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The cities of Istanbul and Ankara have recently been congested by an intense flow of diplomatic traffic. Last week's visit by the EU leaders, which was undermined by the "sofa gate" crisis, and the visit of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who is once more facing a major battle with Russia in the region's hottest conflict zone, are just a few of the most recent visitors.

At the beginning of the week, Ankara hosted another very important guest. Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the Prime Minister of Libyan National Unity Government, and 14 ministers accompanying him were received in Ankara by President Recep Tayyip Erdoan. This visit, which is considered a historic moment, was a nod to the bilateral relations, the outcomes of the limited maritime jurisdiction agreement signed in November 2019 and the cease-fire reached in the country last year.

After the war that broke out in 2011, Turkey supported the national reconciliation government, which has international legitimacy representing the Libyans, the country's true proprietors, but it became a deterrent force in the country, both diplomatically and militarily, in the face of the illegitimate putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar and his supporters. Turkey also exerted great efforts on the field and at the negotiating table to secure the cease-fire.

Evidently, Turkey did not do this only for geopolitical gains and underlined at every point along the way that its actions were motivated by the centuries of cultural, historical and social common ground shared between the two nations. In fact, the nature of the relationship between the people of the two countries is first and foremost fraternal.

On the other hand, it seems that this fraternal bond is difficult to understand for countries like Italy, France, Russia, Greece and the United States, which have had one-sided relationships with Libya for many years. Representatives of these countries have intensified shuttle diplomacy to Libya for months and now seek to take the lion's share of Libya's potential. This is made evident by the fact that the prime ministers of Malta, Greece and Italy have all repeatedly knocked on Libya's door in recent weeks. All parties are interested in signing a deal similar to the one Libya struck with Turkey which allows it concessions. But despite these efforts, they have all returned empty-handed so far, having not managed to ink a similar maritime authorization agreement.

In this sense, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi's insulting statements against Turkey and President Erdoan, while Dbeibah was in Ankara, should not come as a surprise at this point.

However, Draghi is not the only one who wants to overshadow Dbeibah's visit to Turkey as Greece goes to great lengths to sabotage Turkey. Greece, which has recently been making efforts to normalize diplomatic relations with Libya, wants Tripoli to ditch the maritime jurisdictions agreement with Ankara for a similar deal with Athens.

After Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' latest visit to Libya, the Libyan Presidential Council spokesperson revealed that Athens proposed the two nations come to a compromise.

As it will be remembered, Muhammad Menfi, who is now the president of the Libyan Presidential Council, was declared persona non grata by Athens because he did not reject this agreement with Turkey when he was ambassador in Greece. In Athens, where his hand was strengthened last week, Menfi reminded Mitsotakis that under the Geneva Agreement, the Presidential Council could not conclude any international agreements, underlining that it is under the authority of the Libyas legitimate administration, the Government of the National Accord (GNA).

Now Libya and Turkey have a lot to get done in order for the former to recover and prosper. During Dbeibahs visit, the joint determination of the two countries was emphasized in the talks between leaders, ministers and delegations. Deals for projects in a wide range of sectors were signed, from energy, technology and defense to construction, media, informatics and health. The fact that Turkey sent 150,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Libya during this pandemic was a small but meaningful symbol of the brotherhood between the two countries.

On the other hand, given the fact that Hafter and his supporters are still active in Libya, forces loyal to the putschist could use asymmetric methods to overshadow the cooperation between Turkey and Libya, something both Ankara and Tripoli are aware of. Hafter is still provided with weapons, ammunition and mercenary support by Russia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt, while France, Italy and Greece as a trio continue to put diplomatic pressure on the country.

Meanwhile, another important development for Ankara that impacts relations within both players in the Eastern Mediterranean and Libya is that resuming diplomatic relations with Egypt. Foreign Minister Mevlt Cavuolu spoke with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry on the phone over the weekend after a three-year break.

avuolu also told the media during the week that mutual visits with Egypt would take place in May, as the two countries enter a new era. He added that the talks will begin at the primary level between the deputy ministers of the two countries and noted that the nations may appoint respective ambassadors in time.

Recently, both sides have signaled that relations are on course to normalize. Egypt signed a maritime jurisdiction agreement with Greece similar to the one Turkey and Libya signed. While Egypt did not completely ignore Turkey's sensitivities in the process, Cairo believes the deal with Greece does them more harm than good and has understood that Turkey is the right partner for its interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. After all, positive messages from Cairo came in gradually in response to Ankara's positive messages.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry on Monday said Egypt is eager to strengthen bilateral relations based on international law and develop a dialogue with Turkey that benefits both sides. Speaking to an Egyptian local broadcaster, he said that they appreciate Turkey's recent remarks and gestures and underlined the importance of laying a foundation that determines the framework of bilateral ties.

