Latest news with #NATO-backed
Libya Review
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Libya Review
Libya Deports 97 Egyptian Migrants
Libya's Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency has deported 97 undocumented Egyptian migrants through the Al-Emsaad land border crossing, following the completion of all necessary legal procedures. The operation was conducted under the direct supervision of Major General Ibrahim Larabed, Head of the Al-Butnan Branch of the agency. In a brief statement, the agency reaffirmed its firm commitment to implementing strict measures aimed at identifying violators, dismantling smuggling networks, and safeguarding Libya's national security and sovereignty. This move reflects ongoing efforts by Libyan authorities to control irregular migration routes, which often pass through the country on their way to Europe. Libya remains one of the main transit points for migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean, with many falling prey to traffickers and dangerous conditions. The agency reiterated that similar operations will continue in coordination with relevant security bodies to combat illegal immigration across Libyan territory. Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations. Libya's economy, heavily reliant on oil, has suffered due to the ongoing conflict. The instability has led to fluctuations in oil production and prices, impacting the global oil market and Libya's economy. The conflict has led to a significant humanitarian crisis in Libya, with thousands of people killed, and many more displaced. Migrants and refugees using Libya as a transit point to Europe have also faced dire conditions. The planned elections for December 2021 were delayed due to disagreements over election laws and the eligibility of certain candidates. This delay has raised concerns about the feasibility of a peaceful political transition. Despite the ceasefire, security remains a significant concern with sporadic fighting and the presence of mercenaries and foreign fighters. The unification of the military and the removal of foreign forces are crucial challenges.
Libya Review
a day ago
- Business
- Libya Review
Libya Begins Preliminary Work on Ajdabiya International Stadium
Libya's National Development Authority has officially launched preliminary construction work on the Ajdabiya International Stadium, as part of the country's Libya 2030 strategic vision. In a statement, the Authority said the project is a key component of the national plan to enhance sports infrastructure, with support from the General Command. The stadium is envisioned as a comprehensive sports environment aimed at strengthening the youth and sports sector, discovering and nurturing local talent, and contributing to social development and community stability through sports. Officials emphasized that the initiative reflects the broader objective of using sports as a tool for societal growth, cohesion, and long-term stability in Libya. Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations. Libya's economy, heavily reliant on oil, has suffered due to the ongoing conflict. The instability has led to fluctuations in oil production and prices, impacting the global oil market and Libya's economy. The conflict has led to a significant humanitarian crisis in Libya, with thousands of people killed, and many more displaced. Migrants and refugees using Libya as a transit point to Europe have also faced dire conditions. The planned elections for December 2021 were delayed due to disagreements over election laws and the eligibility of certain candidates. This delay has raised concerns about the feasibility of a peaceful political transition. Despite the ceasefire, security remains a significant concern with sporadic fighting and the presence of mercenaries and foreign fighters. The unification of the military and the removal of foreign forces are crucial challenges. Tags: AjdabiyaAjdabiya International Stadiumlibya
Libya Review
2 days ago
- Business
- Libya Review
Solar & Wind Projects Planned Across Libya's Oil Facilities
Libya's Minister of Oil and Gas, Khalifa Rajab Abdulsadiq, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Renewable Energy Authority in Tripoli aimed at promoting the adoption of clean energy technologies in the country's oil sector. The agreement, signed by Acting Chairman of the Renewable Energy Authority, Aseel Younes, focuses on expanding cooperation in renewable energy and energy efficiency, including joint solar and wind energy projects at oil production sites and technical knowledge sharing between the two sides. A National Push for Cleaner Energy Mix According to the ministry, the MoU includes coordinated efforts to align national energy policies, support a balanced energy mix, and develop training and awareness programs that contribute to reducing emissions and enhancing the environmental performance of the oil and gas industry. As part of the agreement, a joint technical committee will be formed to oversee project implementation and draft a detailed action plan, while also seeking international funding opportunities tied to renewable energy development. This step marks a notable shift in Libya's energy strategy, aligning with global trends toward sustainability and low-carbon development, while leveraging the country's vast solar and wind potential. Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations. Libya's economy, heavily reliant on oil, has suffered due to the ongoing conflict. The instability has led to fluctuations in oil production and prices, impacting the global oil market and Libya's economy. The conflict has led to a significant humanitarian crisis in Libya, with thousands of people killed, and many more displaced. Migrants and refugees using Libya as a transit point to Europe have also faced dire conditions. The planned elections for December 2021 were delayed due to disagreements over election laws and the eligibility of certain candidates. This delay has raised concerns about the feasibility of a peaceful political transition. Despite the ceasefire, security remains a significant concern with sporadic fighting and the presence of mercenaries and foreign fighters. The unification of the military and the removal of foreign forces are crucial challenges. Tags: Clean EnergylibyaoilRenewable Energy
Nahar Net
2 days ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Libya commander Haftar seeks to force international engagement
