Libya Roundup: Archaeological sites registration, damaged cities reconstruction, land mines

Registration of 21 archaeological sites with UNESCO

Libya's Minister of Education, Mousa Al-Magaryef, announced the country is working on registering 21 archaeological sites on the UNESCO World List. "We are working to register these sites on the UNESCO World List, through ISESCO, and we call for the formation of technical committees and workshops to preserve and protect this heritage,” Al-Magaryef is quoted by the Libya Observer. The Minister disclosed this in a ceremony detailing a presentation of all the approved sites. The event was attended by ambassadors, heritage enthusiasts and representatives of the accredited sites.

Reconstruction of damaged cities

The Libyan House of Representatives has unanimously approved a request for 500 million Libyan dinars ($104 million) for the reconstruction of damaged cities in the western region of the country. According to Libya Aakhbar spokesman for the House of Representatives, Abdullah Balihaq said that the Council decided to assign the funds to the Reconstruction and Stabilization Committee, which will oversee and carry out the reconstruction efforts in the western area.

Land mines in South Tripoli

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah has urged military officer and the commander of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar and his allies to provide maps of mines planted south of Tripoli. During a visit to a citizen who was injured in a mine explosion in Ain Zara, a town in western Libya, Dbeibah is quoted by the Libya Observer saying, "The dirty war that was launched recently is still impacting the people… playing with the lives of civilians and children unless they provide mines' maps." According to the Libya Observer, the prime minister also instructed the victim to be transferred to Tunisia for treatment and artificial limbs.

$9.9 billion deficit in foreign exchange

The Central Bank of Libya (CBL) in its most recent monthly report verified that the North African state's foreign exchange earnings for 2023 totalled $25.4 billion, compared to its expenditures of $35.3 billion, resulting in a US$ 9.9 billion deficit. Despite a $5 billion gain in 2022, the CBL also warned over the depletion of foreign exchange reserves. State revenues and spending are expected to reach 125.9 billion dinars ($26.2 billion) and 125.7 billion dinars ($26.2 billion) respectively, the Libya Herald reported.

Legal proceedings against Israel

Under Palestine's supervision, Libya has entered into legal proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) scheduled for February. The United Nations General Assembly has requested the holding of the sessions to obtain the International Court of Justice's legal opinion about the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the Libya Observer reported. "According to the progress of the lawsuit and to prevent disruption, it was agreed to intensify statements of political support from countries to ensure that a ruling is issued in the urgent aspect to stop the genocide and the dangers of mass displacement as well as settlement to which the Palestinian people are exposed," said the embassy in a statement. According to the Libya Observer, 75 members of the Libyan High Council of State (HCS) called for legal support for South Africa's lawsuit against Israel for genocide against Palestinians, including horrific crimes and the use of prohibited weapons.