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Libya: demonstration against the arrest of the head of Libya’s National Anti-Corruption Commission

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Employees of Libya’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) held a demonstration in front of their Tripoli headquarters today in protest at the arrest of the entity’s head, Noaman Al-Sheikh, by the Military Prosecutor.

The protestors claim that the NACC is a civilian entity under the authority of the House of Representatives (HoR) and its staff are not arrestable by the Military Prosecutor.

They claimed that such a move will affect the NACC’s operations and effectiveness and called on parliament (HoR) to enforce its authority.

It will be reminded that the Director of the Military Prosecution Office in Tripoli, Ayoub Al-Ajili, ordered the arrest of the head of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, Noman Al-Sheikh. Al-Sheikh is charged with concealing a report issued by the Commission’s committee regarding financial abuse in the military medicine apparatus and the Ministry of Health of the Government of National Accord (GNA).

This came in a letter addressed to the Combating Organised Crime and Terrorism Organisation on Sunday.

The letter pointed out that this measure comes within the ongoing investigations of Case No. 79 of 2020, related to financial abuse in the military medical system.

Ras Al-Jedir Border To Reopen

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A high-level delegation from the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) arrived in Tunisia on Tuesday. They are due to hold talks on the re-opening of the Ras Al-Jedir border crossing between Tunisia and Libya.

In press statements, the head of the Supreme Council of Libyan-Tunisian Businessmen (SCLTB), Abdel-Hafid Al-Sakroufi, said that the delegation is headed by the undersecretaries of the GNA’s foreign and health ministries.

They are scheduled to meet their Tunisian counterparts to discuss mechanisms to reopen Ras Al-Jedir, as well as develop a joint health protocol in order to address the outbreak of COVID-19.

The issue is mainly linked to the refusal of the Libyans to be placed in a compulsory quarantine upon their arrival in Tunisia. 

Williams ‘optimistic’ on ceasefire talks

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The United Nations’ acting Libya envoy said on Wednesday she was “quite optimistic” that ongoing talks between the warring sides would lead to a lasting ceasefire, after they agreed to reopen land and air routes across front lines.

Speaking midway through week-long talks, Stephanie Williams said the sides had also agreed to maintain “the current state of calm on the front lines and avoid any military escalation”.

“That is why I continue to be very optimistic that the parties here are going to reach a more lasting and permanent ceasefire,” she told a news conference at the U.N. in Geneva.

The first flights between Tripoli and the main eastern city Benghazi would resume this week, and the sides had agreed to make progress on an exchange of detainees, Williams said.

“With regard to the issue of the full resumption of oil production, the two sides agreed to delegate the commanders of the petroleum facilities guards from the east and west to work directly with a representative appointed by the National Oil Corporation to present a recommendation for the restructuring of the Petroleum Facilities Guards which will ensure the increase and continuation of the flow of oil,” Williams added.

Operation IRINI: 52 rescue operations implemented by the Libyan Coast Guard

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Operation IRINI has stated that numerous ships have carried out 128 rescue operations, saving an estimated 9,050 migrants during the period between 1 March-31July 2020. This took place in the south-central Mediterranean region, most of them off the Libyan coast.

In its first report, Operation IRINI revealed the implementation of 52 rescue operations through the Libyan Navy and the Libyan Coast Guard. This is largely consistent with the percentage observed in 2019, with a clear increase in the number of people using this route, compared to the previous year.

45% of those who left Libya were rescued or intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard, in the search and rescue areas between Libya and Malta, and 24% by the Italian authorities. 7% were saved by the Armed Forces of Malta, 7% by NGOs, 4% by merchant ships, 3% by fishing boats, and 8% were able to reach Italy by themselves. The report indicated that NGO rescue operations have diminished, compared to 2016-2017.

Operation IRINI explained that most of those who disembarked in Libya were transferred to detention canters. Roughly 4,450 refugees and migrants were returned to Libya this year, compared to about 3,700 people during the same period of 2019. 60% of refugees and migrants rescued by the Libyan Coast Guard during the reporting period were at the Abu Sitta disembarkation point in Tripoli. A further 23% were in the main port of Tripoli.
Notably, three migrants were killed, and two others injured in an exchange of fire at the Al-Khoms disembarkation point on 27 July.

Libyan doctor dies of coronavirus

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The Ministry of Health announced the death of a doctor infected with the Coronavirus, merely two weeks after her wedding. The ministry said that Iman Al-Ghariani, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at Al-Khadra Hospital, died Wednesday in the Isolation center of the Mitiga Hospital due to infection by the Coronavirus.

