Archive for the ‘Libya’ Category

Beida municipality claims it has received Libya’s first waste recycling plant | – Libya Herald

By Sami Zaptia.

Libya has struggled for decades with rubbish collection and recycling (Photo: Tripoli rubbish. From archives by Tom Westcott).

London, 5 February 2020:

The Municipality of Al-Beida claims that it has received Libyas first waste recycling plant, the eastern-based LANA state news agency reported Saturday.

The Municipality said this was part of the eastern based Libyan governments wider efforts to recycle waste in the eastern region and solve the ongoing problem of accumulated roadside waste.

Al-Beida Municipality reported that the recycling plant would be installed in the coming days next to it main garbage dump. It envisioned that it will contribute effectively and radically to the elimination of the phenomenon of garbage accumulation in the municipality and reduce its possible negative impact on citizens health.

It is worth recalling that there are efforts across Libyas political divide east and west to resolve Libyas perennial waste collection problem.

In July 2019, Libyas eastern based Prime Minister Abdalla Thinni discussed with the director of a German company specialized in garbage recycling and the production of electricity generated by garbage recycling a process mechanism for implementing such garbage recycling programmes in Libya.

The German company was reportedly invited to submit proposals on a BOT basis for the project through the eastern Ministry of Local Government.

Meanwhile, in western Libya various projects for waste collection/recycling were announced last year by Tajura, Sug Juma and the Municipality of Central Tripoli as well as the city of Misrata.

Eastern Libya invites BOT offer from German company to recycle waste for energy production

Ministry of Local Government offers municipality-wide recycling contract

Libyas Meteorological Centre forecasts rain and warns of impending environmental and health pollution cost of uncollected garbage

Tajura waste recycling project launched

Misrata invites offers to recycle citys rubbish

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Beida municipality claims it has received Libya's first waste recycling plant | - Libya Herald

Protests in Sudan against UAE for recruiting Sudanese nationals to fight in Libya, Yemen – The Libya Observer

Sudan's capital Khartoum saw protests on Sunday in front of the UAE's embassy for Abu Dhabi's recruitment of Sudanese nationals as mercenaries fighting in Libya and Yemen.

According to the families of the victims, an Emirati firm called Black Shield offered Sudanese nationals jobs in the UAE as security guards for hospitals and malls, which was also revealed by Emirati Affairs Website,citing Al Jazeera Mubashar as saying one of the Sudanese victim families called on the country's transitional government to intervene after a member of the family was lured to the UAE and forced into a military training camp three months ago.

Sudanese social media platforms shared images of samples of contracts offered to Sudanese nationals to work as security guards in the UAE by the Black Shield security company; the documents have been stamped by the Emirati embassy in Khartoum, according to the report.The activists said the UAE firm had an agent I Khartoum and he helped recruit about 3000 to supposedly work as security guards in the UAE.

The Guardian reported on December 25, 2019 the involvement of UAE in transferring mercenaries to fight in Libya, saying a new wave had arrived to fight for Khalifa Haftar - Abu Dhabi's ally in Libya.

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Protests in Sudan against UAE for recruiting Sudanese nationals to fight in Libya, Yemen - The Libya Observer

Battle continues to rage in Libya despite peace conference as Turkey floods country with jihadists – Morning Star Online

TURKEY was accused of sending thousands of more jihadist mercenaries to support the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya yesterday, just two days after a Berlin peace conference.

Battle continued to rage between the countrys parallel governments, the Tripoli-based GNA and General Khalifa Haftars Benghazi-based Libyan National Army.

At least 28 of the mercenaries sent by Turkey were killed in the skirmishes in what was described as a humiliating defeat for the GNA and Libyas Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.

They were killed outside the Salah el-Din neighbourhood south of Tripoli, close to the international airport.

Seventeen of the Turkish-backed fighters arrived in Italy yesterday on their way to Libya where it is expected they will join almost 2,000 jihadists who were transferred to the country from Syria.

