12 mars 2014 Romandie.com (AFP)

BENGHAZI (Libye) - Des forces mandatées par le Congrès général national (CGN, parlement) progressent vers l'Est libyen pour libérer des terminaux pétroliers bloqués depuis des mois par des rebelles autonomistes, a-t-on appris mercredi de sources concordantes.

Le président du CGN, Nouri Abou Sahmein, qui est aussi chef des forces armées libyennes, avait décidé lundi de la formation d'une force armée pour libérer et lever le blocage sur les ports pétroliers.

Selon cette décision, les forces en question devaient être composées d'unités de l'armée libyenne et des ex-rebelles qui avaient combattu le régime de Mouammar Kadhafi en 2011 et qui sont officieusement sous l'autorité du ministère de la Défense.

Le Bouclier de Libye centre, une milice d'ex-rebelles essentiellement de la ville de Misrata (ouest), a été la première force à progresser vers la ville de Syrte, plus à l'est, où elle a pris position mardi soir.

Des rebelles de la Cyrénaïque, la région orientale, qui bloquaient depuis juillet les ports pétroliers et qui étaient positionnés à Syrte, ont dû se retirer de la ville, selon une source au sein de la Force de défense de la Cyrénaïque, bras armé des rebelles.

Le président du Conseil local de Syrte, Abdelfattah al-Siwi, a indiqué qu'un bref affrontement a eu lieu entre les forces appartenant à l'état-major et les rebelles de l'Est avant que ces derniers ne se retirent.

Nos forces se sont retirées vers Wadi Lahmar, à 90 km à l'est de Syrte, frontière historique de la Fédération de la Cyrénaïque, selon la Constitution de 1951, a indiqué la source rebelle sous couvert de l'anonymat.

Cette source a accusé une milice tribale de la ville de Misrata de les avoir attaqués. Ce n'est pas l'armée régulière, a-t-il dit, mettant en garde contre une guerre civile.

Des hommes armés, qui faisaient partie des gardes des installations pétrolières libyennes, se sont rebellés contre les autorités de transition et bloquent les terminaux depuis juillet pour réclamer l'autonomie de la région orientale de la Libye.

Ces autonomistes avaient déjà annoncé en août la formation d'un gouvernement local et la création d'une banque et d'une compagnie de pétrole fédérales.

Le week-end dernier, ils ont défié encore une fois les autorités en chargeant du pétrole sur un pétrolier battant pavillon nord-coréen.

Arraisonné dans un premier temps par les autorités, le navire a pu s'échapper lundi à son escorte.

10 March 2014 defenceWeb (Reuters)

Armed protesters in eastern Libya traded threats with the government on Sunday in a tense stand-off over the unauthorized sale of oil from a rebel-held port.

A North Korean-flagged tanker, the Morning Glory, docked on Saturday at the port of Es Sider and local daily al-Wasat said it had loaded $36 million of crude oil. Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has said the military will bomb the 37,000-tonne vessel if it tries to leave.

Officials said on Sunday that the navy and pro-government militias had dispatched boats to stop it from getting out. The rebels said any attack on the tanker would be "a declaration of war."

The escalating conflict over the country's oil wealth is a sign of mounting chaos in Libya, where the government has failed to rein in fighters who helped oust veteran ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and who now defy state authority.

The protesters, who also include former soldiers and ex-oil guards led by a former anti-Gaddafi commander, Ibrahim Jathran, have seized three eastern ports in the OPEC member country.

The Defence Ministry issued orders to the chief of staff, air force and navy to deal with the tanker. "The order authorizes the use of force and puts the responsibility for any resulting damage on the ship owner," it said in a statement.

"Several navy boats have been dispatched. Now the tanker's movements are under complete control and nobody can move it," said Culture Minister Habib al-Amin, who acts as informal government spokesman. "The tanker will stay where it is."

"All efforts are being undertaken to stop and seize the tanker, if necessary by a (military) strike, if it does not follow orders," he said, adding that state prosecutors would treat the loading of the crude as smuggling.

There was no sign of any immediate military action, but Libyan news websites showed some small boats close to a tanker which they said was the Morning Glory.

Libya has been trying to rebuild its army since Gaddafi's overthrow, but analysts say it is not yet a match for battle-hardened militias that fought in the eight-month uprising that toppled him.

