of this conference, which hosts a large number of professors, researchers, exporters and businessmen.





During the conference, the attendees will discuss research papers on non-oil exports, highlight Libya’s success stories in this field, and review the state’s efforts to help exporters.





The conference aims to boost the private sector’s role in ordre to alternate sources of national income, reduce the state’s dependence on oil, and increase the contribution of other sectors in such a way as to enable Libyan exports to compete in global markets.





It will be reminded that the event will be held from 16-17 March.

                
                
            

        
        
        
        
        
    




                




    
    
    
    

        
            

            
                            



                    

    
        
    
        
        
S&P Global Platts: Libya forms new oil ministry as NOC eyes releasing revenues

                            

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According to S&P Global Platts, Libya’s state-run National Oil Corporation is poised to release oil revenues to the central bank after the interim Government of Unity (GNU) was sworn in on March 15, creating a new oil ministry.





In their report, S&P said that, last year, the NOC started using the Libyan Foreign Bank in Tripoli to hold oil revenues instead of paying funds directly to the government amid political uncertainty.





“This is in line with the temporary arrangements in force that ended with the formation of the government of national unity,” NOC said in a statement over the weekend.





The GNU has also appointed a new Ministry of Oil and Gas, which will be led by Libya’s former OPEC governor Mohamed Oun. NOC’s chairman Mustafa Sanalla said he is looking forward to working with the ministry in “expanding the capabilities of the Libyan oil resources.”





S&P added that Libya produces around 1.2 million b/d of mainly light-sweet crude grades such as Es Sider, Sharara and Brega. It’s main export markets are in southern Europe and China. The producer — which holds Africa’s largest reserves — is excluded from quotas limiting production by OPEC.





NOC and the Central Bank of Libya recently clashed on the distribution of oil revenues as the country’s crude output rose sharply after years of disruption. Late-last year, NOC said it would refuse to release its oil revenues to the central bank until a unity government was formed.





Sanalla had previously warned that money from crude sales would be held until the bank showed “clear transparency” on how it allocates funds.





The dispute over the distribution of oil revenues was one of the main reasons for an eight-month-long Libyan National Army (LNA) blockade of oil facilities that ended in September.





“This is a positive step toward diplomacy and reconciliation ahead of Dec. 24 elections. With all sides on board for now, we expect less volatility at the margin over the coming weeks and will likely revise up our forecast for March from 1.1 million b/d to 1.2 million b/d,” Platts Analytics said in a recent note.





NOC also said the Prime Minister Dbeibah had given “instructions” to start stockpiling liquid fuel in power plants, drinking water desalination facilities and fuel distribution stations ahead of Ramadan in April.

                
                
            

        
        
        
        
        
    




                




    
    
    
    

        
            

            
                            



                    

    
        
    
        
        
Cairo May Exempt Libyans Entering Egypt From Paying US$ 25 Fees

                            

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 Ibrahim al-Jarari, head of the Libyan-Egyptian Joint Economic Chamber, told Tabadul that several  meetings are held in Cairo to discuss the possibility of exempting Libyan citizens from paying entry fees to Egypt, which were set by the Egyptian authorities at $25, adding that he will meet the Ambassador of Egypt to Libya next Tuesday.