The Council of the European Union on Monday 21 September imposed sanctions on two individuals found to be responsible for human rights violations in Libya and three entities that allegedly violated the arms embargo.
According to the legal act published in the Official Journal of the EU, the targets are the commander of the al-Saiqa Brigade based in Benghazi, Mahmoud al-Werfalli, who has been linked to some 30 murders and one mass execution, and Moussa Diab, who is “responsible for serious human rights violations, including human trafficking and the abduction, rape and murder of migrants and refugees, in which he participated directly”. They are subject to an asset freeze and an EU travel ban.
In addition, the Azerbaijani commercial cargo airline Sigma Airlines, which operates aircraft in violation of the arms embargo, as well as the Turkish shipping company Avrasya Shipping and the Jordanian shipping company Med Wave Shipping, whose respective vessels Cirkin and Bana are linked to the transport of military equipment to Libya, are subject to an assets freeze.
At the end of the ‘Foreign Affairs’ Council, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, announced that the Europeans had agreed to lift the sanctions against the President of the Tobruk House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, and the President of the Tripoli Parliament, Nouri Abou Sahmein (see EUROPE 11522/17).
According to Borrell, the ministers also agreed to appoint an “EU special representative for the Libyan problem”.
Finally, he reiterated the importance of a lasting ceasefire and of mobilising all efforts to lift the oil blockade, which has cost the country more than $10 billion since the beginning of the year. The Europeans also intend to step up their efforts to resume political dialogue as part of the so-called ‘Berlin process’. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)