Central Bank of Libya Governor Naji Mohammed Issa Belqasim met with the Governor of the People’s Bank of China, Pan Gongsheng, in Beijing to strengthen financial and banking cooperation between the two countries.
The most significant outcome: the two sides formally agreed on the accession of Libyan banks to China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payments System (CIPS). The move will streamline payments and transfers between Libya and China, speed up financial transactions, and support trade and business between the two countries.
The two sides also agreed to diversify Libyan investments through access to the Chinese bond market, part of the Central Bank’s strategy to broaden its investment portfolio and improve the management of its reserves. Pan welcomed the step and affirmed China’s support for the bank’s objectives.
Talks also covered drawing on China’s experience in financial infrastructure, digital payment systems, and modern financial technology to help modernize Libya’s banking services and bring them in line with international standards.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to launch the first Libyan-Chinese Banking Forum, to be held on the sidelines of the China-Africa Forum in early 2027. The forum will bring together banks and financial institutions from both countries to expand investment partnerships and cooperation.
The Criminal Investigation Department announced that its officers successfully dismantled a car bomb after discovering a vehicle rigged for remote detonation parked outside a school in the city of Sorman, in western Libya.
According to the department, the vehicle contained five artillery shells and a landmine connected to a remote-controlled detonation circuit. Authorities safely neutralized the explosive device, preventing what could have been a devastating attack. An investigation is underway to identify those responsible.
Libyan President Mohamed Al Menfi has officially appointed Abdulmajid Elmlegta as the new Intelligence Head for the Western Region Government.
He also appointed Abdelshafi Bouzlaa as Deputy Head of the Intelligence Service, responsible for public affairs and external communication.
The decisions are part of ongoing institutional restructuring aimed at strengthening intelligence coordination, media engagement, and external communication channels.
VENEZUELA – Venezuela is facing a major disaster after two powerful earthquakes struck the north of the country. At 18:04 local time (23:04 BST), a magnitude 7.2 quake hit northern Venezuela, followed just 39 seconds later by a stronger 7.5 magnitude earthquake about 28 km south-east of Yumare in Yaracuy state. It is the strongest earthquake recorded in the country since 1900.
On Thursday at around 00:50, acting president Delcy Rodríguez reported at least 32 deaths and more than 700 injured, noting that figures from the hardest-hit state of La Guaira were still not included. Emergency teams and the military were deployed as international aid began mobilizing, with the United States pledging $150 million in assistance.
By Friday morning, rescue teams from Mexico, El Salvador, Switzerland, and Spain arrived in Venezuela, with more international support expected. At around 08:30 local time, the death toll rose to 589, with 2,980 injured, and authorities placed La Guaira under military control.
Later on, Friday, officials updated the figures again, confirming at least 920 deaths and 3,360 injured. An update from Rodríguez also put the number of trapped people at 172, while tens of thousands of people are reported missing on a civilian-led rescue database.
Search and rescue operations continued into Saturday as teams worked through rubble, with officials saying they remain hopeful of finding survivors.
TRIPOLI – Libya’s three highest governing bodies signed a landmark principles document on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, agreeing on a clear roadmap to end the country’s transitional phase and hold national elections no later than February 17, 2027.
The agreement was reached on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, during a joint meeting held via Zoom between Aguila Saleh, Speaker of the House of Representatives , the Eastern Region’s legislative body, Mohamed Takala, Head of the High Council of State, the Western Region’s consultative assembly, and Dr. Mohamed Al-Menfi, Chairman of the Presidential Council, the country’s collective head of state.
The three Libyan councils said the roadmap was driven by concerns over national security, financial stability, territorial integrity, and control over natural resources, while warning of foreign interference and changing regional and international conditions.
The agreement is based on Libya’s existing legal framework, including the Constitutional Declaration, the 2015 Political Agreement, and previous understandings reached during the Cairo tripartite meeting under the Arab League.
The roadmap’s main focus is holding simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections by February 17, 2027, under the supervision of a high-level committee including representatives from financial, electoral, military, and security institutions.