All these developments bear strong signs that a new era is taking shape in the Eastern Mediterranean equation, especially between Libya, Egypt and Turkey. Ankara has shown Libya that it is a committed and reliable partner in this regard, and says it is willing to sit at the table with Egypt and come to another agreement in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Now, just as with Libya, important symbolic developments will take place in the coming period in relations between Egypt and Turkey which are deeply rooted in history. It seems inevitable that the national interests of the three countries will align in the geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean.

But Ankara, Tripoli and Cairo must be prepared for sabotage and intervention by Greece, as well as attempts to undermine the potential for new equations in the region.

See the article here:
What is the new equation in East Med with Turkey, Libya and Egypt? | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah

Following the April 11 release of Bija, an alleged Libyan trafficker who has been accused of crimes against humanity by the UN, several migrants told InfoMigrants about their experiences at the hands of this feared boss of the Libyan coast guard in Zaouia.

"A monster." "(C)apable of shooting a human being as he would shoot an animal."

Three days after the release of alleged migrant trafficker Abd al-Rahman Milad, better known by his alias Bija, "for lack of evidence", those who had dealings with him draw a chilling picture.

"In Libya, there is not one migrant who does not know Bija," says Mamadou, who fled Libya to return to his home country, Guinea. "He is worse than the devil," he says.

"Even the Libyans don't dare contradict him because he is known to be very violent with them too," comments Ali, another Guinean who spent three months in Zaouia prison, run by Bija and his cousin Osama, also a notorious torturer.

Also read: Libya: Alleged migrant trafficker Al-Milad freed

30-year-old Bija has been described as one of the worlds most wanted human traffickers, who was placed under sanctions by the UN security council for being directly involved in the sinking of migrant boats.

He was released from a Libyan prison on April 11, six months after being incarcerated for human trafficking in a judicial decision that has left several international organizations stunned.

Abdullah, a Sudanese migrant, remembers the day the boat he was on was intercepted at sea and he was taken back to Tripoli. During the whole journey, he says he was beaten by "Bija's men". "In Tripoli, we were insulted and punched, then Bija's men fired shots over our heads. Bija was present. He took pleasure in seeing the terror in our eyes."

The strongman of Zaouia -- who, according to the Italian press, double jobs as both coast guards and human smugglers -- has ensured that he has been personally present during interceptions of migrant boats at sea in recent years. These arrests are often a living nightmare for those who are then sent back to the country they want to flee at all costs and are then imprisoned there.

"In 2018, I was on board a boat heading to Europe and the Libyan coast guard chased us," says Jamal, also from Sudan. Bija was behind the wheel of the coast guard boat. "They started circling our boat, we almost fell into the water, and all of a sudden they started shooting at us," he continues. "Many were injured and fell into the sea. It was awful."

Also read: Libya detains coastguard commander accused of human trafficking and migrant smuggling

Several migrants, however, confide that, as cruel as he is, Bija is just another trafficker in Libya. This means that he is just as bad as all the rest of them. "He is like the others, savage," says Mamadou.

The release of Bija did not come as a surprise for Omar, a Syrian migrant who has become bitter after years in Libya. For him, this release only attests, once again, to the "power of the militias" in this country given over to the law of the strongest.

"The militias are able to control the decisions of justice," Omar said, protesting against the impunity enjoyed by those who torture, for example, migrants in the town of Bani Walid, located a hundred kilometers south of Tripoli, in full view of everyone.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Bija attacked the Libyan and international press: "When I was arrested last October, the press wrote fake news about me I know that the arrest was ordered by some politicians who forgot that Abd al-Rahman Milad had protected for years the coasts of our homeland."

Bija was reportedly released in exchange for his militia's help in an operation to liberate the capital Tripoli. While still in prison, the former UN-supported government in Tripoli in March actually promoted Bija for his participation in the fighting to repel an attack on the capital by eastern Libya forces.

See more here:
'Worse than the devil': Migrants react to the release of alleged human trafficker Bija - InfoMigrants

By Sami Zaptia.

London, 15 April 2021:

The U.S. Embassy in Libya underscored in a statement yesterday the need for a unified Libya with control over its borders.

The statement came after the U.S. embassy in Chad issued a security alert on the back of media reports indicating movement of armed non-governmental groups into Chad from Libya and possible confrontations with the Chadian Army.

The media reports describe the area in northern Chad near the borders of Niger and Libya, particularly Wour and Zouarke.

The armed non-governmental groups was FACT (Front for Change and Concord inChad/ Front pour lalternance et la concorde au Tchad).