WAR OF WORDS

Abb-Rabbo al-Barassi, self-declared prime minister of the rebel movement, warned against "harming any tanker or sending navy ships into the waters of Cyrenaica," according to a statement.

He was referring to the historic name of eastern Libya under King Idris, whom Gaddafi deposed in a 1969 coup. The protesters want a return to the Idris-era system under which oil revenues were shared between Libya's regions.

If the tanker was harmed, the statement said, "the response from Cyrenaica's defense forces, oil guards and revolutionaries will be decisive. Such a move would be a declaration of war."

In Tripoli, workers at a state oil firm that runs Es Sider port went on strike, urging the government to intervene because their colleagues were under duress from armed protesters.

"We are very angry at what is happening at Es Sider," said Salah Madari, an oil worker in the capital. "The port's control officer is being held at gunpoint," he said, adding that gunmen had also forced a pilot to guide the tanker into dock.

Jathran once led a brigade paid by the state to protect oil facilities. He turned against the government and seized Es Sider and two other ports with thousands of his men in August.

Tripoli has held indirect talks with Jathran, but fears his demand for a greater share of oil revenue for eastern Libya might lead to secession.

In January, the Libyan navy fired on a Maltese-flagged tanker that it said had tried to load oil from the protesters in Es Sider, successfully chasing it away.

It is very unusual for an oil tanker flagged in secretive North Korea to operate in the Mediterranean, shipping sources said. NOC says the tanker is owned by a Saudi company. It has changed ownership in the past few weeks and had previously been called Gulf Glory, according to a shipping source.

Libya's government has tried to end a wave of protests at oil ports and fields that have slashed oil output to 230,000 barrels per day (bpd) from 1.4 million bpd in July.

10-02-2014 par RFI

February 1, 2014: Strategy Page

The tribal rebels still blocking the use of the eastern oil export terminals are under growing pressure from their own tribal leaders to lift the blockade. This is because the government has made it clear that over $10 billion in lost oil revenue has consequences and one of them will be cutting government salaries and benefits and this would make the leaders believed responsible very unpopular, even among their own people. The big problem with these rebels is that they are younger men (generally under 40) who do not pay much attention to tribal leaders. But the tribal elders do still have a lot of influence and prestige. Now that the grand promises of the young leaders have turned out to be unworkable and counterproductive desperate Libyans, including many of the younger ones, are turning to the tribal elders and leaders for help. In turn, the tribal leaders have become more amenable to compromise and cooperation at the national level. Many of the senior government leaders are tribal leaders or from families with influence in tribal affairs. The tribes may turn out to be the solution. Up until now the tribes have been a large part of the problem.

The death toll was up in January, to 154 dead (and 463 wounded). This is largely because the government security forces have grown large (and effective) enough to take on more of the militias that have refused to disarm. Many of these militias still believe they remain strong enough to maintain their independence and are willing to fight. The death toll from this sort of violence for all of 2013 was 643.

In addition to the dead, there are over 5,000 people held captive by over twenty major militias. These groups have captured, or created, jails. The government holds 3,000 prisoners and these are treated much better than many of those held by the militias. Reports of torture, abuse and “arresting” people as a form of kidnapping are common among the militias. Many of the militias, who were seen as freedom fighters in 2011 are now regarded as bandits and government efforts to disband these groups is popular.

Once these militias are disbanded the next security problem is in the largely desert southwest, where several large Islamic terrorist groups have been free to establish bases and go about their business. The best the government can do is block the main roads out of the area and try to collect intelligence on what these groups are up to.

Economists point out that not only is Libya running out of cash and credit (because rebel militias have blocked the export of $10 billion worth of oil in the last six months) but the long-term prospects are even grimmer. Because Kaddafi stifled economic growth during his four decades of rule the country is too dependent on oil income. Half the labor force has government jobs, a lot of them unneeded. Without quick development of non-oil enterprises the country will be unable to pay all the salaries and benefits within four or five years.

January 30, 2014: The interim parliament set February 20th as the date to elect the 60 delegates who would create the new constitution.

In Benghazi the college-age son of the Special Forces commander was kidnapped, apparently by Islamic terrorists from groups under attack by the Special Forces. The Special Forces commander responded by increasing pressure on Islamic terrorist militias, especially those suspected to taking his son. This meant more raids and arrests.

