HoR probes cash shortage crisis
The House of Representatives (HoR) has launched an investigation into the country’s ongoing liquidity crisis, appointing a committee to engage with the Central Bank governor and its board. The committee will examine the causes of cash shortages, exchange rate pressures and delays in public sector salaries, and propose solutions. Lawmakers voted last week to form the panel following growing public concern over access to cash and rising economic pressures
Source:Libya Observer
January 19, 2026 13:38 UTC
First training to enhance the capabilities of staff in educational institutions on HIV prevention
Tripoli – The Department for AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Control organized its first training program. It was titled “Education and Prevention: Enhancing the Capabilities of Health Paramedics, Social Workers, and Psychologists in Facing HIV.” The program’s slogan was “Knowledge Today – Health Tomorrow.”The training was a collaboration with the Social Service and School Health Office of the Ministry of Education. These included health paramedics, social workers, and psychologists. These included the Director of the Social Service and School Health Office. Heads of departments included Social Service, School Health, and Communicable Diseases from the Health Services Department.
Source:Libya Today
January 19, 2026 12:59 UTC
Libya signs $2.7bln partnership to expand Misurata Free Zone
Libya signed on Sunday a strategic partnership with international firms to expand and develop the Misurata Free Zone, attracting an estimated $2.7 billion in investment, Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said. "This project not only enhances Libya's position among the region's largest ports in terms of size and capacity, but it also relies on direct foreign investment within a comprehensive international partnership," Dbeibah said on X. The Misurata Free Zone signed the agreement with Port operator Terminal Investment Limited, which is expected to help MFZ's port become a competitive logistics hub between Africa, Europe and the Middle East. The port extends over a vast area of 190 hectares, according to the free zone's website. The signing ceremony was held at the MFZ facility and attended by Dbeibah, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani and Antonio Tajani, the deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister of Italy.
Source:Libya Today
January 19, 2026 11:12 UTC
Libya announces $3B deal to develop Misrata port
Libyan authorities announced on Sunday a strategic partnership deal worth $3 billion with a Qatari fund and Swiss-Italian shipping giant MSC’s subsidiary to develop Misrata port. The project involves an investment of $2.7 billion in the expansion of the Misrata port terminal to increase its handling capacity to 4 million containers per year, according to the office of Libya’s Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah. Misrata, the country’s main non-oil terminal, handles 60-65 percent of the country’s container traffic. The project brings together the Misrata Free Zone Authority (MFZ), the Qatari fund Maha Capital Partners and the port operator Terminal Investment Limited (TIL), part of the shipping giant MSC. Libya remains divided between Dbeibah’s UN-backed government based in Tripoli and a rival administration based in the east and backed by strongman Khalifa Haftar.
Source:Libya Today
January 19, 2026 05:28 UTC
Six killed in traffic accident in Green Mountain
Six people have been killed in a horrific traffic collision on a road in the Green Mountain, according to local and medical sources. Sources indicated on Saturday that the accident resulted in the deaths of members of two families from the city of Derna. A group of injured individuals were initially taken to Al Qubba Hospital and then transferred to a hospital in Derna, where some were reported to be in critical condition. Authorities are still investigating the circumstances and causes of the accident, amid local calls for increased road safety measures.
Source:Libya Observer
January 18, 2026 20:51 UTC
Libyan authorities free over 200 migrants from ‘secret prison’
BENGHAZI — Libya’s security authorities have freed more than 200 migrants from what they described as a secret prison in the town of Kufra in the southeast of the country after they were held captive in inhuman conditions, two security sources from the city told Reuters on Sunday. The security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the security authorities had found an underground prison, nearly three meters deep, which the sources said was run by a Libyan human trafficker. AFP via Getty Images“Some of the freed migrants were held captive up to two years in the underground cells,” this source said. The freed migrants are from sub-Saharan Africa, mainly from Somalia and Eritrea, including women and children, the sources said. The oil-based Libyan economy is also a draw for impoverished migrants seeking work, but security throughout the sprawling country is poor, leaving migrants vulnerable to abuses.
Source:Libya Today
January 18, 2026 20:43 UTC
Libya devalues dinar by nearly 15 pct as oil revenues slide
TRIPOLI, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Libya's central bank devalued the dinar by 14.7 percent against the International Monetary Fund's (IMF's) Special Drawing Rights (SDR) on Sunday, citing falling oil revenues and growing economic pressures. The bank said the decision was made during its first board meeting of 2026 on Wednesday, following recommendations from the Monetary Policy Committee. After the devaluation, the exchange rate stands at 0.1150 SDR per dinar, down from 0.1348. Dbeibah said the expansion would help make Libya a regional logistics hub while modernizing infrastructure and generating long-term revenue from state assets. Misurata, on Libya's northwestern Mediterranean coast, is one of the country's main commercial centers and a key gateway for trade with Africa, officials said.
Source:Libya Today
January 18, 2026 20:14 UTC
Egypt, Greece reaffirm support for Libyan political process
Egyptian Foreign Minister, Badr Abdel-Aty has discussed the latest developments in Libya with his Greek counterpart, Giorgos Gerapetritis, reiterating Egypt's firm stance calling for the preservation of Libya's unity and stability and rejecting any foreign interference. The Egyptian minister stressed to his Greek counterpart the importance of reaching a comprehensive Libyan-led solution that fulfills the aspirations of the Libyan people and preserves their sovereignty. He emphasized the need to continue efforts to advance the political process in Libya, leading to simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible, and the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya.