The U.S. Embassy in Libya said FACT insurgents recent entry to Chad from Libya again highlight the urgent need for a unified, stable Libya with control over its borders.

It added We will continue to engage Libyan and international stakeholders to support the political process culminating in December elections that will help consolidate a sovereign and secure Libya free from foreign interference in the interest of regional stability and the security of Libyas neighbours.

See original here:
After Chadian insurgents move from Libya to Chad, US embassy reiterates the need for a Libya free from foreign interference and in control of its...

CAIRO (AP) Forces in western Libya on Wednesday released more than 100 prisoners who had been captured while fighting under the banner of the country's eastern-based commander, in a gesture of reconciliation following recent accords, officials said.

The fighters, troops of commander Khalifa Hifter, were freed in the coastal town of Zawiya in a televised ceremony attended by senior officials from the newly appointed transitional government.

Mohammad Younes Menfi, head of the presidential council, called the move a significant step toward a national reconciliation initiative launched by the council, after bitter years of fighting between rival governments in East and West.

Those released were seen wearing traditional white uniforms and caps at the ceremony in a soccer stadium, before rejoining their families.

Musa al-Koni, deputy head of the presidential council, called for the release of all of Libya's war prisoners.

Hifters forces launched an offensive in April 2019 to try and capture Tripoli, but the campaign collapsed last June.

The warring sides reached a cease-fire deal in October that virtually ended the war and paved the road for U.N.-led political talks. Those talks then led to the appointment of an interim government in February, ahead of elections later this year.

Oil-rich Libya plunged into chaos after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The country for years has been divided between two governments, one in the east and another in the west, each backed by a vast array of militias as well as foreign powers.

Read the original here:
Libya officials say over 100 eastern war prisoners released

The family of a British-based photographer killed in 2011 by pro-Gaddafi forces during the Arab spring have launched a campaign to pressure Libya to investigate his death.

Anton Hammerl, 41, was shot after being targeted as part of a small group of journalists, including the US reporter James Foley who himself was subsequently kidnapped and murdered by Islamic State in Syria.

Left for dead in the desert after Foley and fellow journalists Clare Morgana Gillis and Manu Brabo were captured, Hammerls body has never been recovered.

The case was briefly investigated as a war crime by the international criminal court, but it was dropped after the death of Muammar Gaddafi and the fall of his regime.

The lack of a body has meant no inquest into Hammerls death has taken place in the UK, where the father of two, a joint South African-Austrian citizen, lived with his family.

After years of chaos and conflict in Libya, the family hope the new interim government will be able to help them locate his body.

The family are being represented by Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC, who has been heavily involved in the push to secure justice for the murdered Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, and they are also being supported by Foleys mother, Diane.

With the 10th anniversary of his killing on Monday, the family plan to take the case to the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and the UN working group on forced disappearances.

On the face of it we believe there is reasonable evidence to believe that Antons death was a war crime, said Gallagher, who added that research into Hammerls death that James Foley had been working on at the time of his own murder had been supplied to the campaign.

This wasnt journalists just caught in a crossfire. They were identifiable as civilians and journalists when they were targeted and Anton was killed during an enforced abduction. She added that in the intervening period the international community has treated his death with a shrug of the shoulders.

Hammerl was among a number of journalists killed during the chaos of the Arab spring and its long aftermath not least in Syria including Marie Colvin of the Sunday Times, the Sky News cameraman Mick Deane, Foley himself, and the photojournalists Chris Hondros and Tim Hetherington.

Hammerl had been covering the conflict between pro-regime and anti-Gaddafi forces when the group he was with came under fire from Libyan soldiers in a remote desert location near Brega on 5 April 2011.

Initially the family were led to believe by Libyan officials that all four journalists had been captured, and it was only six and a half weeks later when the survivors were released that it was revealed Hammerl had been killed and his body left in the desert.

Since his death, there has been sporadic and vague information about the location of his body, with a suggestion in 2012 that a body matching his description had been found in a mass grave of 170 people and DNA samples had been taken but never delivered for processing.

His wife, Penny Sukhraj-Hammerl, who had just given birth to the couples second child when Hammerl was killed, hopes the new government in Libya will finally take action to help find Hammerls body and explain his death.

Its been hard, a very hard 10 years for the family but its our hope after all these years there might be a different flavour in the air, a different calibre of leadership that may consider things in a different way.

So were hopeful. They have things at their disposal they should have been able to use if they would consider what weve been through. Because weve not even had a body. To think you knew someone who you had heard their voice the day before, and suddenly theyve vanished. Theres always a real hole.

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Family of photographer urge Libya to investigate his death - The Guardian