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Sweden increases humanitarian aid to Libya

Sweden's government announced on Monday that it planned to increase its humanitarian aid to civil war-torn Libya by 10 million kronor ($1.6 million).

Published: 12 April 2011 07:02 CEST
Sweden increases humanitarian aid to Libya

“Due to the dire humanitarian situation in Libya and the consequences for its neighbouring countries, Sweden is now contributing with additional aid to help the affected people,” Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson said in a statement.

The extra money, which has been dedicated to international efforts to evacuate non-Libyans who have fled to a third country to escape the violence, brings Sweden’s total aid contribution to the war-torn country since March to 60 million kronor, the statement said.

Sweden, which is not a member of NATO, has also agreed to limited participation in the operations against the regime of Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi by helping enforce the no-fly zone over Libya with eight fighter jets, but has said it would not take part in any ground strikes.

On Friday Swedish JAS Gripen fighter jets took part in NATO’s operation in the skies above Libya. The JAS Gripen were involved for around two and a half hours.

The mission was the first time Swedish planes had been involved in a conflict operation since the 1960s in what was then the Belgian Congo.

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IMMIGRATION

Libya conference to be held in Sicily in November: Italy

A Libya conference will be held in Sicily in November, Italy's foreign minister said Tuesday, with talks focusing on an "inclusive approach" to stabilising the war-torn north African country while not fixating on a date for elections.

Published: 3 October 2018 10:00 CEST
Libya conference to be held in Sicily in November: Italy
The coastline of the Sicilian island of Lampedusa. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP

The peace conference in Palermo on November 12 and 13 will aim to “identify the stages of a stabilisation process”, Italian Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi told the Senate.

The meeting would drive towards “a common solution, even if there are differences of opinion between the parties involved”, he said.

Four key leaders from Libya agreed at a conference in Paris in May to hold landmark polls on December 10 as part of a French-led plan to stabilise the crisis-hit country despite ongoing violence and deep divisions.

France, however, has faced opposition to the election timetable from the United States along with other European Union countries, notably Italy.

Milanesi said he had received “confirmation of interest” in the conference from Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar as well as support from the US, and was planning on discussing the dossier with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Monday.

“No deadlines will be imposed on the Libyans, nor tasks dictated,” Milanesi said.

Italy, a key supporter of the UN-backed government of Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli, said in September it wants to “maintain an active dialogue” with all well-intentioned actors in Libya.

The Libyan capital has been at the centre of a battle for influence between armed groups since dictator Moamer Kadhafi was driven from power and killed in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising.

Sarraj's Government of National Accord has been unable to form a functioning army or regular security forces and has been forced to rely on militias to keep Tripoli safe.

Militias formed the backbone of the uprising that toppled Kadhafi.

Since then rival administrations, including one allied with Haftar and based in the remote east, and the militias have competed for authority and oil wealth in the North African country.

Accused by his opponents of wanting to establish a new military dictatorship, Haftar refuses to recognise the authority of Sarraj's Tripoli-based GNA.

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