SNE Special Projects news http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk Latest security industry updates and news posted as they happen posterous.com Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:07:20 -0800 Libya: First anniversary marked http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-first-anniversary-marked http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-first-anniversary-marked Libyans spent yesterday marking the anniversary of the uprising that led to
the overthrow of Col Muammar Gaddafi after his rule of more than 40 years.
Celebrations took place across the country, including in the capital Tripoli
and in the eastern city of Benghazi, where the revolt began. The White House
congratulated Libyans but urged the new government to protect "the rights of
all the Libyan people". But the anniversary comes amid fears of continuing
instability in the country. Hundreds of militias are roaming the country
unimpeded and observers point to an institutional void. Libyan interim
leader Mustafa Abdul Jalil on Thursday vowed a tough response to anyone who
threatened national security during Friday's celebrations.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:26:45 -0800 Libya : Militias out of control http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-militias-out-of-control http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-militias-out-of-control Armed militias are threatening the security and stability of Libya, Amnesty
International has warned. The human rights group says at least 12 detainees
held by militias have died after being tortured since September. The report
is being released to coincide with the first anniversary on Friday of the
revolt that toppled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Last month, the UN said
about 8,000 pro-Gaddafi supporters were being held by militia groups. The
interim government has said it is trying to reassert authority, but
correspondents say it has largely failed to rein in the groups.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:43:37 -0800 Libya : Tensions continue ahead of anniversary http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-tensions-continue-ahead-of-anniversary http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-tensions-continue-ahead-of-anniversary Representatives of about 100 militias from western Libya said Monday they
had formed a new federation to prevent infighting and allow them to press
the country's new government for further reform. The move was a blow to the
National Transitional Council, which helped lead the eight-month uprising
against longtime ruler Gaddafi that ended with his capture and death in
October. The NTC has struggled for months to stamp its authority on the
country and has largely failed to decommission or bring under its control
the hundreds of militias that fought in the war. Ibrahim al-Madani, a
commander whose brigade joined the new federation, said the fighters would
not give up their arms to what they considered a corrupt government. "We
didn't turn against Gaddafi but against a corrupt regime," al-Madani told
reporters at a news conference. "We will not lay down our weapons until we
are assured that the revolution is on the right track". As the situation
remains fluid 11 people were killed in tribal fighting in the desert area of
Kufra Monday, said Farag Saad of the local hospital. Most of the dead were
civilians, he said. Kufra area lies about 500 miles (804 kilometers) south
of the early coastal city of Derna, deep in the desert. The clashes pitted
fighters from local tribes. It was unclear what sparked the clashes.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:40:29 -0800 Libya : High Alert following Saadi's comments http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-high-alert-following-saadis-comments http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-high-alert-following-saadis-comments Libya's interim authorities have ramped up security precautions ahead of the
anniversary of the country's revolution after threats of a
counter-revolution by the former leader's exiled son. Saadi Gaddafi, a
former self-styled football player and reputed playboy, warned in a
television interview on Friday of imminent attacks on the country's interim
leadership coinciding with the February 17 anniversary of the Libyan
uprising. "l return to Libya at any time," the 38-year-old son of the late
Gaddafi said by telephone, in a live broadcast on the pan-Arab Al-Arabiya
news channel. "There is a rebellion that is going on day after day and there
will be a rebellion in the entire country." From his residence in the Niger
capital, where he has been given asylum, he said most Libyans, including
members of the ruling National Transitional Council, were angry at the
interim authorities, whom he described as "gangs". Following his comments
Libya immediately requested Niger to extradite him which they have refused.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Sun, 12 Feb 2012 05:18:23 -0800 Libya: Niger pressed to extradite Saadi Gaddafi http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-niger-pressed-to-extradite-saadi-gaddaf http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-niger-pressed-to-extradite-saadi-gaddaf Libya pressed Niger on Saturday to extradite Gaddafi's son Saadi, saying his
call on Friday for Libyans to prepare for a "coming uprising" threatened
bilateral ties. Niger pledged to tighten its surveillance of Saadi who fled
south to the West African state in September as Libyan rebels gained the
upper hand over Colonel Gaddafi's forces. While officials in Niger said that Mr. Gaddafi's comments
violated a condition of his stay - not to engage in subversion against the
Libyan authorities - they reiterated that he could not be handed over to a
state where he could face execution. In a telephone call to Al Arabiya
television late on Friday, Mr. Gaddafi said that he was in regular contact
with people in Libya who were unhappy with the authorities put in place
after the ousting and killing of his father. The Libyan News Agency LANA
said Niger's foreign minister, Bazoum Mohamed, and his Libyan counterpart,
Ashour Bin Hayal, had spoken by telephone, and quoted Mr. Bin Hayal as
saying Mr. Gaddafi's comments "threaten the bilateral relationship between
the two countries." But a government spokesman in Niger, Marou Amadou, said
in a news conference that the country "cannot hand over someone to a place
where he could face the death penalty or where he is not likely to have a
trial worthy of the name."

