Libya
The Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum (TTMF) was held in Tripoli. The summit, organized on the initiative of the Government of National Unity (GNU) of Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, was attended by the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, accompanied by the minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi, as well as representatives and heads of government from Algeria, Tunisia, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Spain, Greece, Malta, and Czech Republic. Envoys from the Arab League, the European Union and the African Union were also present. The main objective of the TMMF was to strengthen coordination between Europe and North Africa to stem migration flows from the Sahel. Libya, which is key to Europe's strategy of externalising its borders, is estimated to contain around 2.5 million foreigners. Of these, according to Interior Minister Imad Trabelsi, “around 70-80% have entered the country illegally”. Ahead of the summit, Trabelsi categorically ruled out resettlement of migrants in Libya and called for closer cooperation between army and police forces along the porous southern borders.
Tripoli’s concern reflects the latest movements in Benghazi, where relations between the Haftar clan and the Sahel countries are being strengthened. On 9 July, Saddam Haftar met with the head of the Burkinabé junta, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, in Ouagadogou, to assess prospects for security and military cooperation. Uniting Haftar and the newly founded Confederation of Sahel States (which includes Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali) is the patronage of Russia, whose African Legion, successor to the Wagner Group, offers military support – estimated in the order of 10,000 personnel – in Benghazi as well as in Ouagadogou, Bamako and Niamey. In this context, Russian mediation – which, according to some sources, was the organiser of the meeting between Saddam Haftar and Traoré – may have been aimed at strengthening Benghazi's control over the smuggling of people, weapons, and minerals between the Sahelian hinterland and southern Libya.
Meanwhile, Türkiye is consolidating its expansion in eastern Libya. Turkish steel giant Tosyalı inked a deal with the Libyan United Steel Company to build a hydrogen-powered steel plant in Benghazi, with a projected annual capacity of 8,1 tons (2,7 during early production). The plant is set to make Tosyalı one of the foremost producers of briquetted iron, a crucial step for the decarbonization of industry for the regional and European markets. In recent months Türkiye and the Libyan Fund for Reconstruction and Development – chaired by Belgacem Haftar – have signed similar agreements for the reconstruction of the city of Derna, which was devastated by floods in September 2023. Ankara's rapprochement with the Haftar clan, which has long been aligned with the GNU in Tripoli, also reflects the improvement in Turkish relations with Egypt and the Arab Emirates, among the field marshal's main sponsors during the last Tripoli-Benghazi war, in favour of economic cooperation on both sides of the country. Türkiye recently opened a consulate in Benghazi, while Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan confirmed that relations with Haftar were satisfactory.
Cairo hosted the second extended meeting between the High Council of State (HCS) and the House of Representatives (HoR). Part of a diplomatic push by the Arab League to promote inter-Libyan dialogue, the meeting resulted in a new formal pledge to form a unified government charged with organizing parliamentary and presidential elections. However, both Dbeibah and HCS speaker Mohamed Takala remain vocally opposed to the idea, arguing that Dbeibah remains the only legitimate government in the country. Takala had already refused to take part in previous negotiations this month, to protest the HoR’s unilateral adoption of a massive 18,5-billion-dollar government budget – which would have been added to a similar budget decided in April.
News in the hydrocarbon sector, as Mohamed Aoun confirmed that he will “temporarily” step down as Oil Minister in favour of undersecretary Khalifa Abdul Sadiq. Sadiq had taken up ministerial functions last March, when Aoun’s tenure had been suspended due to allegations of corruption and mismanagement. However, Dbeibah had abstained from officially reinstating Aoun when the former minister was cleared of charges by the Administrative Control Authority. In the last few months, Aoun had openly criticized Dbeibah for granting generous oil and gas concessions to Western and Emirati companies.
Download the July 2024 report
Med-Or hosted the President of the High Council of State, Mohamed Takala, to examine the current situation in Libya.
Libya’s instability, its porous borders, and the country’s central position could grant Moscow a strategic asset for its penetration into the African continent and a new outpost on the Mediterranean.
In a changed international context, Italy continues its efforts to stabilise the country. By Daniele Ruvinetti
| Head of state | Mohammad Menfi |
| Head of Government | Abdul Hamid Dbeiba |
| Institutional Form | National Unity Government |
| Capital | Tripoli |
| Legislative Power | House of Representatives (unicameral, 200 Members of Parliament) |
| Judicial Power | A transitional judicial system |
| Ambassador to Italy | Muhannad Saeed Ahmed Younes |
| Total Area kmq | 1.759.540 Km2 |
| Land | 1.759.540 Km2 |
| Weather | Desertic hinterland, Mediterranean climate on the coasts |
| Natural resources | oil, natural gas, plaster |
| Economic summary | The economy depends almost exclusively on oil and gas exports, but it’s compromised by political and security instability, the suspension of oil production and the decline of oil prices in global market |
| GDP | € 40.1 billion (2023) |
| Pro-capite GDP (Purchasing power parity) | $8753 (December 2021) |
| Exports | € 33 billion (2023) |
| Export partner | Italy 21.1%, Turkey 19.6%, UAE 10.6%, Germany 9.14%, China 8.48%, Spain 7.53%, France 5.59% (2020) |
| Imports | €19.9 billion (2023) |
| Import partner | China 15.9%, Turkey 14%, Italy 8.51%, UAE 8.49%, Greece 6.09%, Netherlands 4.8%, Germany 3.45% (2020) |
| Trade With Italy | € 9,067 billion (2023) |
| Population | 7.137.931 (2022 est.) |
| Population Growth | +1,65% (2022 est.) |
| Ethnicities | Berber arabs 97%, other groups 3% (in part Italian) |
| Languages | Arabic |
| Religions | Muslim 96.6% (Islam is the official religion), Christianity 2.7%, other religions 0.3% |
| Urbanization | 81,3% (2022 est.) |
| Literacy | 91% (2022 est.) |
Independent since 1947, Libya is a country in North Africa, bordering with the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan, Chad and Niger to the south, Algeria to the west and Tunisia to the northwest. The population is about 7 million and the official language is Arabic.
After the first Libyan civil war in 2011, which led to international military intervention and the fall of the Gaddafi regime, Libya has entered a critical stage in its history, experiencing civil conflict which has also affected the rest of the region. After the signing of a formal ceasefire between the parties involved in the conflict, Libya is now heading toward a complex transition stage.
Trade between Libya and Italy amounts to $8,61 billion (2021), with a negative balance for Italy. The bulk of Italian sales to Libya consists of petroleum products, but a significant proportion is also taken up by machinery, electrical appliances and food. Italian imports from Libya mainly consist of crude oil, followed by natural gas and, to a lesser extent, products derived from the process of oil refining, chemical products, fertilisers and nitrogen compounds. Libya plays an important role for Italy, not only because its proximity makes it a “natural” oil supplier for the Italian market, but also because it is a crossing point for migration flows from Africa to Europe.
