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A delegation from the Libya Africa Investment Portfolio (LAIP) met with Mozambican officers in Maputo yesterday to advance its rice undertaking within the nation.

During discussions on the Investment and Export Promotion Agency headquarters, officers reviewed plans for the undertaking, together with a proposal for brand spanking new land allocation with completely different soil and water traits than the unique web site.

The delegation additionally held conferences with Mozambique’s Attorney General to debate authorized procedures associated to the undertaking’s cultivation, processing, and packaging parts.

The Libyan Embassy in Maputo participated within the discussions between the 2 events.

LAIP representatives reviewed the proposed new web site situations through the conferences.

The discussions addressed implementation points of the bilateral agricultural undertaking, with additional particulars anticipated to comply with.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Mozambique has 36 million hectares of arable land, with roughly 15% below cultivation. The nation’s water assets embody the Zambezi, Limpopo, and Save river methods, whereas its 2,700 km shoreline gives entry to maritime commerce routes.

The nation serves as a transit level for landlocked Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi, and holds membership within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Its inhabitants exceeds 30 million.

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah carried out an official go to to Turkey on Wednesday, assembly with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the Presidential Palace in Ankara to strengthen ties between the 2 nations.

During the high-level assembly, our Premier mentioned methods to reinforce financial and commerce partnerships with Turkey, alongside safety cooperation that serves Libya’s stability. The talks addressed a number of regional developments and mutual pursuits between the 2 Mediterranean nations.

PM Dbeibah introduced the federal government’s ongoing efforts to realize stability and complete improvement in Libya. President Erdogan, for his half, confirmed Turkey’s continued help for these nationwide initiatives.

Our Premier emphasised the strategic significance of this go to, expressing the federal government’s appreciation for Turkish help throughout varied sectors, significantly in political and financial domains. He famous that bilateral cooperation stays important for Libya’s sustainable improvement targets.

Minister of State for Communication and Political Affairs Walid Al-Lafi accompanied the Premier in the course of the go to, taking part in discussions geared toward strengthening diplomatic channels between Tripoli and Ankara.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) of Libya has confirmed a gradual enhance in oil manufacturing charges, with all fields working easily and manufacturing exceeding 1.4 million barrels per day, in keeping with an announcement launched immediately.

The NOC assured that Libya’s income stream stays uninterrupted, with the most recent switch to the Central Bank amounting to $900m. The company maintains that there aren’t any issues concerning income flows, regardless of latest fluctuations.

However, monetary information reveals a notable decline in annual revenues. The NOC reported whole revenues of $26.120bn in 2024, down from $31.132bn in 2023 – a lower of $5.012bn. Transfers to the General Treasury dropped to $15.887bn, marking a $6.4bn lower from 2023’s $22.3bn.

The Ministry attributed the income decline to a number of components:
– A discount in oil manufacturing by roughly 36 million barrels attributable to area and port closures
– Lower common Brent crude costs all year long
– Increased gas import prices of roughly $500m attributable to greater shopper demand
– Recurring shutdowns on the Zawiya refinery, forcing the company to hunt various provide sources

The NOC defined that 2023’s greater figures included roughly $2.4bn in backdated revenues from earlier years, which contributed to the obvious year-over-year decline.

According to the Central Bank of Libya’s report, whole overseas forex revenues reached $21.8bn ($18.6bn in direct revenues plus $3.2bn from investments), while expenditures totalled $27bn, leading to a overseas forex deficit of $5.2bn.

The NOC reaffirmed its dedication to transparency, pledging to keep up open disclosure of data concerning Libya’s nationwide assets, no matter circumstances.

The Turkish Ambassador to Libya, Guven Begich, held a sequence of conferences with jap Libyan officers on Monday, starting in Al-Qubba earlier than travelling to Benghazi.

Parliament spokesman Abdullah Blihaq reported that Ambassador Begich met with House Speaker Aguila Saleh to debate bilateral developments and cooperation.

Whilst in Benghazi, the ambassador convened with a number of officers, together with Civil Aviation Minister Hisham Abu Shakiwat and the pinnacle of the municipality’s govt council. Their discussions encompassed potential Turkish Airlines operations to Benghazi and enterprise cooperation prospects.

The Secretary-General of the General Command, Lt Gen Khairi Al-Tamimi, additionally obtained the ambassador. In an announcement, Al-Tamimi famous their talks centred on mutual cooperation.

The go to included discussions relating to infrastructure improvement and financial partnerships between Turkish and native enterprises. Earlier cooperation between the areas comprised varied initiatives till 2014.

Any resumption of Turkish Airlines flights to Benghazi would require customary aviation authorisation and regulatory approval.

The United Nations mission in Libya has introduced in an official assertion a complete new political initiative centred round six key components aimed toward paving the best way for nationwide elections.

At a press briefing, UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) officers outlined the core elements of the plan, which embody the institution of an advisory committee, authorities unification efforts, complete dialogue initiatives, financial reforms, safety sector integration, and nationwide reconciliation measures.