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:01:33 -0800 Libya : Warning on Anniversary http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-warning-on-anniversary http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-warning-on-anniversary Military officials warned on 8 February 2012 that supporters of former
leader Gaddafi could carry out attacks in the country on 17 February, which
marks the first anniversary of the beginning of the uprising that ousted
him. The new Libyan army chief Col. Yussef al-Mangush issued the warning
while he was meeting with military attaches of foreign embassies in
Tripoli. While 17 February is a particularly sensitive date due to the
symbolism it carries, travellers and expatriates in Libya should be aware
that the threat is not confined to this day. Attacks by Gaddafi supporters
and clashes between rival armed groups may occur at any time and pose a
constant security threat, as exemplified by skirmishes in the capital region
over the past month.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:37:13 -0800 Libya : Trial of Gaddafi loyalists postponed http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-trial-of-gaddafi-loyalists-postponed http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-trial-of-gaddafi-loyalists-postponed

Libya started and then swiftly postponed court proceedings on Sunday against 41 Libyans accused of helping Gaddafi crush the popular revolt that ended in his death last year, Libyan news agency LANA said on Sunday. "The decision (to postpone) was made in the wake of listening to the pleadings of the defence panel that argued that this military court is not a competent entity and called for referring the case to the civil judiciary,". The prosecutors at the trial, which is being held at a military base in the eastern city of Benghazi, have accused the 41 men of murder and aiding prisoners to escape. Intisar al-Agili, a Benghazi representative of the ruling National Transitional Council, told Reuters the trial had been postponed to February 15. "The delay is based on the requests of the 15-lawyer defence team to review the evidence ... and on the requests of some detainees who want to hire their own lawyers," she said. Libya is currently at loggerheads with the International Criminal Court (ICC), after militia fighters captured Saif al-Islam, Gaddafi's most prominent son, in November. Libya says it will try Saif al-Islam at home, where he could face the death penalty. But the global court based in The Hague has said Libya will first have to answer concerns, raised by activists, that Saif al-Islam was being held incommunicado, without access to lawyers, and to provide information about his mental and physical health.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:48:41 -0800 China looks at Libya post-war reconstruction http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/china-looks-at-libya-post-war-reconstruction http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/china-looks-at-libya-post-war-reconstruction A team of Chinese government officials has arrived in Libya to look into
post-war reconstruction. China was slow to support the rebels in Libya's
revolution last year. In September, it became the last member of the U.N.