Ankara is reportedlyplanning to send 6,000 fighters to Libya, with around 1,790 recruits currently receiving training in the south of Turkey ahead of deployment.

Mercenaries enlisting in the Turkish operation are from the battlefields in Afrin, northern Syria, where they have been involved in fighting Kurdish forces as part of what has been described as President Recep Tayyip Erdogans ethnic cleansing operation.

Many of those recruited come from jihadist factions including the al-Mutasim Brigade, Sultan Murad Brigade, Northern Falcons Brigade, Hamzat, Legion of the Levant, Suleiman Shah and the Samarkand Brigade.

It is understood that the fighters are paid more than 1,000 per month and are hired on six-month contracts directly by the GNA. They have also been offered Turkish nationality.

One LNA fighter spoke to the Star from the front line and said that the presence of jihadists is why we are fighting and we are allowing Libya to become Kurdistan part II.

LNA commander Major General Salem Driaq said: The army has not abandoned the idea of entering the capitalTripoliand the city of Misurata, to complete its mission to eliminate armed militias and terrorist groups that have invaded Libya.

The Turkish operations come just days after a so-called peace conference in the German capital Berlin which agreed to uphold the UN arms embargo.

World leaders from 16 countries signed an agreement as UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres urged world powers to refrain from interference in the conflict.

The same powers bear responsibility for the quagmire in Libya which descended into chaos after a Nato-backed bombing campaign and the killing of Muammar Gadaffi in October 2011.

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Battle continues to rage in Libya despite peace conference as Turkey floods country with jihadists - Morning Star Online

After Berlin, the EU needs to translate commitments on Libya into actions – EURACTIV

Following a positive Libya peace summit in Berlin, the EU needs to back up commitments with actions, although the path ahead remains fraught with difficulty, writes Tom Garofalo.

Tom Garofalo is the International Rescue Committees Libya Director

Libya finds itself in a race against time. Following the dramatic escalation in conflict in April, the chaotic civil war is on the brink of metastasizing into a multinational conflict with dire humanitarian consequences.

The positive conclusion of the Berlin Summit this week was a sign of real international commitment to save lives and protect people caught in the crossfire. The momentum created by the conference is a powerful example of the role the EU can play on the global stage when its members pull as one.

While the path ahead remains fraught with difficulty, Europe now has a unique opportunity to turn the tide by translating Berlin commitments into action step in, kick-offstabilisationefforts, and prevent Libya from becoming the next deadly arena for the Age of Impunity.

Foreign actors have correctly identified Libya as a vulnerable host preyed on by weak rivals and a lack of international leadership. The conflict is now propelled by deepening external involvement, including ongoing violations of the 2011 arms embargo.

Even more worrying is the recent surge in manpower, weaponry and liquidity from both Russia and Turkey in support of opposing parties to the conflict: the Libyan National Army and the UN-supported Government of National Accord.

With these actors increasingly pulling the strings, and a void of global leadership,Europe has a vital role to play as a credible mediator in the midst of an emergency burgeoning in its own backyard.

This action is urgently needed to prevent an otherwise low-intensity, pocketed crisis from evolving into a regional tinderbox. We have seen the impunity playbookin action in Yemen and Syria: where local conflicts have been allowed to escalate intointernationalisedproxy wars, ushering in unprecedented humanitarian suffering. UN Special EnvoyGhassanSalamehas repeatedly lamented this absence of leadership, to little effect.

Last year alone, the number of civilians killed or injured by explosive weapons rose by 131%. Over 140,000 have been displaced in Tripoli alone since April. The UN has tracked over 1000 airstrikes indiscriminately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure including over 900 drone strikes emanating from foreign parties.

The International Rescue Committee can testify to the growing human cost of Libyas unravelling from the front lines. With over 100 staff in Tripoli and Misrata, the IRC continues to assist people caught up in crisis. However, in the past weeks, violence has forced us to suspend some of our life-saving health activities operations in health facilities.

