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Fri, Apr 16, 2021

MENASourcebyKarim Mezran, Alissa Pavia

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh are seen duirng a joint news conference, in Tripoli, Libya April 6, 2021. REUTERS/Hazem Ahmed

On April 6, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi met with his Libyan counterpart Abdulhamid Dbeibah in Tripoli. It was the Italian prime ministers first state visit since taking office on February 13. More significantly, the visit has come at a time when Libya is entering a new phase of political transition.A recent ceasefire agreement signed on October 23, 2020 by the two main factionsthe Tripoli-based United Nations-backed Government of National Accord and General Khalifa Haftars Benghazi-based Libyan National Armyhas prompted the election of a unified government headed by Libyan Prime Minister Dbeibah.

The Italian prime ministers visit, albeit brief, focused on several important issues. He stressed that this is a unique moment for the two countries to rebuild an ancient friendship, referring to the long-lasting economic and political collaboration that Italy and Libya have shared over the years. PM Draghi showed much enthusiasm to start a new future and to do so quickly, adding that the 2020 ceasefire must be strictly observed.

The two countries share many common interests, which were discussed during the visit. Most notably, Italys oil giant, Eni, holds strategic investments in Libya (in 2019, Italy exported 8 percent of its natural gas from Libya). It is to no surprise, then, that Draghi spoke about intensifying collaboration with Libya in the electrical and energy sectors. Immigration, another key interest, was also touched upon when Draghi mentioned that he greatly appreciated Libyas efforts to save migrants at sea and combat human smugglingstatements he was heavily criticized for given the perilous and dire state of Libyas detention camps.

Regardless, collaboration between the two countries will likely move beyond what was said in public by the two leaders. In fact, many believe that Italy will take the lead in rebuilding Tripolis airport, a project that was commissioned to Italian construction company Aeneas three years ago. It is also rumored that Italy will take over the construction of a long highway along Libyas Mediterranean coast, which would connect Tunisia to Egypt through Libya.

Draghis visit to Libya is a big step for renewing Italys role in Libya and the wider Mediterranean, one that should not be overlooked. Italy may well be paving the way to becoming an important actor in managing crises and challenges in the region. In fact, two weeks before Draghis trip on March 21, 2021, Italys Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio met with Dbeibah, Libyan Presidential Councils vice presidents Musa al-Koni andAbdullah al-Lafi, and Foreign Minister Najla el-Mangoush. During his visit, Di Maio spoke about the important geostrategic interests that the two countries share and highlighted Italys intent to help stabilize the country. Its worth noting that Di Maio was the first European Union minister to visit the newly elected Libyan Prime Minister. The readiness with which Di Maio took the opportunity to visit the country was already a strong signal that Italy is ready to become a strategic partner in the regionone that was further confirmed by Draghis visit.

Italy has many reasons to be a vital partner for Libya and other countries in the region. For one, Italy and Libya share historic ties that date back to 1911, when Italy first occupied Tripolitania and Cyrenaicatwo regions that later became known as Libya. Over the decades, Italian-Libyan relations have seen low and high points. Of note was the 2008 signing of the Treaty of Benghazi between then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Dictator Muammar Qaddafi, an agreement which placed Italy as a solid and credible partner for Libya.

Italy is also one of the only countries to maintain a strong presence on the ground even before the ousting of Qaddafi, but especially in the last few years during the civil wars intensification. In fact, Italy never closed its embassy in Tripoli, whereas many other countriesincluding France and the United Statesdid. The fact that Italy maintained an ambassador in Libya over the years provides the country with strong ties to local institutionsties that allow the Italians to place themselves at the forefront of a potential renewed European partnership with Libya.

Finally, Italy now has stronger credibility thanks to Draghis appointment as Italys new prime minister. His track record as a trustworthy politician derives from his long and successful career at top international institutions in Europe, most notably as head of the European Central Bank between 2011 and 2019. This renewed credibility places Italy in a strategic position in Europe to become the new point of reference for the US when dealing with Libya and other countries in the Mediterranean. At a time when Germanys Angela Merkel is stepping down and Frances Emmanuel Macron faces an important electoral campaign, Italy is best suited to take the lead in strengthening transatlantic cooperation in the Mediterranean.

However, the road ahead is complicated. Italy must now act decisively to determine its foreign policy strategy and coordinate with its American and European allies. With the Joe Biden administration turning towards the east, Italy can play the role of intermediary in Libyaa strategy which Washington may be eager to welcome, as evidenced by Secretary of State Antony Blinkens remarks upon meeting his Italian counterpart on April 13. If Italy were to strategically place itself as a broker for its allies, it could finally become a key player and help restore stability and security in Libyaand perhaps the wider Mediterranean.

Karim Mezran is director of the North Africa Initiative and resident senior fellow with the Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council focusing on the processes of change in North Africa.

Alissa Pavia is assistant director for the North Africa Program within the Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council.

See the rest here:
Italy found its way back into Libya - Atlantic Council

CAIRO, 15 April 2021 Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Jn Kubi concluded today a two-day visit to Cairo where he met with high-level Egyptian officials and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab State (LAS).

Advancing the three-track Libyan dialogues, including the full implementation of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) Roadmap and of the Ceasefire Agreement, as well as the critical importance of holding of national parliamentary and presidential elections on 24 December 2021, were the focus of discussions between the Special Envoy and Egypts Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Sameh Shokry. They confirmed the need to fully implement the ceasefire agreement including the withdrawal of the mercenaries and foreign forces. The Special Envoy also discussed security and political developments and way to support the unification of security institutions in Libya with Minister Abbas Kamil of General Intelligence. He also met with high-level officials at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by Assistant Minister, and Political Advisor to the Minister, Mr. Nazih al-Naggary.

Special Envoy Kubi also held a meeting with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab State Ahmed Aboul Gheit, where he briefed on his latest outreach efforts with Libyan and international stakeholders. They both agreed on the need to move forward with the political, economic, security and humanitarian dialogue tracks, including through supporting the newly elected authority, the Presidency Council and the Government of National Unity. SG Aboul Gheit reiterated the importance of strengthening the UN-LAS cooperation and coordination in support of the Libyan people, including in the framework of the LAS/AU/EU/UN Quartet.

While in Cairo the Special Envoy held separate telephone conversations with Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa James Cleverly, AU Commission Chairpersons Chef de Cabinet, Mohamed el-Hacen Lebatt and EU High Representatives Chef de Cabinet, Pedro Serrano.

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Special Envoy for Libya discusses in Cairo ways to advance implementation of LPDF roadmap, notably holding of national elections in December 2021 and...

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.

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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...