At least 90 migrants who were returned to Libya after being rescued at sea while attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe were disembarking in Misrata on Wednesday after spending two nights on board, the U.N. migration agency said.
The migrants were rescued by a commercial ship flying under a Portuguese flag and were taken back to Libya, which is not regarded as a safe port, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Libya chief Federico Soda said.
Italy, one of the main destinations for migrants departing from Libya, last month declared its ports unsafe for migrants because of the coronavirus outbreak there.
Libya’s cumulative losses from the current oil blockade imposed by forces allied to Khalifa Haftar since January 19 have neared $5 billion, National Oil Corporation (NOC) said in a statement on Thursday.
State-run NOC the cumulative losses as a result of the current blockades amounted to 4,943,976,768 USDWhich is impossible to compensate from the reserves, worth mentioned, the current status is considered very harmful to the economic future of the country, as this amount could cover part of the state’s expenses such as salaries, fuel subsidies, or the crisis of the Corona pandemic or other crisis, bearing in mind that this pandemic has consumed large oil states that already have a strong economy
The blockade caused an unprecedented decline in oil exports, and the country’s revenues are not enough to cover 10% of the salaries.
Moreover, the blockade resulted in severe damage to surface facilities, also oil migration from some reservoirs, and corrosion of crude transport lines.
“More than 800 leakage cases were detected, causing a lot of money and effort to repair, and the oil sector is still suffering from these effects daily, and it takes a long time for the National Oil Corporation to be able to raise production to satisfying levels,” NOC stated.
German chancellor urges warring sides to return to negotiating table for political solution
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday renewed her call for a cease-fire in Libya to resume political talks for a settlement in the war-torn country.
Delivering a speech on foreign policy at Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Merkel underlined that Africa and developments in Libya would remain important topics for Berlin, during its six-month EU presidency starting July.
“Developments in Libya in recent weeks have shown that there is a chance for stability in the country only if the parties obey the cease-fire plan brokered by the UN and return to the negotiating table,” she stressed.
In a statement on Wednesday, Sabha municipality announced a 24–hour curfewapplying to all citizens starting from Thursday, May 28, and lasting for 7 days as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the pandemic.
As stated by the National Center for Disease Control, the total number of infected people with the coronavirus in the country has reached 99 cases, as 40 patients recovered and four died.
Recently, after the Libyan authorities required the new regulations on all borders as a preventative measure in combating coronavirus, Libyan citizens who are held in quarantine abroad started to arrive in the country earlier this month.
With 20 more people contracting coronavirus in Libya, the tally of cases rose to 99 in the country, according to health authorities.
The Libyan National Center for Disease Control said in a statement on Wednesday evening that among new infections were 17 cases recorded in the southwestern city of Sabha.
Four patients have lost their lives to the virus, while 40 others have recovered so far in the country, according to the statement.
Medical shipment on a plane arriving from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol landed at Misrata International Airport carrying medical equipment to assist in countering the Coronavirus pandemic.
The shipment contained White Isolation Coverall, Face Shields, PVC Goggles, as well as Disposable Mask EO.
It will be reminded that the Ministry of Health announced on May 6, the arrival of a medical shipment on a plane from the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, landing at Misrata International Airport.
The shipment contained medical equipment to assist in countering the Coronavirus pandemic and consisted of 13 ‘GeneXper’ devices which are used in performing the ‘Cepheid Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2’ test.
Military contractors posing as private security guards left Malta for Libya for a covert operation that never ended up taking place, a senior government source has said.
A source involved in monitoring Malta’s compliance with international law said that the covert operation last June is believed to have been commissioned by Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, who sought to use private military firms as part of his efforts to take the Libyan capital of Tripoli.
Times of Malta reported that Malta-based companies were being scrutinised by authorities on the suspicion of having transported arms and perhaps even private military contractors into Libya during the war, using Malta as a departure point.
According to the report, six helicopters were also flown in from Botswana using falsified papers. The rest of the military team were from South Africa, Britain, Australia and the United States.
Times of Malta‘s government source, and another also privy to the details, confirmed that the Maltese authorities had the same information and had been collaborating with international partners on the matter for several months.
The company had once partnered with infamous former US private militia operator Erik Prince, in a venture that was reportedly set to produce and sell ammunition.
The internationally recognized Libyan government based in Tripoli extended the current 6pm to 6am curfew for another 10 days starting from May 28, 2020.
The National Center for Disease Control of Libya on Wednesday announced two new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 79.
There are 40 recoveries and 4 deaths so far, according to the latest updates.
Libya’s Coronavirus/Covid-19 cases are up to 77 cases and 40 recoveries, with still only three deaths, the country’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported.
The country has been in a 24-hour lockdown over the three-day holiday which is observed more in Tripoli than in outlying areas, locals report. In accordance with WHO advice, the NCDC has increased wider testing – totalling today 5,321 – to get a better feel of the spread of the pandemic, rather than awaiting suspected cases to turn up at hospitals.
The NCDC also reported that a total of 1,965 Libyans were repatriated across the Libyan-Tunisian land border over the last 8 days. It stressed they had all undergone quarantine and testing prior to being allowed back home
