Weekly Highlights
- New Libya PM Dbeibah slams outgoing government’s handling of coronavirus crisis
- Eastern Libyan forces say senior local IS militant captured
- Three tons of war remnants detonated in Libya
- NOC welcomes GNU, reconsiders unfreezing oil revenues in the Libyan Foreign Bank
- UNHCR: Libyan Coast Guard rescued over 3,000 migrants, refugees in 2021
Currency Exchange:
- Bank exchange rate: USD 1 – LYD 4.5087
- Black market exchange rate: USD 1 – LYD 5.10
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
New Libya PM Dbeibah slams outgoing government’s handling of coronavirus crisis
Libya’s interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah criticized on Saturday the outgoing government’s management of the coronavirus outbreak and the delayed delivery of vaccines, promising to tackle the crisis. “The people are very unhappy with the measures taken… against this illness,” said Dbeibah in the capital Tripoli at the opening of a national conference on managing the health crisis. Dbeibah was named interim premier under an UN-sponsored transitional political process and is set to be sworn in on Monday after parliament approved his proposed cabinet this week. His government is tasked with unifying the country’s divided institutions after a decade of conflict and ensuring a transition toward elections scheduled for December. ALARABIYA NEWS
Eastern Libyan forces say senior local IS militant captured
Forces of Libya’s eastern military strongman said they arrested a suspected senior local Islamic State fighter on Sunday in a southwestern town known to be a militant hideout. Mohammed Miloud was once an IS leader in the coastal city of Sirte, held by the group before they were driven out in a U.S.-backed campaign in 2016, spokesman Ahmed al-Mosmari said. The militant leader was allegedly involved in several attacks in the country’s so-called oil crescent whose ports and oil fields account for the lion’s share of Libya’s oil production and exports, he said. He added that Miloud was allegedly involved in the kidnapping of four Italian engineers in 2016. The Italians were later released after a four-million-Euro ransom was paid to the militants, he said. STAR TRIBUNE
Three tons of war remnants detonated in Libya
The spokesman for the Sirte-Jufra Operations Room, Abdelhadi Drah, said military engineering teams had combed through the area from eastern Abu Grein onward to scour for explosive remnants of war (ERW) left by Khalifa Haftar’s forces. Drah said the teams had detonated three tons of ERW found in the area so the amount of detonated ERW reached five tons as two tons were detonated last month near Buerat Al-Hassoun area. Meanwhile, the member of the subcommittee of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission, Mohammed Al-Turjman, said combing operations in the region should have ended in 15 days, yet the vastness of the area derailed the work of the military engineers. LIBYA OBSERVER
NOC welcomes GNU, reconsiders unfreezing oil revenues in the Libyan Foreign Bank
In their scheduled announcement of revenues garnered in February, Libya’s National Oil Cooperation disclosed the profits made from the sales of crude oil and its derivatives and revisited the possibility of unfreezing oil revenue funds in the Libyan foreign bank. The NOC announced that the general oil revenue obtained in February amounted to US$ 1,235,710,353.98, a slight drop from January’s 1.4 billion record-shattering revenues but the NOC’s numbers remain consistent taking into consideration that February is 28 days long. The NOC reiterated that the amount was deposited into the account of the National Oil Corporation at the Libyan Foreign Bank in Tripoli, in line with the temporary arrangement to ensure the transparency of oil revenues and spending. LIBYAN EXPRESS
UNHCR: Libyan Coast Guard rescued over 3,000 migrants, refugees in 2021
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has confirmed that the Libyan Coast Guard managed to rescue or return to shores around 3,170 migrants and refugees since the beginning of this year. The UN organization indicated in its report that the total number of people disembarked in Libya amounted to 2,613 men, 264 women, and 293 children, noting that most of them were from African countries. According to the report, 4,039 asylum seekers and migrants are currently housing immigration centres in Libya, of which 858 of them are covered by the mandate of the Commission. LIBYA OBSERVER
USEFUL INFORMATION
List of holidays in Libya 2021
| Date | Day | Name | Type |
| 17 Feb | Wednesday | Libyan Revolution Day | Public Holiday |
| 1 May | Saturday | May Day | Public Holiday |
| 13 May | Thursday | Eid al-Fitr | Public Holiday |
| 14 May | Friday | Eid al-Fitr Holiday | Public Holiday |
| 15 May | Saturday | Eid al-Fitr Holiday | Public Holiday |
| 19 Jul | Monday | Day of Arafah | Public Holiday |
| 20 Jul | Tuesday | Eid al-Adha | Public Holiday |
| 21 Jul | Wednesday | Eid al-Adha | Public Holiday |
| 22 Jul | Thursday | Eid al-Adha | Public Holiday |
| 10 Aug | Tuesday | Muharram | Public Holiday |
| 16 Sep | Thursday | Martyrs’ Day | Public Holiday |
| 19 Oct | Tuesday | The Prophet’s Birthday | Public Holiday |
| 23 Oct | Saturday | Liberation Day | Public Holiday |
| 24 Dec | Friday | Independence Day | Public Holiday |
Exchange rates – Libyan Dinar
According to our most recent information (15th March 2021) the Libyan Dinar has the following exchange rates.
The exchange rate from your own bank or Credit Card Company will differ somewhat from the exchange rates as mentioned above. Your bank or Credit Card Company might also apply additional international charges.
LIBYA SECURITY & RISK LEVELS
Do not travel to Libya due to COVID-19, crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict.
Crime levels in Libya remain high, including the threat of kidnapping for ransom. Westerners and U.S. citizens have been targets of these crimes.