January 29, 2014: In the south (Sabha) troops drove tribal rebels out of an air force base outside the city. The rebels had held the base for about two weeks. Tribal violence down south since January 11th has caused about a 300 casualties (about a third dead). The violence is near the town of Sabha, which is 770 kilometers south of Tripoli and astride the main road going to the Niger border. The fighting is a continuation of ancient animosities between tribes divided by ethnicity as well as loyalty to the former dictator Kaddafi, who used tribal loyalties to maintain power and favored certain tribes. Some of the pro-Kaddafi tribes (in this case Awled Sleiman) kept fighting after Kaddafi died in 2011. The violence is not so much about putting Kaddafi followers back into power, but holding on to Kaddafi era privileges and avoiding punishment for crimes committed to support Kaddafi’s rule. In this case violence continued on the southern border where the pro-rebel Tabu tribesmen were put in charge of border (with Sudan, Chad and Niger) security. There they constantly skirmished with the pro-Kaddafi tribes. Another element of this rivalry was that the Tabu are black African while the pro-Kaddafi tribes are Arab. Kaddafi tended to support Arab domination over black Africans, something many Arabs still support. However, in some cases Kaddafi favored black tribes in the north, and used them to keep the population in line. Driving the pro-Kaddafi tribal rebels out of the air base will probably end the current round of fighting. This ethnic violence is not over, however.

In Tripoli the Interior Minister escaped an assassination attempt as his car was fired on.

January 27, 2014: In the southeast (Kefre) a clash with militiamen who refused to disarm left four soldiers dead and seven wounded. Schools in the area have been closed for a week because of the frequent gunfire between soldiers and militiamen.

January 26, 2014: Egypt warned that recent kidnapping of Egyptian diplomats, in order to get a Libyan militia leader freed from an Egyptian jail, will have unfavorable ramifications for Libya. Five Egyptian embassy personnel were kidnapped on the 24th and 25th causing Egypt to release the militia leader to get their diplomats freed. At the same time Egypt pulled all of its embassy personnel out of Libya. The kidnappings began shortly after the militia leader was arrested in Egypt (apparently for his Moslem Brotherhood connections).

January 23, 2014: In Tripoli a South Korean government trade official was freed by a police raid. The South Korean had been kidnapped three days earlier, apparently just for ransom. Four of his kidnappers were arrested.

January 21, 2014: In Tripoli fighting with pro-Kaddafi groups left five dead and 20 wounded. Elsewhere in the capital five cabinet ministers belonging to the second most powerful political party quit the government. The five former ministers are Islamic conservatives who were frustrated at the governments’ opposition to adopting more Islamic lifestyle rules for the population. Such rules are widely unpopular but the Islamic conservative groups are on a Mission from God and will not negotiate.

January 18, 2014: In the south (Sabha) the government declared a state of emergency to deal with the tribal fighting. The immediate reason for this was the seizure of an air force base outside Sabha by pro-Kaddafi tribal rebels. The government sent more troops to Sabha and the air force has attacked the rebels from the air.

January 17, 2014: In the east (between Derna and Tobruk) two Italian telecommunications engineers were kidnapped, apparently for ransom.

19 January 2014 alarabiya.net (AP)

Swathed in a white turban and robes, Eissa Abdel Majid sits in his militia barracks on the edge of the desert describing a losing battle to stem the flow of armed militants with suspected links to al-Qaeda - who use it as a freeway across northern Africa.

He says he's fed up with trying to guard borders and oil installations in a power vacuum left by the fall of Moammar Qaddafi: "They are getting weapons and building their strength," he says, "because the government is weak."

In the rocky mountains and dune-covered wastes of southwestern Libya, al-Qaeda's North African branch has established a haven after French and West African forces drove them out of their fledgling Islamic state in northern Mali a year ago. Now, according to interviews with local soldiers, residents, officials and Western diplomats, it is restocking weapons and mining disaffected minorities for new recruits as it prepares to relaunch attacks.

It's an al-Qaeda pattern seen around the world, in hot spots such as Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan and increasingly here in North Africa: seemingly defeated, the terror network only retreats to remote areas, regroups and eventually bounces back - pointing to the extreme difficulties involved in stamping out the threat.

Mohmamad, an officer in the Libyan army based in Ubari - the last major town in the south before the Saharan sands reach the borders of Niger and Algeria - said that his soldiers frequently run into SUVs filled with armed bearded men from Mali, Algeria and Libya coming here to buy weapons and supplies.

