Abdoulaye Bathily said his efforts had been positive in bringing warring Libyan groups to commit to continue negotiations in an effort to hold inclusive legislative and presidential elections and unify the country. “Institutional and political leaders have also taken action to move the political process forward. I urge Libyan leaders to meet the people’s expectation to choose leaders this year by delivering on all their commitments.”Bathily called for supporting the people of Libya in achieving their “legitimate aspiration” for peace, stability and prosperity. Political factions in the country have been vying for power since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. “All international partners should support the current momentum and speak with one voice on Libyan matters,” he added.

On April 18, 2023, US Political Minister Counselor John Kelley delivered a speech during the UN Security Council briefing on Libya, urging Libyan leaders to demonstrate progress towards holding elections and achieving national reconciliation. Kelley expressed the United States’ unwavering support for Special Representative Bathily’s efforts to reach a political consensus among Libyans and hold elections as soon as possible. Kelley expressed concern over the uptick in illicit petroleum and arms trafficking, urging all member states to prevent such shipments. Kelley stressed that there must be accountability for these violations and abuses if national reconciliation is to be achieved. He called on Libyan leaders to prioritize their nation’s interests over their own and demonstrate progress towards achieving national reconciliation.

The Federal Government yesterday again evacuated an- other batch of 107 Nigerians stranded in Libya in continuation of its rescue operations to ensure no Nigerian is left behind in that country. “The Federal Government in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have successfully carried out four evacuation exercise, re- patriating about 700 stranded Nigerians from Libya in 2023 already. “107 stranded Nigerians departed Misrata International Airport aboard chattered flight No.UZ189 at 13.15 local time and are expected to arrive the Murtala Mo- hammed International Air- port, Lagos same Tuesday evening. “Nigeria with the support of the IOM will continue to intensify efforts to rescue, protect and ensure the safe return of all stranded mi- grants in Libya,” Musa said. S o m e of them are willing participants of irregular migration, o t h e r s trafficked, while others smuggled.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th April, 2023) Libya is ready to mediate the conflict between Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, Najla Mangoush, the foreign minister of Libya's Government of National Unity (GNU) said during a phone call with her Sudanese counterpart Ali Al-Sadiq. Mangoush and al-Sadiq held a phone conversation on Tuesday, the Libyan Foreign Ministry said. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry has also confirmed on social media that the Libyan minister suggested her country mediating the conflict. On Saturday, clashes between the Sudanese armed forces and the RSF broke out in the capital of Khartoum and elsewhere. Later that day, Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, the head of the Sudanese military, issued a decree to dissolve the RSF.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has received another batch of 107 Nigerians stranded in Tripoli, Libya. NEMA said the returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Cargo Wing, Ikeja, late Tuesday aboard Al Buraq Air Boeing 737-800 with registration number 5A-DMG. Mr Mustapha Ahmed, NEMA Director-General, officially received the returnees on behalf of the Federal Government. Ahmed, the statement said, was represented by Mr Aziz Afunku, Chief Relief and Rehabilitation Officer. NAN reports that the International Organisation for Migration with the support of international partners have been assisting stranded Nigerians in Libya to return home since 2017.

“The stability of Libya and its neighbors is a priority for France,” stated the French embassy in Libya today following a briefing by U.N. Envoy Abdoulaye Bathily at the Security Council. France added that it remains supportive of the efforts of the United Nations Mission in Libya, and “will continue to support the work of the 5 + 5 Military Committee”.

By Mohammed el-Senussi, Crown Prince of LibyaAs war rages on in Europe and looms elsewhere, Libya and Libyans are facing yet another choice and another potential cataclysm. They chose ... a democratic constitution, one that protected the rights of minorities and guaranteed freedom of conscience. As a kingdom, Libya was democratic to the coreThis makes Libya unique. The most effective way for the European powers to support the development of a democratic Libya is through the modification of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF). HRH Mohammed el-Senussi is the Crown Prince of Libya and an active commentator on Libyan affairs since the start of the Libyan Civil War.

