The Prime Minister of Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, has given instructions to his ministers to prevent conferences or meetings with media representatives from taking place without his permission. The announcement was made in a Dbeibeh’s letter to the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, Adel Jumaa. In the letter, the 63-year-old premier pointed out that these instructions come after some ministers have released statements to the press relating to the work of the government and their departments, providing journalists with sensitive information and data. Dbeibeh stated the executive decree is in force to prevent the circulation of data and information relating to the activity of the government or their disclosure except to the “supervisory authorities.”According to him, those who violate his decree will be subject to legal liability.

The National Center for Disease Control in Libya (NCDC) reported on Monday that 10 people tested positive for COVID-19, marking 5 percent of the infection rate. 8 people recovered in the same reporting period. The total recorded COVID-19 cases in Libya have reached more than 500,000 since the start of the pandemic, while over 490,000 of which have recovered, according to the NCDC. The virus has claimed the lives of 6,437 people in total. Over two million people received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while over one million were fully vaccinated with two doses.

With Wagner Group’s presence in #Mali, #Russia has continued to make inroads across the Sahel, particularly in Mali’s southwestern neighbor Burkina Faso. In the Central African Republic, Mozambique, Libya and now Mali, Russian military contractors have operated on the ground alongside local forces. Some African nations, including a handful of states in West Africa, have conspicuously backed Russia at the United Nations and in other forums as Moscow ducks international censure for its invasion and ongoing war in Ukraine. “Pro-Russian networks today are especially targeting West and Central African nations grappling with conflict,” my colleague Danielle Paquette reported earlier this year. “Among them are Burkina Faso and Mali, which both face fast-growing insurgencies and have endured a combined three” — now, four — “coups d'état since 2020.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, announced an upcoming visit to Libya to strengthen cooperation with the Libyan authorities. Khan made his announcement in a press release from the International Criminal Court, welcoming the arrest of two people suspected of being involved in the smuggling of migrants from Africa to Europe via Libya. The matter concerns the extradition of a 38-year-old Eritrean citizen from Ethiopia to the Netherlands in early October, after years of investigation by the Dutch prosecutor, and another 35-year-old suspect of the same nationality who was handed over by the Ethiopia to Italy. The two are accused of brutal violence, sexual violence and blackmail against the victims.

Bathily said he will engage with all parties including civil society, women, and youth, as his priority is to identify a consensual pathway towards the holding of inclusive and credible elections at the soonest possible. "During my first week, I met with Prime Minister Mr. Abdul Hamid AlDabaiba and FM Najla ElMangoush who welcomed me to the country and expressed support for the good offices of the UN. I also met with the President of the Presidential Council Mr. Mohamed Al-Menfi and member Mr. Abdullah Al-Lafi, where I stressed the solution to the Libyan crisis must come from Libyans themselves." On the military and security track, Bathily emphasized the urgency of unifying Libya’s military and security institutions in my meeting with the Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army, General Mohamed Al-Haddad. Bathily is going to give his first briefing at the Security Council on Monday.

The U.N. Special Envoy to Libya Abdoulaye Bathily said Sunday he met in Benghazi with the Joint Military Commission’s (JMC) five eastern members and urged them to continue their efforts to preserve the ceasefire agreement. Bathily also held talks on Saturday with Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the General Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), at the latter’s office in Benghazi. According to a statement by the U.N. Mission in Libya via Twitter, Bathily reiterated his “intention to listen to all Libyan stakeholders” and “reaffirmed UN support for a sustainable, Libyan-owned solution to bring peace and stability back to Libya.”Bathily also “underscored the criticality of preserving the ceasefire agreement and unifying the country’s security and military institutions.”

Yiyun Li has garnered legions of fans with her unsparing prose, writing extensively about her own struggles with depression and suicidality. Her latest novel, “The Book of Goose,” is no different, sharing the same quality that has made Ms. Li something of a beacon to those suffering beneath unbearable emotional weight. Alexandra Kleeman, also a novelist, meets Ms. Li to discover the secrets of her charm, her experience of growing up in China and her writing process.

Fathi Bashagha, the rival prime minister designated by the House of Representatives, held talks on Saturday with the U.N. Special Envoy to Libya Abdoulaye Bathily in Benghazi. In a statement via Twitter, Bashagha said he discussed Bathily “increasing efforts aimed at supporting peace and stability through Libyan consensus.”