"There are occasional clashes with them but their forces are stronger than ours," said the officer who wore surplus U.S.-style digital camouflage with Libyan army patches sewed on. He asked that his last name not be used for fear of being targeted by jihadists. Momhamad said many people in Ubari are active sympathizers or at least trade with these militants, whom he described as linked to al-Qaeda.

"Most people know who they are but without a central government, you can't really do anything," he said. "We can do little on the borders and sometimes we just let them through."

U.S. officials have confirmed the existence of al-Qaeda-linked camps in southwest Libya, and a U.N. official based in Sebha, Libya's main southern city, described the extremist group as being "all around" the area. A high-level Algerian army officer based in the Saharan city of Tamanrasset also confirmed al-Qaeda's presence in Libya and said his forces were remaining vigilant along the Mali border despite plans for a new African force once the French pull out.

From desert bases, experts and Western officials say, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, is building up links with like-minded jihadists in northern Libya, especially in eastern coastal cities such as Derna and Benghazi, as well as militant groups in Nigeria, and preparing for new attacks on Western targets.

One prominent Morocco-based al-Qaeda expert, who has interviewed former and current leaders of AQIM in Mauritania, said there are even signs the group is preparing to recapture lost territory northern Mali once the French leave.

"The strategy that people told me in Mauritania was that they always withdraw to Libya where they can hide and wait for the French to leave," said Djalil Lounnas, an Algerian researcher at the University of Montreal's Center for International Peace and Security Studies.

The growing al-Qaeda presence in southern Libya has raised concerns in the West, with one British official describing the security situation in the region as potentially more dangerous than before the French intervened. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly about security matters. Since the French intervention in Mali, at least two deadly attacks on Western targets in nearby Niger were launched from southern Libya.

While the al-Qaeda militants move throughout this desert region, their camps are mostly hidden in the valleys of the Akkakush mountains north of the town of Ghat, on Libya's border with Algeria, said Claudia Gazzini, the Libya-based analyst for the International Crisis Group, who based her information on Tuareg military commanders based there.

The Tuareg are a nomadic desert people spread across the Sahara throughout Mali, Niger, Libya, Algeria and Mauritania. With no state of their own, they have mounted revolts for independence numerous times over the past decades. While their rootlessness and grievances make them receptive to al-Qaeda's message, their deep knowledge of the terrain make them an invaluable resource for a terror network seeking to rebuild in hiding.

In a Sebha slum filled with thousands of displaced Tuareg, members of the nomadic people say al-Qaeda often provides the best shot at a decent future.

"We have seen (Tuareg) go up to eastern Libya and return with beards, Islamic-style outfits and talking about religion - they pay money so anything is possible," said Abdallah Sherif, a Tuareg doctor and social worker, who said he has witnessed al-Qaeda recruiting attempts first hand.

Next to him, Ali Suleiman, a Tuareg who says he fought for an independent state in northern Mali last year, speaks of despair in the slums: "If you leave someone in such conditions," he said, "they will join extremist groups like al-Qaeda or become drug smugglers."

In a November conference on border security in this desert region, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said disenfranchised groups like the Tuareg have to be helped economically in order to reduce the incentive for them to become al-Qaeda allies. "In Libya we need to involve the minorities living across the borders and they need to have legal status," he said. "This calls for the economic development of the region."

Intermarrying with the Tuareg has given al-Qaeda the support of these tribal people and allowed them to move quickly across Africa through the desert.

"Some members of the Tuareg community are acting as support staff, bringing food and water into these valleys," Gazzini said, noting that the same region once supported a desert safari industry. "It's the same setup as when the tourists were in these areas."

According to the men guarding the borders and patrolling the desert, al-Qaeda militants take their four wheel drive vehicles east across the country and then north up to Benghazi and Derna - the intellectual heart of Libya's jihadism.

It was in Libya's coastal areas that the anti-Qaddafi Libyan Islamic Fighting Group was formed in the 1990s, some of whose members later joined al-Qaida, while others became part of the new Libyan government. It's also the home of the Ansar al-Shariah movement that has been linked to the deadly attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi that killed Ambassador Christopher Stephens and three other diplomats last year.

