Dbeibeh, Menfi to Visit Turkey to Tackle Mercenaries in Libya

African workers seen in Tajura city, Libya. (AFP)
African workers seen in Tajura city, Libya. (AFP)
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Dbeibeh, Menfi to Visit Turkey to Tackle Mercenaries in Libya

African workers seen in Tajura city, Libya. (AFP)
African workers seen in Tajura city, Libya. (AFP)

Turkish intelligence has informed Libya’s new Government of National Unity (GNU) that Ankara will continue to offer training and expertise in line with the agreements struck with its predecessor, the Government of National Accord (GNA), reported local media.

GNA sources, however, informed Ankara that the government will no longer resort to Syrian mercenaries.

The ones already present in Libya will be deported to Turkey, said a government source.

Head of the GNU Abdulhamid Dbeibeh and new head of the Presidential Council Mohammed al-Menfi are set to soon visit Turkey to review agreements signed between Tripoli and Ankara, as well as the fate of mercenaries aligned with the GNA.

Dbeibeh and Menfi had both received on Saturday telephone calls from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He said that the sovereignty, independence and unity of “sisterly Libya” were fundamental for Turkey. He vowed that Ankara will continue to provide all forms of necessary support to Libya, stressing the need to bolster and expand cooperation.

Separately, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio paid a visit to Tripoli on Sunday, the first by a European official since the formation of the GNU.

During his surprise visit, he held talks with Dbeibeh, Menfi and his counterpart Najla el-Mangoush.

He underlined Rome’s support for Libya in all fields and its efforts to unify its sovereign state institutions.

Menfi’s office revealed that Italy has started to increase its diplomatic representation in Libya.



Libya's Anti-NGO Push Seen as Diversion from Internal Failures, Analysts Say

Head of Libya's Government of National Unity Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah - File Photo
Head of Libya's Government of National Unity Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah - File Photo
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Libya's Anti-NGO Push Seen as Diversion from Internal Failures, Analysts Say

Head of Libya's Government of National Unity Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah - File Photo
Head of Libya's Government of National Unity Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah - File Photo

Libya's suspension of 10 international humanitarian groups, part of a broader crackdown on African migrants, is aimed at masking domestic failures and securing external concessions, particularly from Europe, analysts have said, AFP reported.

Libya's Tripoli-based authorities announced on Wednesday a decision to suspend the Norwegian Refugee Council, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Terre des Hommes, CESVI and six other groups, accusing them of a plan to "settle migrants" from other parts of Africa in the country.

War-torn Libya is a key departure point on North Africa's Mediterranean coast for migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan African countries, risking dangerous sea voyages in the hope of reaching Europe.

Anas al-Gomati, director of the Tripoli-based Sadeq Institute think tank, said "this isn't about NGOs -- it's about creating enemies to distract from failures".

The UN-recognized government of Abdulhamid Dbeibah is "tapping into conservative anxieties while masking their inability to provide basic services", he told AFP.

The ultimate goal, according to Gomati, is to "extract concessions from Europe which, fearing potential migration surges, will offer new funding packages and prop up the government in Tripoli".

On Wednesday, Rome announced the allocation of 20 million euros to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to finance "voluntary repatriations" for 3,300 sub-Saharan migrants who arrived in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.

"This isn't coincidence -- its coordination. The Libyan authorities shut down NGOs providing monitoring and protection (for migrants) precisely as Italy announces 20 million euros for 'voluntary' returns," said Gomati.

"Italy gets to claim they're funding 'voluntary' returns while Libya gets to demonstrate 'sovereignty', all while vulnerable migrants face extortion in detention before being labelled 'volunteers' for deportation."

Libya analyst Jalel Harchaoui noted that the Tripoli government is adopting a similar tone to Tunisian President Kais Saied, who in early 2023 denounced what he called "hordes of sub-Saharan migrants" who threatened to "change the country's demographic composition".

Harchaoui, of the London-based Royal United Services Institute, said Dbeibah was facing considerable difficulties, particularly in gaining access to public funds, and his once pragmatic relationship with the Haftar family in the east had deteriorated.

Following the NGO ban, aid groups have expressed concern for both their Libyan colleagues and the migrants who have been made more vulnerable in a country that, according to the IOM, is home to more than 700,000 residents from sub-Saharan countries.

The International Commission of Jurists on Friday condemned the "recent collective expulsions, arrests, violent attacks and the surge of hate speech, including that which constitutes incitement to violence, against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Libya".

The organization noted that the Libyan interior ministry has pledged "the deportation of 100,000 migrants every four months".