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Libya: US, UN Welcome Central Bank Reunification

Central Bank of Libya (CBL), Reuters
Central Bank of Libya (CBL), Reuters
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Libya: US, UN Welcome Central Bank Reunification

Central Bank of Libya (CBL), Reuters
Central Bank of Libya (CBL), Reuters

The US Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, has welcomed the ongoing efforts to start the reunification process of the Central Bank of Libya (CBL), describing it a “historic step, which will contribute to Libya’s financial and political stability”.

This came during his meeting with the Governor of the CBL, Sadiq Al-Kabir, on Friday.

“We encourage the CBL team to continue working in a transparent and committed manner to complete the process expeditiously,” Norland tweeted.

For her part, the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, has urged CBL to move forward with the implementation of the roadmap for its reunification to strengthen the financial and political stability that the country urgently needs.

Libya had two parallel central banks during the civil war, which ended in 2020. One was run by the Tripoli-based and internationally recognized Government of National Accord, and the other by Gen. Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army in the east.

In other news, the Government of National Unity’s Interior Ministry warned against potential terror attacks as the army has arrested a criminal cell linked to extremists in Algeria and Mali.

The ministry, which is based in the capital, Tripoli, said that “there are possibilities of terrorist attacks that may target gatherings, public facilities, security headquarters and vital targets.”

Local media quoted the ministry as saying that it called on its affiliates to “tighten the guard and monitor suspects and arrivals.”

In turn, National Army forces managed to “re-arrest five extremists who succeeded in escaping from the (Reform and Rehabilitation) Institution in the Gernada region.”

Major General Khaled al-Mahjoub revealed that “his forces arrested a criminal gang that trades in weapons and deals with extremist groups in Algeria and Mali.”

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Arab World

Egypt Accuses 6 Arrested Journalists of Being Members of the Muslim Brotherhood

Headquarters of the Egyptian Ministry of Interior (Ministry's Facebook page)
Headquarters of the Egyptian Ministry of Interior (Ministry's Facebook page)
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Egypt Accuses 6 Arrested Journalists of Being Members of the Muslim Brotherhood

Headquarters of the Egyptian Ministry of Interior (Ministry's Facebook page)
Headquarters of the Egyptian Ministry of Interior (Ministry's Facebook page)

Egyptian authorities have accused six journalists arrested this week of being members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, saying they produced fabricated news for an online outlet in exchange for foreign funding.

Egypt’s Interior Ministry on Thursday described "Matsadaash" as an unlicensed page managed from abroad by a “fugitive Brotherhood member” it identified as Abdelrahman Mansour.

It said the six people detained were part of a Brotherhood “media committee” that prepared false and fabricated news for Mansour to publish.

Only one of the six is a member of the Journalists’ Syndicate - the national press union - the statement said. It said legal measures have been taken.

On Wednesday, the Journalists' Syndicate demanded the Interior Ministry and the General Prosecutor to release the six journalists and disclose the circumstances and reasons for their arrest, as well as their places of detention.

In the report submitted by the Head of the Journalists' Syndicate, Khaled El-Balshy, the Syndicate stated that it had received complaints from lawyers and colleagues regarding the arrest of six journalists from the platform, one of whom holds syndicate membership.

It confirmed that "the six colleagues Abdullah Qadri, Mohamed Sharaf, Mohamed Adel, Islam Barakat, Mohamed Mahmoud, and Omar Hidayah were arrested from their homes over the past two days."

The Syndicate affirmed that it is making "diligent efforts around the clock to secure the release of the six colleagues ... with a full commitment to their appearance for any investigations should any charges be brought against them."

Arab World

IMF Says Lebanon Needs Key Reforms for Program

People walk along the Corniche Al-Manara seafront promenade on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea as the sun sets in Beirut, Lebanon, 30 September 2026. (EPA)
People walk along the Corniche Al-Manara seafront promenade on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea as the sun sets in Beirut, Lebanon, 30 September 2026. (EPA)
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IMF Says Lebanon Needs Key Reforms for Program

People walk along the Corniche Al-Manara seafront promenade on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea as the sun sets in Beirut, Lebanon, 30 September 2026. (EPA)
People walk along the Corniche Al-Manara seafront promenade on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea as the sun sets in Beirut, Lebanon, 30 September 2026. (EPA)

Lebanon must push through a number of key economic and banking sector reforms to secure a new International Monetary Fund program, the Fund said on Thursday.

"It will require continued progress on key reforms, including the entry into force of the bank resolution ‌law, and appropriate ‌financial gap laws ‌consistent ⁠with international standards," IMF ⁠spokesperson Julie Kozack told reporters during a press conference.

She added a 2027 budget and medium-term fiscal framework that were "consistent with debt sustainability for the country" were also ⁠required.

Lebanon first signed a ‌preliminary agreement ‌with the IMF in April 2022, more ‌than two years after its ‌financial system imploded following decades of profligate spending and corruption in the ruling elite.

It recently passed a new ‌banking restructuring law which was welcomed by the IMF, but ⁠this ⁠week Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun quietly referred that law to the country’s constitutional council, triggering a review.

The move has sparked concerns among reformists in Lebanon that the country is backtracking on the key piece of legislation and potentially putting its IMF support hopes at risk.

Arab World

Lebanon Army Says Seized 245 Kg of TNT at Syria Border

An army unit seized approximately 245 kg of TNT. (Lebanese Army on X)
An army unit seized approximately 245 kg of TNT. (Lebanese Army on X)
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Lebanon Army Says Seized 245 Kg of TNT at Syria Border

An army unit seized approximately 245 kg of TNT. (Lebanese Army on X)
An army unit seized approximately 245 kg of TNT. (Lebanese Army on X)

The Lebanese army announced on Thursday that it had seized nearly 250 kilograms (around 550 pounds) of explosives being transported from neighboring Syria into Lebanon, though it was unable to apprehend the smugglers.

"An army unit seized approximately 245 kg of TNT, four explosive devices, eight detonators and electrical wiring for the detonators", which were being "smuggled from Syrian territory into Lebanese territory", the army said in a statement.

"The smugglers fled back toward Syria as soon as an army patrol arrived at the scene," it added.

Lebanon and Syria share a 330-kilometer (205-mile) border known for being porous.

Since the fall of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, both Lebanon and Syria have been working to stamp out overland smuggling along their shared border -- including the trafficking of weapons and captagon.

Damascus regularly announces the interception of arms shipments destined for Lebanon on behalf of Hezbollah, an organization that denies any presence or activity in Syrian territory.