The Federal Government has evacuated another batch of 107 Nigerians stranded in Libya. Kabiru Musa, who confirmed the development in a statement in Tripoli, said the returnees would arrive at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday. He said: “The federal government in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has successfully carried out four evacuation exercises, repatriating about 700 stranded Nigerians from Libya in 2023 already. Join the conversationOpinionsSupport Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalismBalanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs. If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

The National Emergency Management Agency has confirmed receiving 107 stranded Libya returnees at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Ikeja. “The profile of those brought back shows that 48 adult females including three medical cases, five female children and one infant female were among the returnees. Also, the profile further indicates that 49 adult males, three male children and one male infant completed the 107 number of today’s returnees.”Farinloye elaborated in February 2023, a total of 105 stranded Nigerians were repatriated with an additional 281 assisted back to the country in March 2023. He said, “In April 2023, a total of 259 have so far been assisted back into the country. The International Organisation for Migration with support of international partners had been assisting distressed Nigerians stranded in Libya back to the country since 2017.”

Libyan authorities have imposed “severe restrictions” on local and international civil society groups, obstructing their work in the war-scarred country, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday. “Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) and other authorities are cracking down on non-governmental domestic and foreign organisations,” the New York-based rights group said in a statement. The GNU, a nominally interim government based in the capital Tripoli, “should withdraw onerous registration and administration requirements and ensure that civic groups are free to operate,” HRW added. Libyan legislators and authorities must also “repeal the death penalty as a punishment for establishing or participating in unlawful organisations”, HRW said. “Libyan authorities are crushing civic space using the tired pretext of enforcing regulations,” said HRW’s Hanan Salah.

The G-7 communique laying out their commitments also included strong words over an unprecedented run of North Korean missile tests. But it was China's growing assertiveness in Asia and Russia's invasion of Ukraine that highlighted the three-day summit hosted by Japan in this hot springs resort town. “There can be no impunity for war crimes and other atrocities such as Russia’s attacks against civilians and critical civilian infrastructure,” the ministers said. Russia’s current offensive is largely stalled and Ukraine is preparing a counteroffensive, but there’s widespread global worry about the Russian leader’s repeated threats to use tactical nuclear weapons. “Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and its threat to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus are unacceptable,” the ministers said.

So far, the Russian presidency of the U.N. Security Council has been the most contentious in the memory of longtime U.N. diplomats and officials. More fireworks are to come later in the month when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov presides over the premier event of the presidency — an open council meeting on defending the principles of the U.N. Charter. The presidency of the Security Council rotates monthly in alphabetical order of its 15 members. The Security Council president presides over meetings and gets to decide the topics of signature sessions, often chaired by foreign ministers and sometimes presidents. To start their presidency, the Russians chose one of the hottest issues of the Ukraine war — the fate of Ukrainian children taken to Russia.

NEMA has received another set of 107 stranded Nigerians from Tripoli, Libya. The profile of those brought back shows that 48 adult females including 3 medical cases, 5 female children and 1 infant female were amongst the Returnees. Also, the profile further indicates that 49 adult males, 3 male children and 1 male infant completed the 107 number of today’s Returnees. In April this year, a total of 259 has so far being assisted back into the country. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) with supports of international partners have been assisting distressed Nigerians stranded in Libya back to the since 2017

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th April, 2023) International actors in Libya should let the Libyan people decide on a political settlement, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia said on Tuesday. "Political settlement in Libya should not be a state for international rivalries ... We believe it is counterproductive to pursue any unilateral initiatives to create parallel formats to support settlements without the involvement of Libya itself and other stakeholders," Nebenzia told the Security Council. But matters have been complicated by international actors who exploit Libya's energy resources for their own interest, he added. Libya has been grappling with multiple crises after the Western military intervention of 2011 overthrew its longtime adversary, Muammar Gaddafi, and created a power vacuum that split Libya into rival factions. The UN has been struggling to fill the void by helping Libyans hold a general election, although internal divisions led it to cancel the vote set for 2021.

The Libyan National Army has released six detainees as a result of negotiations between the warring parties in Libya, United Nations Special Representative Abdoulaye Bathily said on TuesdayUNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th April, 2023) The Libyan National Army has released six detainees as a result of negotiations between the warring parties in Libya, United Nations Special Representative Abdoulaye Bathily said on Tuesday. "As a result of these consultations, on 8 April 2023, Libyan National Army authorities released six detainees from western Libya as a confidence-building measure," Bathily said during a meeting of the UN Security Council. The meetings between military units and security formations from the east, west and south of Libya achieved a breakthrough and have a symbolic value, Bathily said. The military intervention created a power vacuum that split Libya into rival factions. The United Nations has been trying to assist Libya hold a general election but internal divisions resulted in canceling of the vote that was set for 2021.