Security Council to formally recognize the transitional council as the
country's ruling authority. It did so only after Beijing was provided with
assurances that business contracts signed under late Libyan strongman
Gaddafi would continue to be honoured. China's official Xinhua News Agency
reported Sunday that a Ministry of Commerce team arrived in Tripoli on
Saturday night to talk with Libyan officials about uncompleted projects and
to check on damage to Chinese assets. China has invested billions of dollars
in Libyan projects.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:05:17 -0800 Libya : Justice Ministry takes over prison http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-justice-ministry-takes-over-prison http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-justice-ministry-takes-over-prison The ceremony to take over the prison of Ain Zara from the control of the
local brigade took place on February 2. It was the first of its kind. The
deputy minister of Justice Mr. Khalifa Ashour told the media that it's the
second prison to be taken over by the Justice ministry. The other prison is
in Misrata. Mr. Ashour also told the media that the ministry has sent
letters all over the country asking the brigades to hand over the prisons to
the national police. He said that this is the first step to ensure that the
rule of law applies to the state and to ensure that all the prisoners get a
fair trial as soon as the judicial system is put in place. The National Transitional Council and the government have been working hard
to put their hands on the detention facilities around the country. As the
Libyan Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defence are gaining control, it
seems only a matter of time until this issue is resolved.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:01:55 -0800 Libya : French diplomat dies from torture http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-french-diplomat-dies-from-torture http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-french-diplomat-dies-from-torture A diplomat who served as ambassador to France died less than 24 hours after
he was detained by a Tripoli-based militia from the town of Zintan, Human
Rights Watch said today. Dr. Omar Brebesh, who was detained on January 19,
2012, appears to have died from torture. A preliminary autopsy report viewed
by Human Rights Watch said the cause of death included multiple bodily
injuries and fractured ribs. Photos of Brebesh's body, seen by Human Rights
Watch, show welts, cuts, and the apparent removal of toenails, indicating
that he was tortured prior to death. Human Rights Watch also read a report
by the judicial police in Tripoli, which said that Brebesh had died from
torture and that an unnamed suspect had confessed to killing him. "The
torture and killing of detainees is sadly an ongoing activity by some Libyan
militias," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at
Human Rights Watch. "These abusive militias will keep torturing people until
they are held to account. Libya's leaders should show the political will to
prosecute people who commit serious crimes, regardless of their role in the
uprising".

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:11:57 -0800 Libya : Fighting between rival militia http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-fighting-between-rival-militia http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-fighting-between-rival-militia Libyan capital Tripoli witnessed heavy fighting between rival militia groups
briefly on Wednesday, signalling the continued failure of the new Libyan
rulers to enforce their authority in the country after the ousting of
Gaddafi's regime in an armed revolt last year. Officials said fighting broke
out near office buildings and five-star hotels in central Tripoli's Tariq
al-Shat district. Media reports suggested that the fighting was between
militiamen from the city of Misrata and a rival group from Zintan. It is
still unclear what caused the fighting between the two groups, which had
fought alongside each other in the battle to topple the Gaddafi regime.
Nevertheless, there were no reports of casualties in Wednesday's brief
fighting.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:30:42 -0800 Libya : Aisha Gaddafi protects brother, Saif http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-aisha-gaddafi-protects-brother-saif http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-aisha-gaddafi-protects-brother-saif Aisha Gaddafi has asked the International Criminal Court Tuesday to accept
"concrete information" she believes may help her brother. Saif al-Islam
Gaddafi, once seen as his father's heir apparent, was captured in November
after the fall of the regime in August and is being held in the Libyan city
of Zintan. He was facing an arrest warrant from the ICC for alleged crimes
against humanity at the time of his capture, and the court, based at The
Hague, in the Netherlands, is still seeking to prosecute him. Conflicting
reports emerged a week ago about whether he would be taken to a court in
Tripoli to face trial, and the ICC said it had not yet decided if he could
be tried in Libya. The application filed with the ICC by lawyers acting for
Aisha Gaddafi says she "wishes to protect the interests of her brother ...
