The former UN envoy to Libya, Tarek Mitri, said that elections in Libya could exacerbate division in Libya. In a statement to the Lebanese newspaper "L'Orient Le Jour ", Mitri pointed out that the elections at this point in time constitutes a new "escape forward", stressing the need to allow time for building effective institutions and for political parties to develop; hence the issuance of the election law. The former UN envoy to Libya stressed that the election results must be respected by all political parties to avoid resorting to violence.
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A handover ceremony was held in Tripoli between former Interior Minister, Aref Al-Khawaja, and the new appointed minister, Brigadier General Abdul Salam Ashour. This constitutes the first ministerial reshuffle among an upcoming cabinet reshuffle, which the Presidential Council intends to undertake, after consultations that have been underway for some time. The Chairman of the Presidential Council announced earlier that these steps will contribute to the success of the general elections, which are scheduled to be held before the end of the year.
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The Head of Bani Walid Local Council, Ali Al-Nukrat, said that they have received four power generators from the UNDP Office in Tripoli, in coordination with the Libyan Ministry of Planning. UNDP officials said the generators would be installed in the town's medical centers, within the list of assets and needs identified by local authorities in Bani Walid to achieve local development. UNDP coordinator said that since December 2017, the UNDP had handed over to the Local Council of Bani Walid through the Libyan government three ambulances and a garbage truck. He added that they are also working on rehabilitating medical laboratories, hospital wards, water pumps, and school laboratories in the town.
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The Administrative Circuit of Tripoli Court of Appeal cancelled Monday the decision of the Audit Bureau concerning the dismissal of two employees from the Central Bank of Libya (CBL). Reacting to the court ruling, the CBL welcomed the decision, saying that the ruling refuted rumours promoted against the Central Bank and its staff. The CBL added that the ruling of the court cleared the suspended staff of all charges, describing the decision of the Audit Bureau as illegal. The Audit Bureau issued a decision last November suspending the Director of Banks and Monetary Control Department at the Central Bank of Libya, Mokhtar Tawil, and his deputy Abdul Hafiz Triple, on charges of using their power to harm the interests of the state and impeding the work of the Audit Bureau.
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The UN envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, met Monday delegations from the tribes of Tabu and Zawiya on the sidelines of a two-day meeting organized by the United Nations Support Mission to follow up the progress of the reconciliation process and to discuss ways to consolidate social cohesion in Kufra. The UNSMIL tweeted that Salame discussed with the two delegations the problems confronting the city of Kufra, including service delivery, development, border control, accountability and compensation. The first session of Kufra Dialogue sponsored by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya was launched in Tunisia on Monday with the participation of a broad variety of components of the city of Kufra under the slogan "Towards an Inclusive National Reconciliation."
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President of the High Council of State (HCS), Abdulrahman Al-Suwaheli, met in Tripoli Monday with members of the committee entrusted by the HCS to amend the political agreement. The Information Office of Al-Suwaheli clarified that the meeting discussed the latest UN action plan on Libya, and ways to move forward with the political agreement in order to achieve a comprehensive settlement that will contribute in restoring security and stability in the country. The House of Representatives and the HCS formed a joint committee to discuss the amendment of the political agreement under the auspices of the United Nations. However, after all these marathon dialogue sessions that were held outside the country, an agreement still seems to be elusive.
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The "February 19" and "Voice of The People" movements held a protest in Algeria Square, downtown Tripoli, due to the deterioration of living conditions in the country. Dozens of people took part in the protest hoisting banners denouncing the rising of prices, lack of cash in banks and the collapse of the Libyan dinar, in addition to the suffering of Libyans who are forced to queue for long hours and days in front of banks to withdraw a sum of their salaries. The organizers of the protest called on the control authorities to lead the fight against corruption and hold accountable all corrupt officials. The protesters also demanded the legislative bodies and financial institutions, especially the Central Bank of Libya, to take practical measures to resolve the financial and economic crisis that is ravaging the country.
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A heavily pregnant woman and her unborn baby have died after being banned by Dignity Operation militias from reaching a hospital in Derna. The woman was identified as Halima Turkawi from Athrun town, some 35 west of Derna. She was on her way to Al-Hareesh Hospital accompanied by her husband when a group of Dignity Operation militias deployed on the outskirts of Derna forced them to stop at a checkpoint for several hours, which caused the explosion of her womb that led to her death with her unborn baby. In October 2016, another similar incident was reported of a pregnant woman who gave birth at a checkpoint in Martuba town, 27 km south of Derna, in unsafe conditions after being denied access to the hospital, which led to the death of her child just hours after his birth.
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