The proposed advisory committee will comprise not more than 30 members, with ladies assured not less than 30 per cent illustration.

According to mission officers, this committee’s major mandate will probably be to handle contentious points inside the 6+6 legal guidelines and develop an electoral roadmap.

Officials emphasised that the advisory committee just isn’t meant to switch current governmental our bodies, together with the House of Representatives and State Council. Instead, it can serve in a consultative capability, growing proposals for presidency unification and addressing the long run function of the Presidential Council.

The mission clarified that while the committee is not going to immediately type the brand new authorities, it can set up the mandatory requirements, frameworks, and ensures for its formation. This distinction underscores the committee’s function as a facilitator reasonably than an govt physique.

A senior delegation from the Libya Africa Investment Portfolio (LAIP) has arrived in Maputo, Mozambique’s capital, in search of to get well management of a major agricultural funding.

The delegation, led by Mustafa Abu Fanas, LAIP’s Board Chairman, contains key officers: Bashir Musa, who heads the Portfolio’s subsidiary LAP Overseas, and Salem Kazouz, Director of Contributions and Evaluation.

The Libyan Ambassador to Mozambique, Saleh Al-Buaishi, welcomed the delegation alongside embassy personnel. In attendance was Gil Birch from Mozambique’s Investment and Export Promotion Agency (AIPEX), signalling the federal government’s engagement within the discussions.

The go to marks a vital step in ongoing diplomatic efforts between LAIP and Mozambican authorities regarding a 20,000-hectare rice cultivation mission.

The facility, seized by Mozambican officers in late 2020, has been the topic of intensive negotiations spearheaded by Ambassador Al-Buaishi.

LAIP, established in 2006, operates as a world funding automobile geared toward creating a various portfolio throughout a number of sectors and geographical areas. LAIP’s technique centres on producing sustainable, long-term returns via strategic investments in varied markets.

Russia is racing to salvage what it may possibly from a strategic nightmare. With its longstanding ally Bashar al-Assad ousted from energy in Syria on 8 December, Moscow is now betting closely on Libya as its new foothold within the area – but it surely’s discovering that nothing within the Middle East is ever simple.

The stakes couldn’t be larger for Russia. Its prized navy bases on Syria’s Mediterranean coast – very important launching pads for operations stretching from the Middle East deep into Africa – are actually within the steadiness. Whilst Syria’s new chief, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is making pleasant overtures about wanting Russia to remain, calling it “an important country” and insisting “we do not want Russia to leave Syria in the way that some wish”, the Kremlin isn’t taking any probabilities.

“Think of it as Russia’s survival instinct kicking in”, says Jalel Harchaoui, who displays the area carefully at London’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). “They’re desperately trying to shore up their position in Libya to make up for what they’re losing in Syria.”

A Hurried Build-up

The indicators of Russia’s pivot to Libya are in all places. Russian forces are backing Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who controls japanese Libya, in his stand-off towards the UN-recognised Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli. The Swiss investigative consortium “All Eyes on Wagner” has tracked Russian actions at about ten areas throughout Libya, with navy gear deliveries to the port of Tobruk documented in February and April of final yr.

The numbers inform the story: Russian troops in Libya jumped from 800 in February 2024 to 1,800 by May. Ukrainian intelligence added to the image on 3 January, claiming Moscow deliberate “to use Sparta and Sparta II cargo ships to transport military equipment and weapons” to Libya.

Perhaps most telling was an 18 December Wall Street Journal report, citing Libyan and American officers, that caught Russia transferring a few of its most superior air defence techniques – together with S-300 and S-400 missiles – from Syria to Libya. Since Assad’s fall, based on Harchaoui, “a notable volume of Russian military resources has been shipped to Libya from Belarus and Russia” alongside troop transfers.

Not Like Syria

But Russia is rapidly studying that Libya isn’t Syria mark two. “Syria was perfect for them”, explains Ulf Laessing, who runs the Sahel programme on the Konrad Adenauer Foundation from Bamako. “No Western diplomats poking about, no journalists asking questions – they could do whatever they wanted. Libya’s different. Everything happens in the open there.”

The political labyrinth in Libya can also be much more advanced than what Russia handled in Syria. Turkey backs the GNU in Tripoli, while Egypt and the United Arab Emirates keep ties with Haftar. Even Turkey has been warming to Haftar currently, exploring enterprise offers and diplomatic ties.

Washington’s Warning Signs

The Americans aren’t sitting idle both. Multiple sources verify they’ve been making an attempt to persuade Haftar to not let Russia arrange a everlasting base in Tobruk – one thing Moscow has coveted since 2023.

“Russia isn’t just swapping one friend for another”, explains Emadeddin Badi on the Atlantic Council. “They’re trying to keep their strategy alive. Just as Assad gave them a platform to challenge NATO and test their military kit, they see Haftar as their ticket to disrupting Western influence and expanding their reach into Africa.”