whose exact whereabouts are presently unknown to her and whose fate is
currently the subject of confidential litigation". The ICC initially
demanded that Libya hand over Gaddafi for trial after his capture, but then
opened the possibility that he could be tried in Libya. ICC prosecutor Luis
Moreno-Ocampo said on a visit to Tripoli that Libya had the "right" to try
him if it could prove it could do so fairly, with ICC judges to decide. The
ICC asked Libya last month whether Gaddafi was arrested because of the
international warrant, if he was being held incommunicado, and if an ICC
representative could meet him. It also asked when and where a
court-appointed expert could examine his physical and mental health, and
whether and when they planned to hand him over to the court, giving Libya
until January 23 to respond. Libyan officials have submitted a confidential
response to those questions, the ICC said in a statement last week.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:25:49 -0800 Libya : Government denies torture allegations http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-government-denies-torture-allegations http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-government-denies-torture-allegations The Libyan government has rejected allegations it had tortured detainees who
had fought for Gaddafi's forces, saying that if there had been cases of
torture it had not known about them. The aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres
(MSF) said last Thursday it had stopped its work in detention centres in the
city of Misrata because its medical staff were being asked to patch up
detainees mid-way through torture sessions so they could go back for more
abuse. Libyan Foreign Minister Ashour bin Khayyal said it was not the policy
of the ruling National Transitional Council, which has promised to make a
break with Gaddafi-era practices and respect human rights, to use torture.
"Gaddafi's remnants committed actions that were an aggression to the
revolution and to Libya and they will now receive the treatment they
deserve," Khayyal said "As a government, it is not our policy at all to
commit torture because we, the Libyan people, suffered under these policies
and we strongly reject it," Khayyal said. "If there was torture, then it was
not with the knowledge of the government or by the agreement of the
government either. It may be actions by individual but we have not heard
about the report you mention".

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:01:29 -0800 Libya : Regional Security Conference http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-regional-security-conference http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-regional-security-conference Libyan Prime Minister Abdurrahim al-Keib called today for a regional
security conference to tackle a proliferation of weapons by exiled
supporters of former leader Gaddafi. The Libyan civil war may have given
militant groups in Africa's Sahel region like Boko Haram and al Qaeda access
to large weapons caches, said a U.N. report released on Thursday. "There is
still a real threat from some of the armed remnants of the former regime who
escaped outside the country and still roam freely. This is a threat for us,
for neighboring countries and our shared relations," Keib told African Union
leaders in Addis Ababa. "My country calls for a regional security conference
in Libya of interior and defense ministers of neighboring countries," he
told the summit, the first since Gaddafi's death last year

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:10:26 -0800 Libya: Green flags fly again http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-green-flags-fly-again http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-green-flags-fly-again Fighters loyal to Gaddafi took control of a town south-east of the capital
yesterday, flying their green flags in defiance of the country's fragile new
government. The fightback by Gaddafi supporters defeated in Libya's civil war, though
unlikely to spread elsewhere, added to the problems besetting a government
which in the past week has been reeling from one crisis to another. Accounts
from the town of Bani Walid, about 200 km (120 miles) from Tripoli,
described armed Gaddafi supporters attacking the barracks of the
pro-government militia in the town and then forcing them to fall back. "They
control the town now. They are roaming the town," said a fighter with the
28th May militia, loyal to Libya's ruling National Transitional Council
(NTC), which came under attack.The fighter told Reuters the loyalists were
flying "brand new green flags" from the centre of town. The flags were
symbols of Gaddafi's 42-year rule. A resident said four people were killed
and 20 wounded in the fighting, during which the sides used heavy weapons.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:11:10 -0800 Libya : Clashes continue http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-clashes-continue http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-clashes-continue Libya clashes continue, at least two people dead and more than 40 injured.