Employees within the Libyan Iron and Steel Company suffer significant poor health status

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During a televised interview for Libyan WTV channel and Tabadul Platform, member of the trade union of the Libyan Iron and Steel Company, Abed Al-Samia Khadoura, stressed that the situation in the company’s factories is pitiful, explaining that the absence of dust purification systems in the factory has aggravated the situation.

Khadhoura also expressed surprise that there are documents authorizing the company to build blocks for security services and a preventive detention.

Concerning the salaries, Khadoura said that they are low in conjunction with the high cost of living.

He called on the company to spend little extra money on engineers, and to take care of the health and environmental aspects of the factories.

“The Libyan Iron and Steel Company receives 300 million dinars as state support”

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  Speaking in a televised interview with WTV channel and Tabadul Platform late on Tuesday,  the Libyan businessman specializing in Raw Materials Sources of the Iron and Steel Industry, Ahmed Bayt Al-Mal, has called upon the Audit Bureau, oversight bodies, and Fathi Bashagha to review a complex file related to a contract held for 5 years, signed between the Libyan Iron and Steel Company (LISCO)‎ and a Pakistani  Company.

While indicating that the company obtained 300 million as support from the State, Bayt Al-Mal called for introducing transparent bidding procedures within the company.

َAccording to the businessman, the Libyan Iron and Steel Company (LISCO) that was officially laid in 1979, had cost the state treasury a very high amount. For instance, the company had cost the state treasury about one billion three hundred million dinars.

He also asserted that it is one of the best integrated factories in North Africa and the largest in Libya. It is a group of factories, including steel mills, assistance units, turbines, desalination plants, power station and a port that can receive the largest ships or giant tankers carrying 150,000 tons.

As far as the pollution caused by iron and steel factories is concerned, the businessman confirmed this fact, pointing out that the factory employs about 6000 employees, which he considered a very exaggerated number.

“In case the state removes fuel subsidies, the company would go broke within 6 months considering that it consumes electricity, oil products and gas.” Bayt Al-Mal said, while criticizing the lack of transparency in disclosing the figures related to the company’s profits.

Bayt Al-Mal also revealed the import of 2 million tons of raw materials, although it was programmed to extract the raw materials from the shore.

He also announced the production of 2 million tons of molded iron and 1.5 million tons of steel.

Libya’s Abu Attifel oilfield expected to restart from Oct 24, engineers say

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Libya’s 70,000-barrels-per-day Abu Attifel oilfield is expected to begin its restart on Oct. 24 after being shut down for months, two engineers there said.

Sub-stations at the field were expected to start operating again from Monday, the engineers said, allowing pumping to resume.

The Mellitah Oil and Gas Company  added in a statement that as soon as the status of Force majeure was lifted, it has taken all necessary technical testing to ensure a successful and timely restart to pumping in order to receive crude oil in the Al-Nasr field, to then be pumped to Zuwitina port.

The World Bank issues Libya’s Economic Update — October 2020

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“The Libyan economy has recently been hit by four overlapping shocks: an intensifying conflict that suffocates economic activity, the closure of oil fields that puts the country’s major income-generating activity largely on hold, decreasing oil prices that reduce income from oil production in surviving fields, and the COVID-19 pandemic which threatens to further suppress the economy.” The World Bank said in a report issued Monday.

According to the report, the attack on Tripoli in early 2019 and the blockade of the country’s major oil ports and terminals in January 2020 generated the most serious political, economic, and humanitarian crisis faced by Libya since 2011.

The economic impact was already felt in 2019 as real GDP growth slowed sharply to 2.5%, down from what seemed a promising steady recovery during 2017–18, with a record growth performance of 20.8% on average. As military confrontations escalated, oil production decreased from 1.2 million bpd in December 2019 bpd to 0.1 million bpd in April 2020, choking the lifeline of the economy.

In the absence of significant improvements on the ground, the economic downturn will deepen. If the inability, or severely limited capacity, to produce and export oil might well prevail over the rest of 2020 despite the recent efforts to restart the production, Libya is expected to produce a daily average of only 0.17 million barrels in 2020, which is less than one seventh of last year’s production.

As a result, GDP is expected to shrink by 41% this year. The adopted budget for 2020 partially reflects this dire situation, with a large forecasted deficit, the highest in recent years. Likewise, the current account is expected to run astronomic deficits in 2020. Consequently, reserves will be further declining this year.

Download Libya report: English