Learning the Hard Way

Even some Russian voices are calling for a extra nuanced strategy this time spherical. “We can’t make the same mistake we made in Syria, putting all our chips on one strongman without a backup plan”, warns Vlad Shlepchenko, who writes for the pro-Kremlin outlet Tsargrad.

Libya has been cut up in two since NATO helped topple Muammar Gaddafi in February 2011, and the state of affairs stays fraught. The Tripoli authorities and Italy, Libya’s former colonial energy, have expressed critical issues about Russian actions, which each the European Union and NATO are watching carefully.

“Russia’s going to find out there are limits to what they can pull off in Libya”, Laessing notes. It’s a sobering actuality examine for an influence that’s studying the exhausting method: in right this moment’s Middle East, nothing comes simply – not even for Russia.

A complete French evaluation has revealed Paris’s complicated wrestle to keep up affect in Libya’s political transition, highlighting the nation’s dramatic fall from being Libya’s second-largest financial accomplice pre-2011 to a marginal eighth place right now.

The findings recommend France could also be getting ready to realign its diplomatic stance throughout the UN Security Council, significantly specializing in three important threats going through the North African nation: potential relapse into civil struggle, systemic corruption, and rising Russian affect.

The revelations come amid the high-profile corruption trial of former President Nicolas Sarkozy, as detailed in an investigative report by La Croix. Sarkozy faces allegations of orchestrating a “corruption pact” with the late Libyan chief Muammar Gaddafi to finance his 2007 presidential marketing campaign. This authorized drama unfolds as a stark reminder of France’s diminishing affect in a area the place it as soon as wielded appreciable diplomatic and financial clout.

“For most French observers, including experts, Libya remains frozen in 2011,” notes Jalel Harchaoui, a senior researcher on the Institute for Defense and Security Studies. “Meanwhile, non-Western powers have steadily filled the vacuum.” This commentary is supported by financial information: French commerce now represents a mere 3% of Libya’s worldwide commerce, a dramatic decline from its former place as Libya’s second-largest oil buyer after Italy.

French affect has seen a number of pivotal shifts. Under François Hollande’s presidency, Paris formally aligned with UN initiatives, significantly backing the Government of National Unity in Tripoli. However, behind diplomatic curtains, France maintained connections with Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, first by means of then-Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and later below President Emmanuel Macron’s administration.

A major diplomatic pivot occurred following the failed 2019 offensive on Tripoli by Haftar’s forces. By March 2021, President Macron made an unprecedented acknowledgment of French accountability for Libya’s decade of instability, stating, “We owe it to Libya, very clearly after a decade of chaos.” While critics view this admission as a belated try to regain affect in a territory now dominated by different worldwide actors, some consultants see a possibility for diplomatic renewal.

Harchaoui means that France’s everlasting seat on the UN Security Council might nonetheless show instrumental in shaping Libya’s future, supplied Paris can forge a coherent technique with key Western allies together with the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and the United States. The focus, he argues, needs to be on addressing the triple risk of endemic corruption, Russian interference, and the looming specter of renewed battle.

The scenario underscores a broader narrative of shifting international energy dynamics and the challenges going through conventional Western influences in areas the place they as soon as held sway. As France contemplates its future function in Libya, the success of any renewed engagement could rely upon its potential to adapt to this new geopolitical actuality whereas successfully addressing the instant threats to Libya’s stability.

Libya’s First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives has sharply criticised the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), dismissing worldwide mediation efforts as ‘ineffective’ and ‘time-wasting’.

‘The UN Mission has merely contributed to recycling crises and prolonging their duration’, Fawzi Al-Nuwairi mentioned in a current assertion. He dismissed worldwide mediation makes an attempt as ‘yet another link in the chain of failures’ that has characterised UN intervention in Libya.

Al-Nuwairi emphasised {that a} sustainable answer should emanate from inside Libya itself. ‘The repeated failure of UN envoys provides conclusive evidence that the solution will not come from abroad’, he mentioned, advocating for a domestically-driven peace course of.

The senior parliamentarian known as for nationwide restoration via free and truthful elections, institution of a everlasting structure, and implementation of complete nationwide reconciliation.

‘True reconciliation is the sole path to restore national unity and prevent foreign interference’, Al-Nuwairi mentioned. He urged Libyan stakeholders to unite in rebuilding state establishments ‘on legitimate foundations’ and restoring nationwide sovereignty.

Libya has grappled with political instability for the reason that 2011 rebellion. Multiple UN-backed peace initiatives, led by UNSMIL, have failed to supply lasting stability. The nation stays divided between the internationally recognised Government of National Unity in Tripoli and the rival administration within the jap area.

The parliamentary chief’s remarks come amid rising frustration amongst Libyan politicians with worldwide mediation efforts, which have but to yield a transparent path in direction of nationwide elections or constitutional reform.