While al-Qaeda seeks new friends in southern Libya, it is also exploiting enmities between the area's dominant Arab tribes - who long controlled the region - and the Tuareg and Tabu peoples who have created their own militias since Gadhafi's fall.

In Sebha, there are already 27 militias vying for power, leaving little hope for any concerted push against al-Qaeda. Pitched battles have flared several times in the last year, especially between the Tabu and Arab tribes.

Al-Qaeda has developed ties with several different militias and keeps a low profile while the different factions clash, several militia leaders and smugglers told AP on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

It's a situation that allows al-Qaeda to operate at will: Abdel Majid, the militia leader in Sebha, describes witnessing a constant flow of jihadists between Ubari and Derna.

"Arabs from Derna came down to join the battle in Mali and then headed back in the other direction," he said.

17 December 2013 by ADIT - The Bulletin - defenceWeb

.Since the fall of the Gaddafi regime and the foreign military intervention in the country, the need to rebuild security through a stable and capable army in Libya has become urgent. Indeed it is becoming vital to fill Libya’s security vacuum, and efficiently fight against the country's growing chaos, the militia violence, and al Qaida.

Many countries and private entities are interested in benefitting from the risky endeavour of training the Libyan armed forces, and expanding their influence within the resource rich country. Through different partnerships with different countries, Libya is starting to enhance its army capacity through training and mentoring arrangements on several fronts:

The European Union is focusing on training Border Guards and the Coast Guard under a border mission called Eubam (EU Border Assistance Mission). According to the mission’s blueprint, the EU objective is to take Border and Coast Guard "battalions" out of the field, train them in secure locations, and "redeploy" them into action. Eubam's 111 personnel will be unarmed (albeit heavily guarded by private contractors) and many of them will have civilian backgrounds in EU police and customs. But the EU document notes that Eubam should also recruit people with "military expertise" to "provide specialist skills."

After cancelling an October tender to secure Eubam training, the European Union (EU) launched one-on-one negotiations with bidders, including Argus Security Projects. To date, 40 Eubam personnel that are already present in Libya are protected by Argus, which also secures the European official representation office in Tripoli.

Italy, as Libya’s former colonial power, still remains a major interlocutor and donor in Libya, as far as energy and security issues are concerned. As reported by EUobserver and according to the Eubam paper, it seems that Italy set aside at least 250 million euros for Libya for 2012 and 2013, the vast majority of which is being spent on security projects, run by Italy's defence and interior ministries, including:

• Training 60 Libyan border guard officers in Vicenza, Italy

• Teaching 65 Libyan infantrymen at Italy's Army Infantry School in Cesano

• Training 280 Libyan military police in Tripoli

• Teaching another 150 civilian police in using anti-drug sniffer dogs and in forensic crime scene investigation.

Rome is also sending a naval boat to Libyan waters to stop "weapons smuggling," restoring seven Libyan naval vessels and donating 20 VBL Puma armoured vehicles. In addition, two Technical Agreements aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation between Rome and Tripoli were signed. One of these agreements concerns the employment of Italian remotely piloted aircraft to support Libyan authorities in border control activities in southern Libya. Moreover, as reported by Reuters, Libya is going to build a satellite surveillance system with Italian expertise to help secure its borders to stem the flow of Islamist militants and illegal immigrants. Another agreement on training Libyan personnel has also been signed, and will be implemented either in Libya or in Italy, in order to improve common security.

France has already agreed to train 1 000 Libyan police in counter-terrorism and plans to train another 1 500, Foreign minister Laurent Fabius said on the sidelines of a regional border security conference in the Moroccan capital Rabat, as reported Reuters. In addition, still according to EUObserver, France is currently training 75 bodyguards to protect Libyan VIPs, 30 Libyan airmen, 20 naval officers as well as 72 naval divers. These training sessions have been delivered partly by DCI AIRCO and NAVFCO since early 2013.

The United Kingdom is also very keen to enhance the Libyan Army’s capabilities. The Foreign Office acknowledges that the British Army is training 2 000 Libyan soldiers in basic infantry skills. Furthermore, according to an undisclosed source close to the security services, the British are currently conducting training Libyan intelligence agents in a secret location somewhere in Scotland.... Meanwhile, London has appointed a "Defence Assistance Team" within the Libyan Ministry of Defence, plus a "strategic adviser" to the Ministry of the Interior.