Terrorist groups continue plotting attacks in Libya. Violent extremist activity in Libya remains high, and extremist groups have made threats against citizens. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, hotels, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and government facilities.
Outbreaks of violence between competing armed groups can occur with little warning and have the potential to impact citizens. The capital, Tripoli, and other cities, such as Surman, Al-Jufra, Misrata, Ajdabiya, Benghazi, Sabha, and Dernah, have witnessed fighting among armed groups, as well as terrorist attacks. Hotels and airports frequented by Westerners have been the targets of these attacks. Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence.
For the latest advice from the Libyan government, please visit the National Centre of Disease Control (NCDC) webpage at ncdc.org.ly/Ar/
If you decide to travel to Libya:
- Carry proof of citizenship and valid immigration status at all times.
- Avoid demonstrations and crowds.
- Make contingency plans to leave.
- Establish your own personal security plan in coordination with your employer or host organisation or consider consulting with a professional security organization.
- Develop a communication plan with family and/or your employer or host organization.
LIBYA INCIDENT MAPPING: 09 – 16 MARCH 21
LIBYA – SIGNIFICANT INCIDENTS IN DETAIL
Eastern Libya forces say arrested top Daesh figure
Forces loyal to Libyan eastern commander Khalifa Haftar announced Sunday the arrest of top Daesh figure in the south of the North African country.
The eastern-based marshal’s forces led an operation in the southern desert town of Ubari targeting the “most prominent leader” of Daesh in Libya, Mohamed Miloud Mohamed, who goes by Abu Omar, leading his arrest, said a statement by Haftar’s spokesman Ahmad Al-Mesmari. Abu Omar was among the top Daesh leaders in Libya when the group took control of the central coastal city of Sirte in 2015, the statement added.
The militants made Sirte a stronghold where they trained fighters and orchestrated attacks, including killing scores of foreign tourists in neighbouring Tunisia, before they were driven out of the Libyan city in 2016. Daesh gained a foothold in Libya amid the chaos that reigned in the country after dictator Muammar Qaddafi was toppled and killed in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011. Described as a “dangerous terrorist”, Abu Omar had “close ties” with Abu Moaz Al-Iraqi, the head of Daesh in Libya, who was killed last September by pro-Haftar forces, Mesmari’s statement said. Abu Omar is also accused of having abducted in 2015 four Italian engineers, who were freed after payment of a ransom estimated at four million euros it added.
UN urges withdrawal of foreign forces, mercenaries from Libya
The United Nations Security Council has called for the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya “without further delay” in an unanimously approved declaration.
It also welcomed the Libyan parliament’s approval of a new unified government on Wednesday, which is set to lead the North African country to December elections after a decade of conflict following the removal of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. “The Security Council calls on all parties to implement the ceasefire agreement in full and urges member states to respect and support the full implementation of the agreement,” the statement on Friday approved by all 15 council members said.
According to the global body, about 20,000 foreign troops and mercenaries remained in Libya at the end of 2020, and no withdrawals have been observed since. “The Security Council calls for full compliance with the UN arms embargo by all member states, in line with the relevant Security Council resolutions,” the text said. Experts say the embargo has been repeatedly violated. Libya, a major oil producer, has been mired in conflict since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising against Gaddafi.
REGIONAL REPORTED INCIDENT NUMBERS: 09 – 16 MARCH 21
POLITICAL OVERVIEW
Libya’s interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah criticized on Saturday the outgoing government’s management of the coronavirus outbreak and the delayed delivery of vaccines, promising to tackle the crisis. “The people are very unhappy with the measures taken… against this illness,” said Dbeibah in the capital Tripoli at the opening of a national conference on managing the health crisis. Dbeibah was named interim premier under an UN-sponsored transitional political process and is set to be sworn in on Monday after parliament approved his proposed cabinet this week. His government is tasked with unifying the country’s divided institutions after a decade of conflict and ensuring a transition toward elections scheduled for December. ALARABIYA NEWS
Egypt’s President Sisi has stressed the importance of reaching a political settlement in Libya and has urged the country’s leaders to maintain a “Libyan-Libyan” dialogue to curb foreign interference. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said it was important to build on positive steps towards a political settlement in Libya during a phone call with the new head of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohamed Al-Menfi. Sisi also congratulated Menfi on the formation of a new executive authority in Libya and on the new government obtaining the parliament’s confidence, according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency. Menfi, during the phone call, hailed Egypt’s sincere efforts in seeking to restore security and stability in Libya. ARAB NEWS
The chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Fakih extended his congratulations to members of Libya’s newly confirmed government of national unity on receiving the vote of confidence from the Libyan parliament last week. In a statement, the African Union joined the voices of many countries and international organizations in welcoming the GNU and hailing it as a sign of change towards peace and progress in Libya after a decade of division and chaos. Fakih added that the African Union is ready to cooperate and support Libya’s new government in whichever way it can. Libya’s Government of National Unity was granted the vote of confidence by the parliament last week with an overwhelming majority. LIBYAN EXPRESS
The Libyan interim government held its first Cabinet meeting on Sunday after receiving a vote of confidence last week, and the international community continues to welcome the recent developments in the war-torn country. Headed by interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the Cabinet discussed the work plan as well as the plan that the ministers will commit to in order to establish coordination with state institutions. Consisting of 26 ministers, the government is expected to take its oath on Monday. As the government kicks off its work, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has welcomed the formation of the national unity government. In a statement early Saturday, the council stressed the importance of the “unification of Libya’s institutions, as set out in the road map agreed on by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, held in Tunis, in November 2020.” DAILY SABAH
AIRPORTS & BORDERS STATUS
