2021 in Libya explained

See also: 2021 in North Africa.

Events in Libya in 2021.

Incumbents

• President: Fayez al-Sarraj
• Prime Minister:
  • Abdullah al-Thani (until 5 February)
  • Abdul Hamid al-Dabaib (interim, starting 5 February)

Events

Ongoing – COVID-19 pandemic in Libya, Libyan Crisis, Second Libyan Civil War

January to April

• January 5 – The Libyan dynar (national currency) drops from being worth .746 to .225 US dollars.
• January 13 – Rival governments meet for talks aimed at unifying the national budget.^[1]
• January 15 – The United Nations Security Council names Jan Kubis, a former Slovakian foreign minister, as its new envoy to Libya.^[2]
• January 19 – Political rivals begin talks under United Nations auspicies to lay the groundwork for a legal foundation for elections on December 24.^[3]
• January 28 – The United States calls for the immediate withdrawal of Russian and Turkish troops.^[4]
• February 5
  • Abdul Hamid Dbeibah is chosen as transitional unity prime minister of Libya.^[5]
  • The International Organization for Migration says 800 European-bound migrants were intercepted by the Libyan Navy in the last 24 hours.^[6]
• February 18 – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah meet in Cairo.^[7]
• February 21 – Armed gunmen attack Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha's motorcade in Tripoli.^[8]
• February 22 – Authorities free 156 victims of human trafficking from Somalia, Eritrea, and Sudan in Kufra. Six traffickers are arrested.^[9]
• February 28 – Fifteen people drown and 115, mostly migrants, are saved when a rubber boat sank near Zawiya. 41 people had drowned in a similar incident on February 20.^[10]
• March 3
  • Agence France-Presse says a confidential UN report finds Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah was elected after bribing at least three people. Dbeibah says the report is untrue.^[11]
  • The government says migration is not a top priority and calls upon international organizations to step up monitoring and rescue efforts.^[12]
• March 7 – Parliamentarians from both sides arrive in Sirte to discuss the formation of a unity government.^[13]
• March 10 – Parliament approves Abdulhamid Dbeibeh's interim cabinet 132–2.^[14]
• March 31 – Two women and three migrant children drown when a boat capsizes. 77 others are rescued. 480 migrants were rescued over the weekend.^[15]
• April 23 – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that a shipwreck off the coast of Libya claims the lives of 130 migrants.^[16]
• September 3 – Fighting breaks out between different factions in Tripoli as tensions rise throughout the country.^[17]

Predicted and scheduled events

• March 29 – France is scheduled to reopen its embassy after seven years.^[18]
• December 24 – elections^[1]
  • 2021 Libyan presidential election
  • 2021 Libyan parliamentary elections

Sports

• March 26 – After seven years, international football returns to Libya. The Libyan national team lost 5–2 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualification match in ″Benina Martyrs Stadium″ (formerly ″Hugo Chávez Stadium″) near Benghazi.^[19]

Deaths

• March 24 – Mahmoud al-Werfalli, suspected war criminal (Libyan National Army); shot^[20]

See also

• COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
• 2021 in North Africa
• 2020s in political history
• Government of Libya
• Politics of Libya
• Turkish military intervention in the Second Libyan Civil War
• Slavery in Libya

External links

• Abdul Hamid Dbeibah: Who is Libya's new prime minister? (Al Jazeera, 6 Feb 2021)

Notes and References

1. News: Magdy. Samy. January 12, 2021. Libya's rival governments discuss unifying 2021 budget. Associated Press. live. January 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210113221648/https://apnews.com/article/national-budgets-libya-tripoli-middle-east-d2acba0f7e3a60a55ae77f9df77c94d1. January 13, 2021.
2. News: Nichols. Michelle. January 15, 2021. U.N. Security Council approves new U.N. Libya mediator. Reuters. January 15, 2021.
3. News: Magdy. Samy. January 19, 2021. Libya rivals meet in Egyptian resort for talks on elections. Associated Press. January 20, 2021.
4. News: January 28, 2021. US calls for withdrawal of Russian, Turkish forces from Libya. Al Jazeera English. January 28, 2021.
5. News: February 5, 2021. Surprise as Dbeibah elected Libyan transitional PM. Times of Malta. Agence France-Presse. live. February 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210405171912/https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/surprise-as-dbeibah-elected-libyan-transitional-pm.849653. April 5, 2021.
6. News: February 5, 2021. UN agency: Libyan navy intercepts over 800 EU-bound migrants. Associated Press. live. February 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210216005905/https://apnews.com/article/europe-africa-libya-middle-east-mediterranean-sea-5a155e8c9df4b7292ea66d3dd4fbbefc. February 16, 2021.
7. News: Elhennawy. Noha. February 18, 2021. Libya's new interim leader meets with Egyptian president. Associated Press. live. February 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210612052750/https://apnews.com/article/north-africa-africa-egypt-libya-cairo-7eb26ece926c7d076efb3d925eb67f3a. June 12, 2021.
8. News: Magdy. Sam. 21 February 2021. Libyan interior minister survives attack on motorcade. Associated Press. February 21, 2021.
9. News: Magdy. Samy. 22 February 2021. Libya: Over 150 migrants freed in raid on traffickers. Associated Press. February 23, 2021.
10. News: February 28, 2021. Fifteen people drown in latest shipwreck tragedy off Libya. Al Jazeera English. February 28, 2021.
11. News: March 3, 2021. Libyan interim gov't calls on UN to publish report on vote-buying. Al Jazeera English. March 4, 2021.
12. News: March 3, 2021. Libya's new government says migration crisis not its top priority. Al Jazeera English. March 4, 2021.
13. News: al-Warfali. Ayman. March 8, 2021. Libyan MPs arrive at Sirte to debate unity government. Reuters. live. March 8, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210310045439/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-security-idUSKBN2AZ0NW. March 10, 2021.
14. News: al-Warfali. Ayman. March 10, 2021. Libyan parliament backs unity government, advancing peace plan. Reuters. live. March 10, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210312095401/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-security-idUSKBN2B21BF. March 12, 2021.
15. News: Magdy. Samy. March 31, 2021. UN: 2 women, 3 children drown in shipwreck off Libya's coast. Associated Press. April 1, 2021.
16. Web site: 2021-04-23. Libya shipwreck claims 130 lives despite SOS calls, as UN agencies call for urgent action. 2021-05-25. UN News.
17. News: Elumami. Ahmed. September 3, 2021. Worst Tripoli fighting in a year shows limits of Libya peace push. Al Jazeera English. September 3, 2021.
18. News: March 24, 2021. France to reopen embassy in Libya after nearly seven years. Al Jazeera English. March 28, 2021.
19. News: March 26, 2021. International football returns to Libya after seven-year hiatus. Al Jazeera English. March 26, 2021.
20. News: March 24, 2021. Gunmen kill wanted Libyan commander in new sign of instability. Reuters. live. March 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210325105304/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-security-idUSKBN2BG2TU. March 25, 2021.