Germany is helping to prevent nuclear fuel in Libya's Tadjoura research centre from getting into the wrong hands. It is also spending 600 000 euros on "disposal of chemical weapons" and 800 000 euros on securing Libya's stocks of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles.

The US and some of its allies in the region - including Jordan, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates - are also working on a big scale. According to EUobserver and Commentary Magazine, Washington is going to train between 5 000 and 8 000 Libyan soldiers and a separate, smaller unit for specialized counterterrorism missions - potentially in Bulgaria, as reported by The Complex. The US has already launched a $20 million programme on "justice sector reform, arms control and land border security," which involves "contracted personnel" from private security firms in Libya and US personnel in "neighbouring countries," such as Morocco.

A group of 220 Libyan soldiers recently flew to Turkey to start three and half months of military training. The soldiers are the first group of a total of 3 000 troops who will be trained at the Egirdir Commando School, as part of an agreement between the two countries.

Denmark, Greece, Malta, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain are also about to implement military training or assistance projects, although on a smaller scale. According to a recent statement from Libya's oil ministry, the country is currently producing just 700 000 barrels a day, but could quickly get back to pre-war levels of 1.4 million barrels if things go well.

EU and US oil contracts aside, Libya may soon have a lot of money to spend on security equipment, public infrastructure and military hardware. It is therefore urgent to provide a stable environment necessary to achieve this kind of bright future… The bees are therefore flying around the Honey pot…

1-12-2013 Panapress

Le ministre libyen de la Défense, Abdallah al-Theni, a assuré que les frontières sud de la Libye avec le Tchad et le Niger seront sécurisées en 2014 par l'utilisation de techniques de surveillance par satellites pour suivre les mouvements des engins et des individus qui violent les limites frontalières.

S'exprimant dimanche dans un entretien avec la télévision, M. al-Theni a précisé que les violations des frontières détectées par satellite seront vite réglées, soit par des hélicoptères, soit par des patrouilles qui vont rapidement se déployer sur les lieux de passage des trafiquants.

''Le gouvernement libyen est en train de sécuriser toutes les villes et en faire évacuer les groupes armés'', a-t-il notamment dit, soulignant la nécessité pour les ex-rebelles de choisir, avant le début de l'année 2014, entre rester dans la vie civile ou intégrer l'armée ou la police.

29 novembre 2013 Par RFI

Le Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies a donné son feu vert, mercredi 28 novembre, pour l’envoie de 235 hommes en Libye, après une demande du secrétaire général, Ban Ki-moon. Il s’agit d’une unité spéciale pour protéger les infrastructures et le personnel de sa mission dans le pays (Manul). Dans son courrier, Ban Ki-moon explique que le personnel onusien est sous la menace accrue d'attaques en raison des tensions à Tripoli et du manque de forces de sécurité nationales fiables.

Selon le secrétaire général des Nations unies, Ban Ki-moon, cette force aura un rôle dissuasif contre les extrémistes hostiles au personnel étranger.

Le feu vert du Conseil survient dans un contexte dégradé en Libye, notamment pour les diplomates.

Début octobre, l'ambassade de Russie avait évacué son personnel après l'attaque de son bâtiment par des manifestants. Par ailleurs, l'attentat contre la représentation française, en avril, avait entraîné soit un renfort de la sécurité des chancelleries occidentales, soit un retrait partiel.

Selon une source onusienne à Tripoli, cette unité était réclamée depuis plusieurs mois comme conséquence du climat général, de la faiblesse des forces libyennes mais aussi de la protection de la Mission d’appuie des Nations unies en Libye, jugée insuffisante. Or, les contraintes budgétaires et administratives avaient retardé le projet.

Sur les 235 hommes, la moitié environ seront des gardes armés et les autres gèreront la logistique et l'administration interne.

Tous seront cantonnés dans les locaux de la mission à Tripoli pour protéger les infrastructures, les deux cents employés et pour gérer une évacuation éventuelle.

A part une bombe lancée contre un convoi l'an dernier, la Manul dit ne pas avoir reçu de menaces récentes.

Même si la mission subit régulièrement des dégradations contre ses véhicules ou encore des insultes dans la rue, « C'est la routine pour nous », confie une source.

