Libya Weekly Dispatch | March 10 to March 16

Welcome to the Weekly Dispatch by Libya Desk. Every week, we send out a summary of the top stories in Libya based on exclusive research and analysis featured in our Political Risk and Energy Insights series. Contact us if you require deeper insights.

Summary: Weekly Political Risk Dossier, Issue #11-23

Published Friday, March 17

International Affairs

• Clarifications on the SRSG’s plan:?Early in the week, the Special Representative to the Secretary General (SRSG) gave a press conference outlining his latest efforts to resolve the Libyan crisis and clarifying how he plans to go forward with his initiative to deliver elections in Libya.

Security Threats

• The rise of intra-militia tensions in Tripoli:?Following previous assessments of possible increase in intra-militia tensions within the western region, this week saw those tensions reach a new level as central Tripoli witnessed a military standoff between the Government of National Unity’s (GNU) Ministry of Interior forces and the Directorate for Combating Illegal Immigration’s Commander (DCIM).

Conflict Sensitivity & Social Cohesion

• Bathily and the 5+5 Joint Military Commission continue to move forward:?This week saw the Security Working Group hold a new round of meetings in Tunisia under the auspices of UNSMIL. This time, the 5+5 JMC was joined by their respective Chiefs of Staff as well as key security commanders. The 5+5 JMC issued a productive statement, making it UNSMIL’s most notable step forward in over a year.

• The GNU moves to implement legal decision against Libyan civil society and international NGOs:?The GNU issued instructions to implement a controversial Higher Judicial Council’s (HJC) legal opinion to dissolve all civil society organisations (CSOs) not registered in accordance with Law No. 19 (2011). This move comes at a critical time as the SRSG figures out his plan to see through elections in 2023 and also impacts the activities of international non-governmental organisations.

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