The electoral laws will be completed by the 6+6 Committee and submitted to the House of Representatives for approval. The agreement also includes a future constitutional amendment requiring the elected president to launch a national dialogue process aimed at completing a permanent constitution and ending Libya’s prolonged transitional period.
The agreement adopts the 2020 Bouznika Agreement as the framework for appointing and reunifying Libya’s key sovereign positions. It also adds the National Oil Corporation and Libyan Foreign Investments to the list of protected sovereign institutions, ensuring their unity, independence, and neutrality.
The economic reforms focus on protecting Libya’s national wealth and financial sovereignty by rejecting foreign interests in state assets, preventing the release of frozen funds until an elected president takes office, and opposing policies that could harm the economy or national interests.
The roadmap also introduces stronger oversight of the oil, gas, water, and minerals sectors, confirms the National Oil Corporation’s role in managing resource marketing, and maintains the Central Bank of Libya’s authority over revenues. A joint committee will prepare a unified 2027 budget to address Libya’s long-running financial divisions.
The agreement comes at a moment of renewed international engagement with Libya. Massad Boulos, adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump on Middle East and African affairs, recently told the Financial Times that Washington is actively working to broker a power-sharing arrangement between Libya’s rival eastern and western governments. Boulos also confirmed that major American oil companies, including ConocoPhillips and Chevron, have already signed agreements with Libya in 2026, and expressed confidence that Libya’s oil production could double to three million barrels per day by the end of the decade.
This principles document represents the most serious and substantive political convergence Libya has witnessed in years. For the first time, the country’s three rival governing bodies have aligned, on paper , around a single timeline, a shared legal framework, and a set of binding economic commitments. Whether this agreement translates into action will depend on the political will of all parties in the months ahead. But as a statement of intent, it marks a turning point that Libya, and the region, cannot afford to ignore.
PARIS – Lieutenant General Mahmoud Hamza, Commander of Brigade 444 under the Western Region Government and Director of Military Intelligence, participated in the International Defense and Security Exhibition (IDEX) in Paris.
During the visit, he attended the opening ceremony and held several high-level meetings with French defense officials, including the Minister of Defense and senior military commanders, as well as representatives from Turkey, Chad, Mauritania, and Italy.
Discussions focused on strengthening military and security cooperation, regional stability, and exchanging expertise between Libya and partner countries.
Stéphanie Williams, a former adviser to the UN Secretary-General in Libya, highlighted the ongoing issue of armed faction fragmentation in western Libya, particularly in Tripoli.
She identified three main groups exerting control: the Deterrence Apparatus for Combating Terrorism and Organized Crime, known for human rights violations; the Support and Stability Apparatus, led by Abdul-Ghani Al-Kikli Ghneiwa; and Brigade 444. Williams pointed out that these militias maintain their grip on state institutions, abusing their powers for arrests, surveillance, and detentions to suppress opposition and avoid accountability.
Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General Stephanie Williams attends the Lybian Politicial Dialogue Forum. 1 February 2021. UN Photo by Violaine Martin
The Libyan State Funds Recovery and Assets Management Office (LARMO) and the Libyan Counter-Terrorism Center signed a memorandum of understanding in Tripoli to enhance joint efforts in combating terrorism and money laundering. The agreement, signed by Muhammad Al-Mansali of LARMO and Major General Muhammad Bashir of the Counter-Terrorism Center, aims to strengthen cooperation in recovering illegally obtained funds and confronting security and financial challenges. Both Al-Mansali and Bashir emphasized the importance of this partnership in achieving national security and economic goals in Libya.
The Gaza Strip has been the epicenter of heavy bombardment for more than a week after Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes for the unprecedented terror attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 7.
The enclave — a narrow strip of land between Israel and Egypt, next to the Mediterranean Sea — is home to roughly 2.3 million Palestinians and is described as one of the most densely populated places on Earth. The 140-square-mile region is roughly the size of Philadelphia.
Since 2007, Israel has imposed an air, land and sea blockade on the Gaza Strip, saying the move is necessary to safeguard the country from Hamas’ attacks. Gaza is surrounded by concrete walls and barbed wire fences.
