Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | President Omar al-Bashir said on Sunday that the crisis in neighbouring Libya has impacted Sudan, with human traffickers using the East African country’s territories to commit “cross-border crimes”. Speaking at a joint press conference with visiting UN-backed Libyan premier Fayez al-Sarraj, Bashir also said security …
Read More »African, EU leaders meet for migration summit
Paris, France | AFP | Leaders from seven African and European countries meet in Paris on Monday for a mini-summit to discuss how to ease the EU’s migrant crisis. French President Emmanuel Macron has invited his counterparts from Niger and Chad as well as the head of the Libyan unity …
Read More »Libya repatriates 135 Nigerian migrants
Tripoli, Libya | AFP |Libyan authorities on Thursday repatriated 135 Nigerian migrants, including women and children, who had made failed attempts to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, an official said. “We are organising… the voluntary repatriation of 135 clandestine Nigerian migrants who were rescued offshore by the coastguard,” said Hosni …
Read More »ICC issues arrest warrant for Benghazi commander
The Hague, Netherlands | AFP | International judges issued a war crimes arrest warrant Tuesday against a senior Libyan military commander, suspected of involvement in the deaths of 33 people in the war-torn city of Benghazi. “The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant of arrest for Mahmoud Mustafa Busayf Al-Werfalli, …
Read More »Moscow backs peace efforts by Libya rivals: Lavrov
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday backed the efforts of Libya’s military commander Khalifa Haftar and his rival UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj to reach a peace agreement in the conflict-ridden country. “We actively support the emerging trend to step up the process of …
Read More »Italy applauds Libya’s decision on migrant ‘search and rescue’ zone
Rome, Italy | AFP | The Italian government on Sunday welcomed Libya’s decision to bar foreign vessels from a stretch of water off its coast, a move that has prompted almost all international charities to halt migrant search and rescue operations in the area. The comments from Italian Foreign Minister Angelino …
Read More »Cash crisis pushes Libyans to virtual payments
Benghazi, Libya | AFP | When a cash crisis struck the war-torn North African country of Libya, many people were forced to queue for days to withdraw their savings. But electronic payments systems set up to tackle the dearth of cash have struggled to gain credibility amid accusations of abuse. Said …
Read More »Haftar’s Libya expels 12 Sudan diplomats
Benghazi, Libya | AFP | Authorities in eastern Libya backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar on Thursday ordered the closure of a Sudanese consulate and the expulsion of 12 diplomats, a pro-Haftar news agency announced. It said the order to shut down the mission in Kufra, an oasis in southern …
Read More »Libya’s NOC sees 1.25 mln bpd oil output by year-end
Benghazi, Libya | AFP | The head of Libya’s National Oil Company announced on Wednesday that oil production is expected to reach 1.25 million barrels per day by the end of 21017. NOC president Mustafa Sanalla said, however, that “despite a surge of more than one million bpd” oil production would …
Read More »Rival Libyan forces battle east of Tripoli
Tripoli, Libya | AFP | Forces loyal to Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord on Sunday battled rival forces in the Garabulli region east of the capital, witnesses said, drawing condemnation from the UN. Witnesses said the fighting pitted pro-GNA forces against fighters loyal to former prime minister Khalifa Ghweil …
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