30 Nov 2018 - NPWJ News Digest on Libya

Articles

Oil workers' discontent threatens Libyan output surge
Reuters, 30 Nov 2018

Libya’s oil output is at a five-year high and rare exploration deals with foreign majors are being won but worker dissent and ever-present armed groups risk a repeat of disruptions that have choked off other production surges since the 2011 civil war. Staff at state oil firm NOC told Reuters that small protests had erupted at nine oil and gas fields and some ports in recent months, mainly among workers left waiting for promised pay rises as inflation and a weak currency erode living standards. “We are the anonymous soldiers whose rights have been stolen,” said a worker at the al-Intisar oil field, asking not to be named as NOC has banned workers from talking to the media.

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UNSMIL Statement on Extrajudicial Killings in Tripoli
Relief Web, 29 Nov 2018

UNSMIL continues to receive reports of armed groups carrying out extra-judicial killings in Tripoli, a phenomenon that has been on the rise over the past few weeks. The Mission affirms that allegations of offences and personal disputes should be judged in a court of law, not by gunmen on the streets.

UNSMIL calls on the Libyan authorities to adopt with immediate effect the necessary measures to protect all persons from targeted killings, send a strong message that these acts are completely unacceptable and back these messages with objective investigations to identify and hold perpetrators of such crimes accountable.

Extrajudicial executions are not only acts of extreme cruelty, violating the laws of this country; they also violate International Human Rights and Humanitarian Laws. Those responsible for committing or ordering extrajudicial killings are criminally liable under international law.

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Sayala: Libya's neighboring counties meeting aims to build bridges among conflicting parties
The Libya Observer, 29 Nov 2018

The ministerial meeting of Libya's neighboring countries kicked off Thursday in Sudan's capital Khartoum with the aim to end the current political deadlock in the country. Attendees have all voiced commitment to support Libya to reach stability and security by an accord among all of the conflicting parties, stressing the need for national reconciliation. The Final statement of the meeting stressed on the need to preserve Libya's sovereignty and unity, rejecting any kind of foreign intervention. It also called for commitment to Skhirat agreement of 2015 as the only way out of the current crisis, adding that Libyans should be the one who take up the implementation of the solution in their country without sidelining any component of the society.

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‘Libya equals torture!’ Charities slate EU for considering sending migrants back to Libya
Express.co.uk, 28 Nov 2018

THREE non-governmental organisations have slammed ongoing negotiations by the European Union to send back to Libya 12 African migrants rescued by a Spanish fishing boat in the Central Mediterranean last week. The bloc’s ongoing immigration crisis has underlined deep divisions within Europe over how to deal with people rescued at sea, a sensitive issue that has become a political hot potato. The NGOs – Open Arms, Sea Watch and Mediterranea – said in a joint statement yesterday Libya cannot be considered a safe port and that migrants could be tortured or trafficked if returned there. The Nuestra Madre Loreto trawler has been stuck since last Thursday in waters off Libya’s northern coast, awaiting permission from Italy or Malta – the closest safe ports – to disembark the 12 migrants, who are from Niger, Somalia, Sudan and Senegal.

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Libya's Tuareg find a new home in coastal Amazigh enclave
Middle East Eye, 28 Nov 2018

It’s not easy to sweep the streets of a city in constant struggle with the beach. When it rains, it’s mission impossible - how does a street cleaner deal with that compact mixture of sand, dust and garbage? These are some of the questions Mohammed Ayssa has been asking himself for the past three years. It was then that this 33-year-old Tuareg left his home in Ubari, a town in Libya’s remote southwest, and settled down in Zuwara with his wife and their two children. Zuwara, a coastal city on the Tunisian border, has given Ayssa a chance to start from scratch. For the time being, he survives sweeping the streets and occasionally working in construction.

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UNHCR flight evacuates 132 refugees from Libya detention
UNHCR, 23 Nov 2018

On Thursday, a smiling Abdul Karim was unable to hide his excitement as he clutched his boarding pass, ready to join 131 other refugees on a flight out of Tripoli to Niger’s capital Niamey. “My life starts today,” said the Somali refugee, his hopes of a better future suddenly reawakened. “I want to study hard and make a difference in the world. I want to be a good member of the community.” A year after UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, began life-saving evacuations for vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers out of Libya, almost 2,500 people who have been held in detention in Libya have now been evacuated to Niger, Italy and Romania.

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