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) has shut down claims that crude is being smuggled from Libyan ports and demanded media to report with facts and responsibility to avoid misinformation. The NOC said there is no truth in the document shared online by several social media platforms. The false correspondence claims that the NOC is investigating suspicious circumstances surrounding the export of oil operations and its derivatives. The oil state-run company vowed to take action against "anyone who seeks to defame the time-honored institution for cheap political gains." The company underscored that it operates with complete transparency and professionalism to ensure the public and media have access to accurate information.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, who leads the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, is “looking forward” to continue “meaningful cooperation” between Italy and Libya on migration and energy after far-right leader Giorgia Meloni was sworn-in as new Italian prime minister. Dbeibeh took to Twitter on Saturday to congratulate Meloni as the first woman to become premier of Italy and wished her “the best of luck”. I look forward to working together, enforcing our bilateral cooperation on the common challenges we are facing. — Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) October 22, 2022Meloni’s Brothers of Italy took 26% of the national vote in Italy’s latest election. She began her career in politics in the Italian Social Movement, a post-war movement that rose out of dictator Benito Mussolini’s fascists.

The U.N. Special Envoy to Libya Abdoulaye Bathily held talks on Saturday with Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the General Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), at the latter’s office in Benghazi. According to a statement by the U.N. Mission in Libya via Twitter, Bathily reiterated his “intention to listen to all Libyan stakeholders” and “reaffirmed UN support for a sustainable, Libyan-owned solution to bring peace and stability back to Libya.”Bathily also “underscored the criticality of preserving the ceasefire agreement and unifying the country’s security and military institutions.”

The Security Council will hold an open briefing session, followed by closed consultations, on the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, next Monday, October 24. The Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, will brief the Council for the first time in this capacity. Council members are expected to welcome Bathily’s appointment after a lengthy and contentious process, more than a year after former envoy Jan Kubis resigned in November 2021.

Patrols of the Tasks Department of the General Directorate of Security Operations managed to thwart a smuggling operation of migrants across the shores of Al-Qaraboli area, east of Tripoli. In a statement, the Ministry of Interior indicated that the number of migrants in this smuggling attempt totaled 94 from several African countries, including 45 women and 9 children. It also announced that it rescued 21 illegal migrants off the coast of Al-Qaraboli as well, confirming that two boats belonging to the General Administration of Coast Security Branch, Tripoli, Al-Qaraboli Post, had rescued the migrants who were on board a fishing boat on Friday night.

Prime Minister of Libya’s Tripoli-based unity government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, has rejected an agreement with East Libya-based parliament on changing heads of the country’s sovereign positions. Prime Minister of Libya’s Tripoli-based unity government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, has rejected an agreement with East Libya-based parliament on changing heads of the country’s sovereign positions. On... https://t.co/8WyQNjDMpP — Libya Breaking News (@Libyabrk) October 22, 2022On Friday, Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh and Khaled al-Mishri, head of the Tripoli-based High Council of State, which acts as a senate, agreed during their talks in Morocco to change heads of the sovereign positions before January. “Libyans are asking everyone to fulfill their obligations towards elections. Talking about parallel tracks such as sharing sovereign positions is no longer acceptable,” Dbeibeh said on Twitter.

Minister of State for Communication and Political Affairs of the Dbeibeh’s outgoing government, Walid al-Lafi, who is accused of supporting extremist groups in Libya through media, headed a delegation participating in a conference against Islamophobia held in Istanbul, Turkey on 22 October. “Libya is participating in the 12th Conference of Information Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held in the Turkish city of Istanbul, under the slogan “Combating Misinformation and Islamophobia in the Post-Truth Era,” according to the outgoing government of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh. “Libya is represented in the conference by Minister of State for Communication and Political Affairs, Walid Al-Lafi,” the government said in a statement. Al-Lafi met, on the sidelines of the conference, with a number of information ministers of member states, to discuss cooperation in the fields of media and government communication, joint drama production and cooperation at the level of national channels and news agencies, the statement pointed out. Al-Lafi used to be in charge of a television channel that supported extremist groups and militias against the army.