Against this backdrop, approximately 1 million refugees, migrants and Libyans have been caught in the crosshairs since 2011. Only last year, almost 10,000 migrants and refugees seeking safety in Europe were intercepted at sea by the Libyan coastguard and returned to detention camps where humanitarian and human rights breaches happen daily.

This situation traps highly vulnerable people directly in harms way; Julys strike on Tajoura detention center, killing 53, is a case in point and a tragic reminder that the EU has a responsibility to those who have no safe and legal means to access protection.

Under the best of circumstances, Libyan authorities struggle to provide adequate services to citizens. With the intensification of conflict fueled by outsiders, the positive outcome of the Berlin Conference offers a rare window of opportunity for the EU to take back a leadership role inLibya. Here are three key elements Europe needs to push for to prevent a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe on its doorstep and shore up prospects for peace.

Firstly, any response to the Libyan crisis must put the lives of people who are bearing the cost of war at the centre. While the recent estimates say that 900,000 people are in need of assistance, the humanitarian appeal for Libya is currently less than halfway funded.

As the worlds largest humanitarian donor, the EU and its member states can help by stepping up funding efforts in the country and pouring all their efforts into ensuring national systems are strengthened.

While legal pathways to protection to Europe are still missing, it is also critical that more EU member states urgently join the resettlement scheme of the Emergency Transit Mechanism in Niger and Rwanda, ensuring that the evacuations from Libya are increased in response to the spiking needs.

These actions would truly reflect the pledge to respect International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law found in the conclusions of the Berlin Summit.

Foreign interference grows in the vacuum of diplomatic action and respect for international law. However challenging, the EU must make every effort to use its diplomatic leverage to place the ceasefire back into the UN framework and ensure the enforcement of the arms embargo, which otherwise pours fuel onto the conflict. Restoring the naval assets of Operation Sophia to monitor the embargos implementation is also indispensable.

Thirdly, the UN-led process isLibyas best near-term chance of laying a foundation for political stability and peace. Germanys efforts to bring parties to the table in Berlin and breathe new life into the UN process- is a positive and crucial first step in this regard.

Acoordinated strategy that bolsters the UNs diplomatic efforts will give the EU the best chance to promote civilian protection and prevent a void that can exploited by foreign interference.

As the worlds leading humanitarian actor and respected diplomatic power, the EU must do all it can to help pull the country back from the brink or watch as yet another protracted catastrophe unfolds at its borders.

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After Berlin, the EU needs to translate commitments on Libya into actions - EURACTIV

Libyan Officers Trained On Tackling Online Activities Of Terrorist Targets – Eurasia Review

With abuse of the Internet and social media channels by terrorist organizations a growing concern for police, INTERPOL said it has conducted a training course for Libyan law enforcement officers on how best to exploit the Internet and specific social media sites in counter-terrorism investigations.

Held in Tunisia from January 20 to 24, the course was attended by 20 law enforcement professionals from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and General Investigation Department (GID) in Tripoli, Libya.

Terrorists use the Internet and social media channels for radicalization, recruitment, funding, planning and execution of terror activities, making it vital for law enforcement to collect, analyse and share data gathered from online sources, INTERPOL noted.

The course provided participants with recommendations on how to employ intelligence techniques to leverage online resources in compliance with human rights, the Libyan data protection mechanism, and international privacy and data protection standards.

Focused on boosting the operational and analytical skills of Libyan law enforcement officers, the course is part of ongoing cooperation between INTERPOL and Libya in this domain, which includes the provision of technical equipment.

At least three of the best-performing participants will be selected for further training and to take on additional responsibilities, in order to fully embed these investigation techniques into Libyas counter-terrorism activities.

Supporting the implementation of INTERPOLs Global Counter-terrorism Strategy, this initiative was funded by the Canadian Government (Global Affairs Canada) and attended by a representative from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

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Libyan Officers Trained On Tackling Online Activities Of Terrorist Targets - Eurasia Review