Last week saw flight cancellations, airspace closures, heightened Militia presence and rumour and speculation within the capital of the arrival of the president of the Unity Government. The leader of Libya's unity government finally arrived in Tripoli on Wednesday, promising to "turn the page" on the country's troubled post-Gaddafi era, and despite opposition to its authority from two rival parliaments already vying for control.
Fayez al-Serraj, named prime minister designate under a UN-brokered power-sharing deal, arrived by boat escorted by Naval gunships, from Tunisia with six deputies to set up a temporary seat of power in the Abu Sita naval base.
Serraj faced immediate challenges to his authority with Khalifa Ghwell, the prime minister of Tripoli's General National Congress, calling his government illegal and urging Serraj to leave or turn himself in.
Serraj and other officials were prevented from flying into Tripoli by the rival parliament based in the capital, with authorities even closing the airspace several times. Whilst the third parliament, based in Tobruk in the east, also has not ratified the UN-backed administration.
"It is time for all of us as Libyans to work together for the sake of Libya," Serraj said upon his arrival.
He urged rivals to "turn the page of the past," saying "revenge, alienation, antipathy, and hatred do not build a state".
Martin Kobler was reported to have made a statement to the following: "I commend the courage, determination and leadership of the Presidency Council under its president Fayez Serraj in moving forward with the implementation of the Libyan political agreement and the aspiration of the overwhelming majority of the Libyan people. The international community stands firmly behind them and is ready to provide the required support and assistance’’.
The capital has remained relatively quiet since the arrival of the President of the Unity Government, however Gunmen reportedly stormed the headquarters of a Libyan television station late on Wednesday. Armed men burst into the headquarters of the satellite TV station Al-Nabaa in central Tripoli, cut its transmissions and forced out its staff, according to two journalists from the channel.
Daesh militants in Sirte carried out a further two executions after Friday prayers. The victims were believed to have been brothers that had been held by Daesh for over three months prior to their executions. However at the beginning of the last reporting week, the bodies of two Daesh militants were found shot and killed on the outskirts of Abu Hadi, South of Sirte. In response, Daesh militants conducted a series of raids on nearby civilian houses in Abu Hadi.
During the reporting week in Benghazi, the Libyan National Army (LNA) and Libyan Air Force have continued to carry out ground and air offensives on known Daesh positions. Areas reported to have been attacked are, Hawari, and the cement factory and also a report that the Ansar Al Sharia headquarters in the Al Qawarsha area had been destroyed.
The south has seen Clashes between 8th Brigade against armed robbers on the road linking Sabha and Tamanhint. Information received stated that the 8th Brigade was responding to a robbery when the incident took place.
Further clashes also took place between Armed Taboo tribal fighters and Misrata forces in Sabha, however the reasoning behind the clashes is still not clear.
SNE continues to keep our permanent expat country management team on the ground in Tripoli supporting our clients international and local personnel as well as critical infrastructure. We are also currently involved in working with many of our clients on their re-entry planning, security risk management surveys and political sector analysis. To discuss these services further please contact us on the details below.
Libya Security Report Subscription Service
SNE Libya Security Summaries are only supplied to existing Libya clients and those who subscribe to our weekly reporting service. For further information on how to subscribe and our monthly costs, please contact our Dubai management team at office@snegroup.co.uk The attached Libya security update has been produced by our Tripoli based in-country management team and covers the various security risks, recent incidents, political landscape and geography in both the west and east of Libya.
HEAT & Basic Life Support Two Day Training Courses
SNE are now offering bespoke Libya oriented or generic MENA Hostile Environment Awareness & Basic Life Support Medical Training Courses in Dubai or your home country prior to deploying back into Libya, or in country training for those who require this service in Tripoli. Please contact our Dubai Head Office for more information on these courses at specialprojects@snegroup.co.uk
Egypt
In addition to Libya, SNE Special Projects also provide weekly security summaries to clients with an interest in Egypt and have an operations centre in Cairo providing an executive protection team capability along with project management and crisis management throughout the country. For more information on these services please contact our Dubai head office at: specialprojects@snegroup.co.uk