by Naharnet Newsdesk 21 July 2025, 17:43 Libya's eastern authorities recently expelled a senior European delegation in a move analysts say was meant to send a message: the unrecognized administration backed by military leader Khalifa Haftar cannot be ignored. On July 8, an EU commissioner and ministers from Greece, Italy and Malta were in Libya to discuss irregular migration from the North African country. Their visit was divided in two, as is Libya, which is still grappling with the aftermath of the armed conflict and political chaos that followed the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The delegation first visited the capital Tripoli, seat of the internationally recognized Libyan government of Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah. They then travelled to Benghazi, in the east, where a rival administration backed by Haftar and his clan is based, and with whom the EU has generally avoided direct contact. Almost immediately, a reported disagreement prompted the eastern authorities to accuse the European delegation of a "flagrant breach of diplomatic norms", ordering the visiting dignitaries to leave. In Brussels, the European Commission admitted a "protocol issue". Tarek Megerisi, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank, said the scene at the airport "was a calculated move". Haftar was playing to EU fears of irregular migration in order "to generate de facto European recognition", and thus "broaden relations with Europe away from just engagement with him as a local military leader". Turning the delegation away showed that declining to engage with the eastern civilian administration was no longer an option. - 'Punish Athens' - The complex situation in Libya has required unusual diplomacy. European governments recognize and work with the Tripoli-based government and not the eastern administration, but still hold contact with Haftar's military forces. In their visit earlier this month, the European commissioner and ministers were meant to meet with eastern military officials. But once at the Benghazi airport, they saw "there were people there that we had not agreed to meet", a European official in Brussels told journalists on condition of anonymity. "We had to fly back," the official said, adding that "of course" it was linked to recognition of the eastern government. Claudia Gazzini, a Libya expert at the International Crisis Group, said she did not believe "it was a premeditated incident". But "the question does present itself as to why" ministers from the eastern government were at the airport in the first place, and why Haftar would let it play out the way it did, she said. "We can't completely rule out that there was some particular issue or bilateral disagreement with one of the countries represented in the delegation," Gazzini added. Libya expert Jalel Harchaoui suggested Greece may have been the target. On July 6, two days before the axed visit, "the Greek foreign minister had come to demand concessions on migration and maritime (issues) without offering any tangible incentives", Harchaoui said. Despite Haftar's personal involvement, the July 6 visit "had yielded nothing", added the expert. Then, on July 8, "a Greek representative -- this time as part of an EU delegation -- wanted to negotiate on the same day with the rival Tripoli government, placing the two governments on an equal footing", he said. This was "an affront in Benghazi's view", Harchaoui said, and the administration wanted to "punish Athens". - Legitimacy - To Harchaoui, the diplomatic flap was a sign not to "underestimate" the Haftars' foreign policy. "The Haftar family is an absolutely essential actor" in tackling the influx of migrants or, for example, advancing energy projects, due to its key role in securing Libya's eastern coast, said Harchaoui. The message delivered at the Benghazi airport "is clear: take the eastern faction seriously", he added. Harchaoui said that the Haftars, already "rich in cash and strong" in terms of strategic assets, have recently increased efforts to "consolidate their legitimacy". Haftar himself was hosted in February by French President Emmanuel Macron, and in May by Russia's Vladimir Putin. And Haftar's son, Saddam, recently visited the United States, Turkey, Italy and Niger. Even Ankara, which has provided support for the Tripoli-based government in repelling attacks from the east, "is now seeking to further profit off the Haftars through things like construction projects", said Megerisi. He added that Turkey also has wider geopolitical ambitions, hoping to see the Haftars endorse a maritime border agreement in the eastern Mediterranean, which Tripoli had already signed but Athens regards as illegal.
Euractiv
2 days ago
- Politics
- Euractiv
France to manufacture drones in Ukraine following foreign minister's visit
French companies will begin manufacturing drones in Ukraine, officials announced on Monday following a meeting between French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. "We are ready to expand joint defens[c]e production," Zelenskyy posted on X. "There is a decision by French companies to begin manufacturing drones in Ukraine – and this is highly valuable," he added. Barrot, in a separate post, confirmed the move: 'French drones will be built on Ukrainian soil.' He added: 'That's what sovereignty and strategic trust look like.' The announcement came during Barrot's two-day visit to Kyiv, aimed at reaffirming France's continued support for Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing invasion. Just hours earlier, Russia launched one of its largest assaults on Ukraine in recent months. The attack killed two people and wounded 15, including a 12-year-old, Zelenskyy said in a separate post. In a statement following the meeting, Zelenskyy said the two also discussed broader defence cooperation, including air defence capabilities, training Ukrainian troops, and the outcomes of recent Ramstein-format meetings. Barrot is also expected to have separate meetings with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andriy Sybiga, and the new Prime Minister, Yulia Svyrydenko. The visit coincided with a video meeting of defence ministers from the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG), where participating countries pledged to improve coordination and strengthen NATO-backed support for Kyiv, according to a NATO press release. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that, as announced last week, he and US President Donald Trump would boost support for Ukraine by unlocking additional US defence assets that NATO allies can contribute to. "We continue to work through the new initiative that enables Allies new access to purchase US equipment for Ukraine via NATO," Rutte posted on X. The meeting was led by British Defense Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich also took part. Ukraine's new Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal called on the US to release air defence systems for purchase and urged European allies to finance the procurement, under the plan proposed by Trump. (aw)
