MUST-READS

• Saudi delegation arrives in Libya to discuss reopening the kingdom’s embassy

  A delegation from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs arrived in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, yesterday to discuss arrangements for the reopening of Riyadh's embassy, which has been closed since 2014. The Saudi delegation arrived at Mitiga Airport and was headed by the Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Director General of the General Administration for Arab and African Countries Affairs, Abdullah Bin Fahd Al-Shammari.

• Six Libyans face death penalty for converting to Christianity

  Six Libyans are facing the death penalty for converting to Christianity and proselytising under laws increasingly being used to silence civil society and human rights organisations, say activists. The women and men – some from Libya’s minority ethnic groups, including the Amazigh, or Berbers, in the west of the country – were separately detained in March by security forces.

• Saudi Arabia Calls for Stopping Foreign Interference in Libya’s Affairs

  Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah met in Riyadh on Sunday with Abdoulaye Bathily, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya. During the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the Kingdom's support for the inter-Libyan solution under the auspices of the UN, and the need to stop foreign interference in Libyan affairs.

• The Pyramid Tombs of Libya

  Archaeological evidence at Wadi Ajal suggests that the Garamantes first settled in the Fezzan region of southern Libya around 1100 BC. The growth and expansion of the civilisation relied upon a sophisticated and extensive qanat irrigation system known as “foggaras”. This system facilitated a thriving agricultural sector that sustained a sizeable populace in desert regions defunct of large bodies of water. The first reference to the Garamantes dates from the 5th century BC by the Greek historian and geographer, Herodutus. Herodutus describes the Garamantes as “a very great nation” that was living in an oasis in the middle of the Sahara Desert, thirty days journey south of the Lotophagi. Herodutus also described how the Garamantes hunted “the Troglodyte Ethiopians in four horsed chariots”. These “cave-dwelling Ethiopians” are most likely the Tebu of the Tibesti Mountains.

• UN Calls For Accountability Push In Libya As War Crimes Probe Ends

  The UN rights chief called Monday for Libyan authorities and the international community to step up accountability efforts in the conflict-ravaged country, as a probe into war crimes wrapped up. "Libyan authorities, armed groups, smugglers and human traffickers should not assume that the eyes of the international community have now left Libya," Volker Turk said. "It is crucial that we redouble efforts to secure accountability for past violations and continue to monitor the reality on the ground to prevent future violations."

• Diplomats in Libya pushing to speed up UN-backed election

  Diplomats, including the new UN envoy to Libya, are pushing to accelerate plans to hold overdue elections. Tripoli-based Khaled Al Mishri, who heads the High Council of State, met US Special Envoy to Libya Richard Norland, and charge d'affaires of his country's embassy, Leslie Ordman, in separate meetings. Mr Al Mishri also met France's Special Envoy to Libya, Paul Soler, and French ambassador to Libya, Mustafa Maharaj. The two meetings dealt with the initiative announced by UN envoy to LIbya Abdoulaye Bathily last month on launching an election panel to organise presidential and legislative polls this year.

• Split Libya Pushes Back Against UN Plan For Elections

  The new UN envoy to Libya had hoped to usher in long-delayed elections, but his initiative is facing pushback from the eastern-based parliament and a lukewarm reception by its rivals in Tripoli. Senegalese diplomat Abdoulaye Bathily told the UN Security Council last month he planned to create a panel tasked with delivering presidential and legislative elections in conflict-torn Libya later this year. But his blunt criticism of the North African country's two houses of parliament for failing to agree on a legal basis for elections has sparked a backlash that threatens to derail Bathily's plans.

• Commentary: Libya’s Fragile Deadlock

  Against such a rigid backdrop, any attempt to force a diplomatic breakthrough could upset the ongoing calm and plunge parts of the country back into prolonged conflict. Yet, if Washington is serious about Burns’ objectives, it should convince leaders on both sides that sticking to their current practices and strategies will cost them. In addition to coercive measures targeting Libyan decision-makers, this requires bringing Washington’s main regional partners, namely Turkey, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, on board.

• Russia embassy in Saudi Arabia invited Libya’s Haftar to visit aircraft carrier, documents reveal

  The visit by eastern Libyan warlord, Khalifa Haftar, to a Russian aircraft carrier in 2017 was coordinated by Russia's military diplomat in Saudi Arabia, leaked documents have revealed. In January 2017, Haftar visited the Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's only aircraft carrier, as it sailed through the Mediterranean from the coast off Syria. He was given a tour there and spoke with Russian Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, via video conference from one of the ship's wardrooms. Following that visit for the purpose of discussing "issues of cooperation in the field of fighting terrorist groups in Libya and supplying the Libyan Arab Armed Forces with medical supplies", around 70 wounded soldiers from Haftar's forces were then flown via Egypt to Russia for medical treatment.

• Opinion: To counter the Wagner Group’s presence in Africa, the US will need to prioritize stabilizing Libya

  The war in Ukraine has brought Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner Group to the forefront, with the United States now focusing on countering their presence beyond Ukraine, particularly in Africa. One theatre Washington is now prioritizing as part of this burgeoning effort is Libya, where Russia’s influence is mainly projected through Wagner mercenaries. There, Wagner has acted as the Kremlin’s surreptitious foreign policy tool for over three years, significantly expanding its footprint in the country after supporting General Khalifa Haftar in his failed attack to capture Tripoli and oust Libya’s United Nations-recognized government in 2019. Quelling Wagner’s influence in Libya will be challenging, as the US must address Libyan realities and unite Europe and regional powers to support its foreign policy endeavor. The Wagner Group’s activities in Libya have been multi-faceted, including military operations, military hardware maintenance, political advisory services, and social media disinformation and influence operations. After Haftar’s failed attack in 2019, Wagner’s profile grew substantially, with the group shifting to fulfill Russian strategic goals.

• 10 of 533 results<< 1 2 3 4 … 54 >>