28 novembre 2013 Romandie.com (AFP)

BENGHAZI (Libye) - De nouveaux heurts meurtriers ont éclaté jeudi à Benghazi, dans l'Est libyen, entre l'armée et le groupe jihadiste Ansar Asharia, tandis qu'au moins dix personnes ont été tuées dans l'explosion d'un dépôt d'armes dans le sud du pays.

Trois soldats ont été tués et trois autres blessés dans les affrontements entre l'armée et Ansar Asharia à Benghazi, région théâtre de plusieurs attaques et heurts sanglants ces derniers jours, selon une source hospitalière et l'armée.

Dans le Sud, relativement épargné jusqu'ici par les violences, au moins dix personnes ont été tuées et quinze autres blessées, selon un bilan provisoire, après l'explosion d'un dépôt d'armes et de munitions à Brak al-Chati, à 650 km au sud de Tripoli, a indiqué à l'AFP le gouverneur militaire de la région sud, le général Mohamed al-Dhahbi.

Un groupe d'inconnus a tenté d'attaquer le dépôt, provoquant cet incident regrettable, a-t-il ajouté.

Il n'était pas possible dans l'immédiat de vérifier le bilan de source médicale.

La télévision nationale a fait état de morts et de blessés sans préciser le nombre. Elle a indiqué qu'un groupe de civils avait pris d'assaut le dépôt dans le but de dérober le cuivre qui se trouve dans les munitions, provoquant une série d'explosions.

Selon la télévision qui cite un des blessés, des immigrants africains figuraient parmi les assaillants.

Une source locale a indiqué à l'AFP que des dépôts d'armes et casernes de l'armée sont régulièrement attaqués et pillés dans cette région désertique.

A Benghazi, les habitants poursuivaient pour le troisième jour consécutif un mouvement de grève pour demander le départ des groupes armés, après des heurts lundi entre l'armée et Ansar Asharia, ayant fait sept morts et une cinquantaine de blessés, selon le ministère de la Santé.

Jeudi, de nouveaux affrontements ont fait trois morts et trois blessés, selon un bilan arrêté en fin d'après-midi.

Trois soldats tués et trois autres blessés ont été admis à l'hôpital, a déclaré la porte-parole de l'hôpital al-Jala de Benghazi, Fadia al-Barghathi.

Tournant dangereux

Le commandant des forces spéciales de l'armée à Benghazi, Wanis Aboukhamada, a indiqué que quatre personnes en possession d'explosifs avaient été arrêtées à l'entrée est de la ville.

Durant leur transfert vers le centre-ville, les forces de sécurité ont été attaquées par le groupe d'Ansar Asharia, le principal groupe salafiste jihadiste en Libye, a-t-il dit dans une déclaration diffusée par des chaînes de télévision libyennes.

M. Aboukhamada a confirmé le bilan de trois morts et de trois blessés, affirmant que les affrontements entre l'armée et les islamistes d'Ansar Asharia se sont étendus par la suite à d'autres quartiers de la ville.

Il a prévenu que les violences à Benghazi constituaient un tournant dangereux, appelant le gouvernement et le Congrès général national (CGN, Parlement) à assumer leurs responsabilités.

Un soldat libyen avait déjà été tué par balles jeudi matin à Benghazi, en proie à une vague de violences ciblant les militaires et les forces de sécurité, selon une source hospitalière et des témoins.

Selon ces témoins, des hommes armés ont tiré sur un véhicule particulier où se trouvaient deux soldats, tuant l'un d'eux tandis que le second est sorti indemne.

Trois soldats de l'armée libyenne avaient aussi été tués mercredi à Benghazi lors d'attaques séparées, tandis que les corps de deux autres militaires avaient été découverts mardi à Derna, plus à l'est.

Experts libyens et étrangers attribuent régulièrement les attaques menées dans l'Est libyen à des groupes islamistes, dont Ansar Asharia, mais les autorités n'osent pas accuser directement ces groupes lourdement armés, par crainte de représailles, selon ces experts.

Récemment, Ansar Asharia a indiqué dans un communiqué qu'il ne reconnaissait pas les institutions de l'Etat, ni ses services de sécurité, les qualifiant d'apostat et de Taghout (forces maléfiques au service de la tyrannie).

Depuis la chute du régime de Mouammar Kadhafi en 2011, les autorités de transition peinent à mettre en place une armée et une police professionnelles leur permettant d'asseoir leur pouvoir et de maintenir l'ordre.

