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Tripoli shoot out may derail asset recovery in the US
Africa Confidential
A truce appeared to be holding at dusk on 14 May in Libya’s capital after the worst fighting in several years. Abdel Hamid Dubaiba, Prime Minister of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, has survived despite multiple reports that he had fled the city. The clashes broke out on 12 May when the 111 and 444 military factions linked to his government killed Abdulghani Kikli (known as Ghaniwa) leader of the Stabilisation Support Apparatus (SSA). Fighting continued between Dubaiba’s backers and RADA, the last militia in the capital outside his camp.
These clashes are running parallel to the scramble by Libyan leaders to gain access to US$50 billion stashed in banks in Europe and the United States during Colonel Moammar el Gadaffi’s rule. Our Special Report details how Mohammed al Mensli, Director-General of the Libyan Asset Recovery and Management Office, has tracked down many of these stolen assets. He has told us how the cash was extracted from Libya and channelled into western banks. Fearing for his life after three months in detention by armed militias, Mensli has gone into hiding but remains determined to start negotiations with the US authorities for the return of the loot. We hear in-camera discussions are live between some individuals close to President Donald Trump’s administration and Libyan officials. But this week’s fighting will further complicate such efforts.
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