Niger is reopening its borders with several of its neighbours a week after a coup that has shocked West Africa's Sahel region, one of the poorest and most unstable in the world. "The land and air borders with Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Libya and Chad are re-opened from today, August 1, 2023," junta spokesman Colonel Amadou Abdramane said in a televised address. The junta closed the borders last Wednesday when it announced it had removed democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum from power. But the juntas of neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali voiced their support for the coup's leaders and said any outside intervention to restore the ousted government would be seen as a declaration of war. That declaration by Mali and Burkina Faso on Monday night suggested a new alliance might be forming in opposition to the rest of the 15-member-state bloc.

LIBYA: Over 385 Pakistanis, including children, were rescued from the captivity of human traffickers in Libya, according to a report released on Wednesday. The Pakistani immigrants were held by human traffickers for ransom and were rescued by security authorities in eastern Libya through raids at their warehouse, the report stated. According to Al-Abreen, a group that helps migrants in Libya, the Pakistani nationals were released from traffickers’ warehouse in the Al-Khair area, which is about eight kilometers south of the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk, earlier this week. The report further stated that these Pakistani migrants arrived in Libya with the intention of going to Europe but were detained by traffickers.

The Spanish Ambassador expressed his country’s readiness to support the event, stressing his interest that Spanish companies take a major role in this 2023 edition. The strong role of Spain’s companies in supporting Libya’s economic growth, and their participation in the Libya Energy & Economic Summit 2023, will complement their presence at the previous summit in 2021. The Ambassador congratulated the organizers on a successful 2021 summit and highlighted that renewable energy in particular would be a focus area for Spain and its companies in this year’s event. For more information about participation as an official delegation at the Libya Energy & Economic Summit 2023, contact the conference director at james@energycapitalpower.com. Contact the Energy Capital & Power sales team at sales@energycapitalpower.com for sponsorship options or talk to the registration team at register@energycapitalpower.com to get your delegate tickets.

UN envoy to Libya Abdoulaye Bathily discussed on Tuesday with Libyan lawyers how they can play a role in creating an implementable legal framework for inclusive national elections, according to Bathily. “Today, I met with lawyers from various regions of Libya at the headquarters of the Libyan Bar Association in Tripoli,” Bathily tweeted.

Oil prices surged on Wednesday, trading near their highest levels since April, according to Reuters. Brent crude futures for October were up 44 cents, or 0.5%, to $85.35 a barrel by 0949 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for September climbed 48 cents, or 0.6%, to $81.85 a barrel.

In Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, On Sunday, four policemen, including a Senior Officer were shot dead at a heavily fortified security area, and 2 security officials reported that 21 other forces got injured by the shooting at the National Security Headquarters in El-Arish, i.e; the Capital City Of North Sinai Province. Moreover, it was observed by the Associated Press that not only did the forces suffer from gunshots, but some were even victims of breathing difficulties due to the tear gas that they were exposed to. Furthermore, 8 of these officers that were severely wounded expressed this news anonymously, since they didn’t have authority over the media. Therefore, nobody knows the real reason behind such an outbreak, and neither did the Interior Ministry, which oversees the police force, pass any comments relating to this catastrophic incident. However, if we delve into the history of North Sinai, so we will find out that there has been a battle going on for the past year between the Islamist militants and the Christian forces.

Hundreds of Pakistanis rescued from captivity of human traffickers in Libya. Photo: facebook/@مؤسسة العابرين لمساعدة المهاجرين والخدمات الإنسانيةMore than 385 Pakistanis, including children, were rescued from the captivity of human traffickers in Libya, it was reported on Wednesday. According to details, these Pakistani immigrants were held by human traffickers for ransom and were rescued by security authorities in eastern Libya through raids at their warehouse. Read Pakistan starts DNA testing to identify boat victimsIt was also reported that these Pakistani migrants arrived in Libya with the intention of going to Europe but were detained by traffickers. Libya has become a major launching point for migrants seeking to reach Europe via a dangerous route across the desert and over the Mediterranean.

United States Court of Appeals for the Second CircuitArbitrabilityDe novo reviewOlin Holdings Ltd. V. State of Libya22-825-cvJudges Calabresi, Lohier, and KahnBackground: The respondent appealed from a judgment that confirmed an arbitration award under a bilateral investment treaty between Libya and the Republic of Cyprus and denying Libya’s cross-motion to dismiss on forum non conveniens grounds. On appeal, the respondent argues that it was error to decline to independently review the arbitrability of the petitioner’s claims before confirming the final award. Ruling: The Second Circuit affirmed. The court held that the respondent was not entitled to de novo review of the arbitral tribunal’s decision because it clearly and unmistakably agreed to submit questions of arbitrability to the arbitrators in the first instance. Kevin A. Meehan, of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle, for the respondent-appellant; James E. Berger and John C. Canoni, of DLA Piper, for the petitioner-appellee.

