Month: January 2023

Tripoli -In his congratulations to Libyans on the occasion of New Year 2023, Bathily called for making up for the lost opportunities and finding a lasting political solution that paves the way for holding elections and building sustainable peace and prosperity in Libya.

Source: Libyan News Agency

Tripoli -The US Embassy in Libya congratulated the Libyan people on the occasion of the New Year 2023, wishing to enhance the strong partnership between the two countries.

Ambassador Richard Norland spoke in Arabic in a video published by the embassy on its SMS page yesterday, saying “Happy New Year from Libya”.

For his part Deputy of US Ambassador,” Leslie Ordeman”, that year of 2022 was full of contributions in promoting cultural and educational exchange, economic development, and civil engagement throughout Libya.

“As we head into a new year we look forward to further enhancing a strong partnership with Libyans nationwide and creating a stable and prosperous future for your country,” he added.

A number of employees of the Embassy also participated in the congratulations.

Source: Libyan News Agency

Tunis -General editor-in-chief of the Libyan News Agency, Mustafa Azaiz, discussed with assistant director general of the editorial office of the Tunis Africa News Agency ,Mohamed Al-Hamdani, enhancing bilateral cooperation between the two news agencies the two brotherly countries in areas of news exchanges, organizing joint professional courses, and benefiting from practical experiences.

The meeting which was held at the headquarters of the Tunis Africa News Agency in Tunis, discussed the agreement signed between the two agencies earlier, and discussing its articles and possibility of activating it, adding amendments that are in line with the variables that contribute to expanding areas of cooperation between the two agencies, and signing it again at a date to be agreed by the officials of the two agencies.

Al-Hamdani called to implement a joint plan between the technicians of the two agencies, in principle, to enable the workers ,in the first stage, to view the daily broadcasts of the two agencies and benefit from the published news, especially the local ones, as was done with the Algerian News Agency, noting that the Tunis Africa Agency has recently suffered from high prices of subscriptions with some foreign agencies and dissolution of partnership with some of them.

For his part Azaiz stressed the Importance of making the results of this meeting practically during upcoming period, and expanding communication, especially in areas of training and qualification, and benefiting from the common experiences in the two agencies.

Source: Libyan News Agency

Tripoli- The Executive Council of the World Energy Organization approved Libya’s accession to this organization, becoming the (72nd) member state of the organization.

The Ministry of Oil and Gas confirmed in a statement that Libya’s accession to the International Energy Organization came based on the recommendation of the Ministry of Oil and Gas and the approval of the Government of National Unity under Resolution No. 976 of 2022, to join the International Energy Organization (IEF).

The ministry indicated that Libya, which joined the organization as of December 2022, will work actively and energetically in the organization as it worked in other energy organizations that it joined after its establishment and was a founding member in many of these organizations.

Source: Libyan News Agency

Libyan authorities said Sunday they have found 18 bodies buried in a mass grave in a former stronghold of the Islamic State group along the conflict-stricken North African nation’s coast.

The Missing Persons Authority said in a statement the bodies were unearthed in the Sabaa area of Sirte, a city in central Libya. The bodies were taken to a hospital, it added.

Sirte, the birthplace of former longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, fell under the control of Islamic State militants between 2015 and 2016. The militants, along with al-Qaida, gained a foothold in oil-rich Libya amid the chaos that engulfed the country after the 2011 uprising and a NATO intervention in the conflict.

The militants were eventually driven out of the city in December 2016 by Libyan forces supported by the U.S. and allied with the U.N.-backed government in the capital Tripoli. Hundreds of alleged former Islamic State fighters remain incarcerated in Libyan prisons, many of whom are awaiting trial.

Since Gadhafi’s overthrow and killing, Libya has been split between rival authorities. Sirte is now controlled by forces loyal to military leader Khalifa Haftar based in the country’s east.

In its statement, the Missing Persons Authority said they collected samples of the dead bones in an effort to identify the bodies. Further details on the cause of death for those found were not provided.

Several mass graves have been uncovered across Libya recently. In October, officials said they found 42 bodies in a mass grave at a school site in Sirte.

In December 2018, the bodies of more than 30 men were discovered near Sirte, believed to be the corpses of a group of Ethiopian Christians whom Islamic State fighters executed in a video the group published years earlier.

In the western town of Tarhuna, hundreds of corpses have been uncovered across several graves after militia fighters loyal to Haftar retreated from the area in June 2020.

Source: Voice of America

Cairo: A vessel carrying at least 700 migrants was intercepted off the eastern coast of Libya, the coast guard said. It was one of the largest interceptions in recent months of migrants seeking a better life in Europe through the war-torn North African country.

The coast guard said the boat was stopped Friday off the Mediterranean town of Moura, 90 kilometers (56 miles) west of the eastern city of Benghazi, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

It said in a statement that the migrants hail from different nations and that those who illegally entered Libya would be handed over to their home countries.

The statement did not provide further details.

The coast guard posted images on Facebook showing a large, overcrowded vessel with most of those on board appearing to be young people.

It was one of the largest interceptions in recent months of migrants sailing to Europe, a destination for thousands fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa.

In August last year, Italian military vessels aided a boat crammed with 539 migrants off the southern island of Lampedusa. The boat was launched from Libyan shores.

Source: Bahrain News Agency