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Tripoli - Libya on Tuesday repatriated nearly 200 illegal migrants from Niger who had been held in detention centres in the capital, an AFP photographer said.

They were flown home from Mitiga airport east of Tripoli, in coordination with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Hosni Abu Ayana, a spokesperson for Libya's office that deals with illegal migrants, said the repatriated group included 50 women and four children.

He added that more than 900 other detained migrants will be repatriated in the coming weeks.

The IOM website said that in 2016, the organisation "supported 1 589 migrants to voluntarily return to their countries of origin" from Libya, giving priority to "the most vulnerable".

People smugglers have taken advantage of the chaos gripping Libya since the 2011 revolution to greatly boost their lucrative trade.

Most departures take place from the west of the North African country, usually heading for Italy 300km away across the Mediterranean.

Europeans are considering measures aimed at blocking the arrival of thousands of migrants, alarming NGOs which fear those stranded in Libya may suffer mistreatment.

In the absence of an army or a regular police force in Libya, several militias act as coastguards but are often accused themselves of complicity or even involvement in the people-smuggling business.

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Libya repatriates nearly 200 migrants to Niger - News24

Cairo - Egypt's army on Tuesday announced the release of 13 Egyptians kidnapped in eastern Libya, which has been plagued by chaos and security problems since 2011.

Army spokesperson Colonel Tamer al-Rifai said in a statement the 13 "were abducted by an armed criminal group in the Ajdabiya region".

The statement said their liberation had been made possible by "coordination with the general command of the Libyan army", without elaborating.

The Libyan National Army is loyal to Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the strongman in eastern Libya and a rival of Fayez al-Sarraj, leader of the Tripoli-based and internationally recognised national unity government.

Libya has been mired in political and security problems since the 2011 revolution that overthrew longtime dictator Moammar Gaddafi, with rival militias jockeying for power.

In February 2015, the Islamic State group released video footage it said showed the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians, most of them Egyptian, who had been abducted in Libya.

In the wake of the atrocity, Egypt staged air raids against ISIS positions in retaliation and thousands of poor migrant Egyptian workers in Libya returned home.

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13 Egyptians kidnapped in Libya freed: army - News24

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Nikki Haley, the newly appointed U.S. ambassador to the U.N., expressed disapproval about U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterress choice for envoy to Libya, reports Reuters.Haley indicated the U.N. has for too long been unfairly biased in favor of the Palestinian Authority to the detriment of our allies in Israel.

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Meanwhile, the U.N. secretary-general argued that that former Palestinian PMs diplomacy skills would prove helpful to bring much-needed peace to Libya. It is a loss for the Libyan peace process and for the Libyan people that I am not able to appoint him, declared U.N. Secretary-General Guterres in Dubai.

I do not think there is any valid reason to avoid someone who is very competent to do a job that is extremely important, he added. Not long ago, ISIS maintained a heavy presence in its stronghold of Sirte, which sits along the coast in Libya. However, some the jihadists have been forced to spread out of Sirte to other places across the country.

The Nation reports:

The extremist group lost its Libya headquarters in the central coastal city of Sirte in December after a six-month offensive by militias backed by US air power, but Libyan officials and foreign diplomats say its fighters have now fanned out across the southern desert into desert valleys and inland hills, as they seek to exploit Libyas political divisions Three separate ISIL groups have been identified based in different parts of the Sahara, and, say officials, they are striking at the countrys vulnerable oil and water infrastructure.

Reuters reported earlier this month:

The jihadist group lost many of its fighters in the battle and now has no territory in Libya, but fugitive militants and sleeper cells are seen to pose a threat in a country that has been deeply fractured and largely lawless since the 2011 uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.

The threat is focused south of the coastal strip between Misrata and Tripoli, arcing to the southeast around the town of Bani Walid and into the desert south of Sirte, said Ismail Shukri, head of military intelligence in Misrata.

Although ISIS in Libya is weaker now than it was about year ago, the jihadist group still poses a threat, noted Martin Kobler, the top official from the U.N. Support Mission in Libya, adding that the fight against terrorism is far from over.

The countrys borders remain porous. Terrorists, human and weapons traffickers and criminal gangs continue to exploit the security vacuum, he warned.

UN chief Guterres suggests that the international community would have to engage with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to deal with the remnants for ISIS in Libya and prevent the country from becoming a place where the terrorists can easily launch attacks against Western targets.

U.N. Secretary-General Guterres said, We need to respect our values and we need to make sure a multilateral approach to global problems is implemented.

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Nikki Haley Objects to UN Naming Former Palestinian PM to Libya Envoy Post - Breitbart News

Quick Facts:

Grantee: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Program Duration: October 2016September 2017

Total Donor Funding Pledged: $31 million

USAID Contribution: $2 million

Description:

Stabilization Facility for Libya (SFL) supports the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) by providing tangible quick-wins at the local level in the East, South and West of Libya. SFL implements improvements, such as rehabilitating critical infrastructure and restoring basic public services, in close collaboration with local governing institutions.

SFL is funded by 12 international donors with decisions made by a Governing Board jointly chaired by the Libyan Prime Ministers representative and the United Nations Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General. The US Government is represented on the Board by the US Ambassador to Libya as well as the USAID/Libya Senior Development Advisor.

Program Activities and Objectives:

Rehabilitate light infrastructure and support recovery of critical businesses in communities damaged by conflict;

Immediately boost municipal capacity to take leadership in local stabilization efforts;

Strengthen local capacity in conflict analysis, facilitation, and mediation.

Program Status/Achievements:

SFL supports return to normal conditions and peace-building programming in several Libyan communities affected by conflict.

SFL has completed assessments in three communities -- Benghazi, Kikla, and Obari with Sirte and Sebha assessments underway in early 2017. After field-based assessments are completed, community consultations are organized with municipal authorities, local leaders and civil society representatives to prioritize social infrastructure rehabilitation (e.g., health, water, sanitation, education). The priorities are presented to the SFL Governing Board for approval, after which SFL mobilizes expert teams in each location to deliver equipment and infrastructure improvements.

By early 2017, SFL has begun refurbishment of public buildings and procurement of equipment to restore essential public services for the first three communities, including: medical equipment and ambulances for hospitals, garbage trucks, generators, solar panels, water and sewage pumps, and prefabricated classrooms for schools.

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Stabilization facility for Libya (SFL) - ReliefWeb

Wednesday, February 15, 2017, 06:09 by

The directors of Equitrade Ltd, which distributes animal health, veterinary pharmaceuticals and horse requirement products, categorically deny the allegations made in the report Libya bans Maltese firms for smuggling (January 24).

Since then, we have, through our intermediary, asked the Libya Audit Bureau to provide us with any documents they have to substantiate the allegation published in the said article and Libyan Herald sources quoted.

When dealing with clients and the authorities, Equitrade Ltd has always been fully committed to the observance of best practices in the countries they dealt with.

The Times of Malta should have made an accurate investigation before making the allegations.

Editorial note: Equitrade Ltds name was included in a list issued by the Libyan Audit Bureau and reported by many mainstream news organisations in Libya, including the Libyan Herald. Before publishing the article, Times of Malta also sought the comments of a representative of Equitrade, which were included in the write-up.

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Libya ban - Times of Malta