Libyan man killed in the explosion of a landmine in Benghazi

Young man was killed when a landmine exploded near a court north of Benghazi in the market of the whale in the city of Benghazi on Sunday. The hospital received the body of 20-year-old Abdul Aziz, who was unidentified, due to a state of confusion by paramedics, the official of the information office at Al-Jalaa Hospital for Surgery and Casualties said on Monday.

Meanwhile, Benghazi drivers have been hit by fuel shortages for the past three days because drivers of private fuel trucks have been on strike. Because of the liquidity crisis and the difficulty of getting money out of the banks, they are demanding to be paid in cash to take the petrol from Tobruk port and the refinery there to Benghazi. However, Brega Oil and Gas Marketing Company says it can only pay by bak transfer, with the result that the drivers have stopped work and petrol stations have closed.

Yesterday, Brega spokesman Adel Ben Dardaf said that negotiations were taking place to end the strike. However, the situation may be alleviated as of tomorrow with the arrival in Benghazi’s port of a fuel tanker from Tobruk. The Anwar Libya is due to arrive at the oil pier at Benghazi’s Juliana harbour with 13.5 million litres of petrol. A second tanker is to deliver 40 million litres.

Prior to the fighting in Benghazi, petrol was usually delivered by sea to the pier and from there to the storage depot at Ras Al-Mungar in north Benghazi. But the conflict meant that it has had to come by road from Tobruk refinery or Tobruk port. As well as producing petrol, Libya also imports it, and Tobruk is the nearest suitable port for imports.

Maintenance staff are said to have been working round the clock to bring back the oil pier into service and it was announced yesterday that it was finally ready. This should end the shortage, although it remains to be seen if the truck drivers now try to blockade the port.

On a brighter note, the water shortages suffered by Benghazi for the past four days are ending. They occurred because of an explosion at a major pipeline in Leithi district connecting with main water treatment plant south of Benghazi with the city. The damage has now been repaired with the result that water has been gradually returning to all the city’s neighbourhoods.

On the political side, State Council head Abdulrahman Sewehli has been in Rome today for meetings with Italian officials. In the morning he saw Italian foreign minister Angelino Alfano, whom he last saw just over a week ago in Tripoli.

As a press conference afterwards, Alfano said that Italy was convinced of the importance of the political dialogue taking place in Tunisia where the dialogue committees of the House of Representatives and the State Council are negotiating amendments to the Libyan Political Agreement. “We think it’s the only way to stabilise Libya,” he said, adding that “the Libyans have to decide the fate of Libya”.

He also stressed that Italy was “very supportive of the work of the UN representative [Ghassan] Salamé” (the UN special envoy). There have been allegations that Italy has been undermining Salamé’s efforts by pursuing its Linya policy. Alfano also expressed the hope that the dialogue and UN’s work would result in free elections. These, he suggested, would give a Libya a government that was legitimate both in Libyan an international eyes.

Sewehli and Alfano also discussed concerns about human rights abuses in migrant detention centres in Libya, with the Italian minster suggesting that Italian NGOs could help. He added that €6 million had been allocated as humanitarian assistance by his government to the UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration for work with the migrants.

Following his meeting with Alfano, Sewehli then had talks with the president of Italy’s Chamber of Deputies, Laura Boldrini. The two previously met in March during Sewehli’s last official trip to Italy. Today’s visit follows fast on the heels of those of deputy presidency Council leader of Tripoli, Ahmed Maetig, who arrived in Rome last Monday and after that of Khalifa Hafter who was there 10 days ago.