Source:Libya Observer
January 18, 2026 18:04 UTC
99 illegal migrants rescued off Zliten coast
The General Administration of Coastal Security announced on Sunday the rescue of 99 illegal migrants of various nationalities after receiving a distress call from a boat off the coast of Zliten. In a statement, it said that upon receiving the distress call, instructions were issued for the patrol boat "P54," of Al-Khums branch, and the patrol boat "1204," of the Misrata branch, to proceed to the available coordinates. The boat was towed to the port of Al-Khums, and the 99 migrants of various nationalities were rescued and handed over to the Illegal Immigration Agency in eastern Tripoli, which has jurisdiction over such matters.
Source:Libya Observer
January 18, 2026 18:04 UTC
Libya's security authorities free more than 200 migrants from 'secret prison', two security sources say
BENGHAZI, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Libya's security authorities have freed more than 200 migrants from what they described as a secret prison in the town of Kufra in the southeast of the country after they were held captive in inhuman conditions, two security sources from the city told Reuters on Sunday. The security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the security authorities had found an underground prison, nearly three meters deep, which the sources said was run by a Libyan human trafficker. "Some of the freed migrants were held captive up to two years in the underground cells," this source said. "The operation resulted in a raid on a secret prison within the city, where several inhumane underground detention cells were uncovered," one of the sources added. The oil-based Libyan economy is also a draw for impoverished migrants seeking work, but security throughout the sprawling country is poor, leaving migrants vulnerable to abuses.
Source:Libya Today
January 18, 2026 17:44 UTC
Italy and Libya Sign Landmark Agreements to Strengthen Health and Energy Sectors
The landmark partnership establishes a robust framework for modernizing Libya's health and energy sectors through the deployment of Italian expertise, ambitious capacity building initiatives, and sustainable cooperation mechanisms designed to create lasting institutional transformation. Comprehensive Multi-Sector Development InitiativeThe comprehensive agreements address two fundamental pillars of national infrastructure: advanced healthcare delivery systems and modernized energy sector development. The energy sector component focuses on infrastructure rehabilitation, renewable energy integration, and capacity building to support Libya's long-term energy independence and sustainability goals. "We, San Donato Group and GKSD, signed practical agreements with Libya Reconstruction and Development Fund, aimed at supporting and boosting the health and energy sectors, focusing on employing Italian expertise, building capacity, and achieving effective and sustainable cooperation." Implementation activities will commence in February 2026, with the first technical teams expected to arrive in Libya by early March.
Source:Libya Today
January 18, 2026 17:30 UTC
National Identity Disaster: Will the State Act to Toughen Penalties?
The Attorney General’s Office continues to expose national ID number forgery cases. One person sells the national ID number of their deceased son. Some sell a national ID number for ten thousand dinars. Citizens and observers believe national ID forgery cannot be contained by administrative measures or arrest reports alone. It was announced that an Egyptian national learned of an unused national ID number.
Source:Libya Today
January 18, 2026 15:20 UTC
Qatari, Italian and Swiss US$ 2.7 billion investment in Misrata Free Zone to increase its capacity to 4 million containers annually
Tripoli based Libyan Prime Minister, Abdel Hamid Aldabaiba, announced today the launch one of the largest maritime infrastructure projects in Libya’s history, through the signing of a strategic partnership to develop and expand the Misrata Free Zone port terminal. Aldabaiba said the project, with investments reaching US$ 2.7 billion, involves Qatari, Italian, and Swiss companies, most notably MSC, the world’s largest shipping company, and aims to increase the terminal’s capacity to 4 million containers annually. Continuing, he said the project not only enhances Libya’s position among the region’s largest ports in terms of size and capacity, but it also relies on direct foreign investment within a comprehensive international partnership. This partnership will handle development and operation according to clear arrangements, ensuring the project’s implementation without placing additional burdens on the state budget. It reflects our commitment to attracting productive external financing to stimulate the economy, modernize infrastructure, and transform state assets into platforms for sustainable returns.
Source:Libya Today
January 18, 2026 14:53 UTC
CBL devalues LD by 14.7% from approximately LD 5.43/dollar to about LD 6.36/dollar
The Central Bank of Libya announced today that it has devalued the Libyan dinar by 14.7 percent from approximately LD 5.43 to LD 6.36 per US$. The CBL had last devalued the Libyan dinar by 13.3 percent to LD 5.56/dollar on 6 April 2025. It said today’s devaluation against the Special Drawing Rights (SDR) was based on the recommendations of the Monetary Policy Committee. As a result, each Libyan dinar will now be equivalent to 0.1150 SDRs instead of 0.1348 SDRs. CBL Governor Issa justifies Libyan dinar devaluation – blames both governments for uncontrolled spending and absence of effective, targeted macroeconomic policies
Source:Libya Today
January 18, 2026 14:53 UTC
Benghazi schools closed for two days due to severe weather warnings
Authorities in Benghazi have announced the suspension of classes at all public and private schools on Monday and Tuesday because of adverse weather conditions. The Benghazi Education Authority said the decision was taken following warnings issued by the National Meteorological Center and the parallel government, citing concerns for the safety of students and teaching staff. The meteorological centre has warned that parts of north-eastern Libya, as well as some areas in the south-west, are expected to be affected by a desert low-pressure system. The conditions are forecast to bring strong winds, dust and sand, leading to significantly reduced visibility, with near-zero visibility possible in some locations.
Source:Libya Observer
January 18, 2026 12:50 UTC