14 Novembre 2013 Lemag - MAP

Lisbonne - La 17ème réunion du Comité directeur de l'initiative ''5+5 défense'', s'est tenue sur deux jours à Lisbonne, avec la participation des 10 pays membres de l'initiative.

Cette rencontre a réuni, outre le Maroc, les représentants de l'Algérie, la Tunisie, la Libye, la Mauritanie, l'Espagne, la France, l'Italie, le Portugal et Malte.

Cette réunion intervient en préparation de celle des ministres de la Défense des pays membres de l'Initiative, prévue en décembre prochain au Portugal qui assure la présidence tournante de l'initiative ''5+5 défense'' au titre de l'année 2013.

Initiée en 2004, l'Initiative qui regroupe cinq pays européens et les pays du Maghreb se propose de renforcer la coopération entre les Etats membres à travers la promotion de l'action commune et des compétences entre leurs forces armées respectives et l'échange d'expériences et d'expertises.

L'objectif de cette initiative est la prise en compte, en commun, des problèmes de sécurité dans la Zone de la Méditerranée occidentale, la lutte contre le terrorisme et les trafics de tous genres, la surveillance et la sécurité maritimes, la sûreté aérienne, la protection des populations civiles en cas de catastrophes, en plus du domaine de la formation et de la recherche.

11 November 2013 defenceWeb (Reuters)

Libyan's army moved into Benghazi in eastern Libya on Friday, a show of force aimed at restoring order in the country's second largest city, rocked by almost daily bombings and assassinations.

Security in the port city, an important part of Libya's oil infrastructure, has deteriorated in the past few months with armed militants and radical Islamists roaming unchallenged, highlighting the anarchy in the OPEC producer two years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi.

Most countries have closed their consulates in Benghazi after a series of attacks and some foreign airlines have stopped flying there. The U.S. ambassador was killed in September 2012 during an Islamist assault on the consulate.

Stability in the region is key for oil supplies as around 60 percent of oil production comes from the country's eastern half.

Hundreds of armored troop carriers and army trucks mounted with guns drove through the old city near the Corniche after Friday prayers, cheered by residents tired of violence, witnesses said.

"We stand by the people," Wanis Bukhmada, commander of special forces in Benghazi, told a crowd. "We won't allow anyone to mess around with security anymore."

Some 500 people took to the streets, welcoming the army, which has been accused by critics of keeping largely to barracks in recent months.

"We are with the army. There is no security without the army," political activist Hania al-Gumati told Reuters during the demonstration.

But hours later unknown gunmen killed a security officer in Benghazi, a security source said.

Authorities reinforced the city with special forces in June after some 40 people were killed in clashes between rival militias, which helped bring down Gaddafi but kept their guns after the NATO-backed revolt.

Western powers worry that instability in Benghazi will spill over to the capital Tripoli, which saw the worst fighting between militias this week.

Three militiamen were killed during heavy fighting between rival groups with anti-aircraft guns and grenades on Thursday night, Sadat el-Badri, head of the local council told Reuters.

He said authorities would undertake "decisive action" to stop militia fighting but analysts are skeptical as the weak government of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan struggles to control much of a country awash with arms.

Protests and strikes over higher pay and political rights have shut down much of the country's oil output, depriving the government of the main source of income.

29 Octobre 2013 M.M. webmanagercenter.com

Le ministre libyen de la Défense, Abdullah Al Thani, a reçu le 22 septembre 2013 les représentants d’entreprises britanniques spécialisées dans les équipements et systèmes de sécurité (BACTEC International, BAE Systems, G3-Systems, Nemesis Security et Tilden International) qui lui ont fait un exposé sur les moyens de sécurisation des frontières, un domaine dans lequel le gouvernement libyen a programmé d’investir plusieurs milliards de dollars.

Si l'opération Serval orchéstrée par la France a chassé du Mali les groupes terroristes qui avaient pillés les arsenaux de Kadhafi, une partie des djihadistes est désormais réfugiée dans le Sud Libyen d'où ils mènent des actions.

10/10/2013 Par Isabelle Lasserre

DECRYPTAGE - Les opérations militaires en Libye avaient été un succés pour la coalition en 2011. Depuis, le pays est dans une impasse et la fin du conflit se fait encore attendre.