Migrants of different nationalities are led ashore following their rescue at sea by the Libyan Coast Guard, on April 25, 2023. — AFPLibyan security authorities conducted a rescue operation during an overnight raid freeing up to 385 migrants from Pakistan held in trafficking warehouses. Esreiwa Salah, an Al-Abreen activist, informed AP that the Pakistani migrants arrived in Libya with the intention to move towards their ultimate destination, Europe. In June this year, a marine vessel carrying around 700 migrants, including roughly 350 Pakistanis, capsized off the Greek coast. Only 104 people were rescued during an operation by local authorities, and 12 among them were survivors from Pakistan.

BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan authorities have recovered a large bronze wolf statue that once sat atop a pillar in central Benghazi before disappearing decades ago, found on a farm whose owner said he bought the sculpture as scrap. Bourabida, 80, kept the statue, a replica of the famous Capitoline Wolf sculpture that depicts a legendary scene of ancient Rome, in plain view under a spreading tree next to the terrace of his house. Italian colonial authorities erected the statue in the new Benghazi city centre they were building in the 1930s, promoting a connection between ancient Roman settlement of Libya and their modern colonial rule over the country. However, many priceless Libyan antiquities have disappeared: pillaged by Europeans in colonial times, appropriated after independence or looted in the chaos that has followed a 2011 NATO-backed uprising. Khaled al-Hadar, a Libyan researcher on stolen antiquities, said heritage monitoring remained weak in Libya and had not been started until 1974 - after the wolf had disappeared.

EventThe security situation will likely remain unstable nationwide through at least late August, primarily due to intermittent fighting and armed clashes between various rival militia groups across the country. Competing governmental institutions, as well as geopolitical rivalries, have profoundly complicated the security situation in Libya. Armed groups often disrupt planned power outages by attacking power distribution stations and forcing staff to change the scheduled power loading cycle between districts. If possible, limit exposure to official buildings that may be targeted by armed groups, such as security checkpoints and local government offices. Do not attempt to bypass security checkpoints; even an accidental breach of the security cordon near a checkpoint may prompt security forces to respond aggressively.

Deputy Prime Minister of the parliament-backed government, Salem Al-Zadma, spoke on the phone today with with the Nigerian President Mohamed Bazoum, amidst ongoing crisis in Niger. According to a statement by Al-Zadma, Bazoum “expressed his thanks and gratitude for this call and reassured [Al-Zadma] of his situation and his hope that the state of Niger would overcome this ordeal soon”.

The governor of the Central Bank of Libya, Saddiq al Kabir, held talks today with the Italian ambassador in the country, Gianluca Alberini, in Tripoli. During the meeting, views were exchanged on matters of common interest and on the positive cooperation between the two sides, according to a statement by the Libyan bank. “Positive dynamics of bilateral relations and issues of common interest at the center of today’s conversation between Ambassador Gianluca Alberini and the Governor of the Central Bank Saddiq al-Kabir”, the Italian embassy stated via Twitter.

Tripoli-based Libyan Prime Minister, Abd Alhameed Aldabaiba, followed up today on the Housing and Infrastructure Board’s (HIB) 2023 projects implementation plan during a meeting with the HIB Director General, Mahmoud Ajaj, and the directors of the HIB’s technical departments, in the presence of the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs. 405 contracts signed, 177 projects completedHIB Director Ajaj stated that the work carried out by his entity during 2021 and 2022 focused on addressing urgent bottlenecks in all cities and regions, referring to the contracting to implement 405 projects, with 177 projects having been completed, while work continues at high technical rates in the rest of the projects. He stated that in 2022 45 projects were contracted for, after completing all contractual and technical procedures, and starting work on them through local implementation tools. Aldabaiba stressed the importance of accelerating the pace of work on the two sewage network implementation projects for the cities of Ajdabiya and Sebha, which were approved during 2022, stressing adherence to high technical specifications, and working according to approved standard prices and work standards for executive bodies. Egyptian consortium to start implementing Third Ring Road project within days: HIB head Ajaj (libyaherald.com)

The state National Oil Corporation (NOC) reported today that encouraging results were achieved by its subsidiary, Sirte Oil Company, after the completion of drilling operations on the exploration well J3-NC101 at a depth of 7833 feet. The NOC said this was the first exploratory well in Sirt Oil’s blocks. The achieved flow rate at the exploratory well was 560 barrels of oil per day from the Maimonides layer through a 64/24 size throttle. This rate is expected to increase when the low-rate pump is replaced by one with a large flow rate. The NOC said these steps and the results that have been achieved come within the strategy it is pursuing to raise the rates of crude oil production.