Rival armed groups fired rockets and heavy machine guns around the town of
Gharyan, about 80km (50 miles) south of the capital, Tripoli. The interim
government had been trying to broker a ceasefire but failed. In the hills
surrounding Gharyan there were scenes rarely seen in Libya since the capture
and killing of Gaddafi nearly three months ago: revolutionary forces are
again in position, their anti-aircraft guns mounted on the backs of pickup
trucks pointing west towards the town of Assabia. The fighting started on
Friday and continued sporadically throughout the weekend. On Saturday,
Libyan Defence Minister Osama al-Juweili travelled to the town to try to
broker a ceasefire. It did not hold. The local officials in Gharyan told the
BBC that militia groups in Assabia remained loyal to the former Libyan
ruler, and should be disarmed - by force if necessary. On Sunday, a
delegation of tribal elders arrived in Gharyan in an attempt to mediate in
the dispute and to negotiate a prisoner exchange. But the stand-off
continues, and the situation remains tense.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:59:46 -0800 Nigeria : Strikes suspended for two days http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/nigeria-strikes-suspended-for-two-days http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/nigeria-strikes-suspended-for-two-days Nigeria's trade unions have suspended protests and some strikes for two days
to allow more talks with officials. The announcement comes on the fifth day
of a general strike over the removal of a fuel subsidy, which has caused
fuel prices and transport fares to double. Thousands of people have taken to
the streets, while several people have died in clashes with police. A union
official told the BBC the government had offered to reintroduce a small
subsidy at talks on Thursday. Nigeria Labour Congress chairman Abdul Waheed
Omar said this would mean petrol would now cost 120 naira ($0.74; £0.49) a
litre, down from the new price of 140 naira but still far higher than the
former price of 65 naira. He said this offer would now be put to NLC
members.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:22:14 -0800 Libya: Sanctions lifted against Switzerland and Lebanon http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-sanctions-lifted-against-switzerland-an http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-sanctions-lifted-against-switzerland-an Libya has officially ended its trade and economic sanctions against
Switzerland and Lebanon, leaving the country free to do business with both
countries which the former Libyan Gaddafi had boycotted. The economic
sanctions against Switzerland were the result of a diplomatic row between
Switzerland and Libya over the arrest of Gaddafi's son Hannibal, in Geneva
in July 2008. Hannibal is currently taking refuge along with his older
brother Mohammed, sister Ayesha and his mother Safiya, in Algeria. Libyan
Undersecretary for Economy Ahmad al-Kouchli said in a statement: "We have
taken the decision to cancel the embargo to foster mutual respect and to
sustain the economic interests of Libya as well as Lebanon and Switzerland,"
Along with the European Union, Switzerland began lifting its sanctions
against Libya in September 2011 after the United Nations Security Council
gave it the green light to return SFr350 million ($399 million) of blocked
funds to Libya. The move is seen as another attempt to get the Country back
to business.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:11:59 -0800 Nigeria : Strikes continue http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/nigeria-strikes-continue http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/nigeria-strikes-continue Strikes are continuing in Nigeria as unions have pledged to continue amid
sharply deteriorating relations with the government. Unions claim the strike
will continue until the government backs down over plans to remove fuel
subsidies. In response, the authorities have threatened to withhold workers'
pay unless they end the strike. There are also concerns, sectarian violence
will increase as rival factions take advantage of the civil disorder. On 10
January five people were killed by a mob in a Benin city mosque, violence
continues throughout the region.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]> Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:51:46 -0800 Libya : French ex-service man shot dead in Tripoli http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-french-ex-service-man-shot-dead-in-trip http://news.snespecialprojects.co.uk/libya-french-ex-service-man-shot-dead-in-trip A French ex-serviceman has been found shot dead in his apartment in central
Tripoli, sources in Libyan security and at the French embassy revealed
today. "A man shot him in his apartment and fled," a member of Libya's high
security committee said on condition of anonymity, adding that the motive
for the murder was still unknown. Another Libyan security source said the
victim was a retired French serviceman, and added that a Libyan had been
arrested in connection with the killing and that an investigation had been
launched. A French embassy source confirmed the murder.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>