Libya 2020 OSAC Crime & Safety Report

This is an annual report produced in conjunction with the Regional Security Office at the Libya External Office located in the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia. OSAC encourages travelers to use this report to gain baseline knowledge of security conditions in Libya. For more in-depth information, review OSAC’s Libya country page for original OSAC reporting, consular messages, and contact information, some of which may be available only to private-sector representatives with an OSAC password.

Travel Advisory

The current U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory at the date of this report’s publication assesses Libya at Level 4, indicating travelers should not travel to Libya due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict. Review OSAC’s report, Understanding the Consular Travel Advisory System.

Overall Crime and Safety Situation

Libya is a fractured state in the midst of a civil war. While several actors and factions are involved, the Government of National Accord (GNA), led by UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, has been warring with eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA), with both sides receiving significant military and financial support from rival regional powers. The transitional GNA government is only in control of part of the country.

Crime Threats

The U.S. Department of State has assessed Tripoli as being a HIGH-threat location for crime directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. Crimes of opportunity, such as theft, burglary, and purse- snatching occur frequently against foreigners. Criminal gangs have perpetrated killings of politicians and civilians without consequence.

Militias aligned with the GNA or LNA have committed extra-judicial killings of politicians and civilians without consequence. Many Libyans have been forcibly disappeared. Journalists and other activists have been the targets of attack, exemplifying the collapse of political expression, press, and free speech.

Expect extensive corruption, and indiscriminate violence against civilians. Libya’s judicial system is extremely corrupt. There have been thousands of cases of arbitrary arrests without due process. Armed groups often exercise law enforcement duties as they see fit. Both warring parties practice torture in interment facilities. Prisons are overcrowded and do not provide adequate healthcare services. There have been allegations of unlawful killings, sexual violence, and forced labor in Libyan prisons. Militias (even some controlled by the UN-recognized government) have forced children into conscription.

Review OSAC’s reports, All That You Should Leave Behind, The Overseas Traveler’s Guide to ATM Skimmers & Fraud, Taking Credit, Hotels: The Inns and Outs, and Considerations for Hotel Security.

Cybersecurity Issues

Review OSAC’s reports, Cybersecurity Basics, Best Practices for Maximizing Security on Public Wi-Fi, Traveling with Mobile Devices: Trends & Best Practices, and Satellite Phones: Critical or Contraband? Libya 2020 OSAC Crime & Safety Report

Transportation-Safety Situation

Road Safety and Road Conditions

There is a high rate of accidents, as authorities often do not enforce traffic laws. Wind-blown sand affects road visibility. Although it doesn’t often rain, when it does, the roads will flood. Libyan road infrastructure is not in good condition. It is common to find satisfactorily paved roads in urban areas, but many rural roads are unpaved. Roadside assistance is extremely limited and offered only in Arabic. Street signage is rare and usually written in Arabic.

Expect to encounter militia-run checkpoints throughout Libya. Those manning checkpoints have detained people without reason, and will not provide access to a lawyer or a judicial process. The Department of State has an extremely limited capacity to assist U.S. citizens detained by militia groups. Roads can close with little or no warning. Libya’s land borders with Egypt and Tunisia are subject to periodic closures. Short-term closures of other land borders may occur with little notice.

Review OSAC’s reports, Road Safety Abroad, Driving Overseas: Best Practices, and Evasive Driving Techniques; and read the State Department’s webpage on driving and road safety abroad.

Public Transportation Conditions

Taxis are available for hire, but drivers are often reckless, untrained, and usually do not speak English. There are some public transportation options, but service is limited. Review OSAC’s report, Security In Transit: Airplanes, Public Transport, and Overnights.

Aviation/Airport Conditions

Most of Libya’s international airports have closed. Although they are occasionally operational, carriers cancel flights without notice. Commercial air travel in Libya remains an attractive target for armed groups.

Maritime Security Concerns

The frequency of attacks against commercial interests has increased, especially concerning ships and their crews. The LNA requires all maritime vessels in Libyan waters to have its permission to transit. Vessels should proceed with extreme caution when approaching all Libyan oil terminals and ports. Seaports can close with little or no warning. Follow the recommendations in the U.S. Coast Guard’s Port Security Advisory 1-14 issued April 1, 2014.

Check the U.S. Coast Guard Homeport Website for Port Security Advisory Updates and the NGA Broadcast Warnings Website (select “Broadcast Warnings”) for any special warnings or Maritime Administration Advisories.

Libya 2020 OSAC Crime & Safety Report

Terrorism Threat

The U.S. Department of State has assessed Tripoli as being a CRITICAL-threat location for terrorism directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests. Terrorism directed against U.S. government and western affiliated organizations is highly likely. Extremist groups often target tourist sites, hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, businesses, transportation hubs, foreign embassies, expatriate residential areas, and schools. There have been recent terrorist attacks and kidnappings of foreigners across the region. ISIS, Al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Ansar al-Sharia in Benghazi (AAS-B), and Ansar al- Sharia in Dernah (AAS-D) are active in the region and pose a threat to U.S. and other travelers. Terrorist organizations have perpetrated killings of politicians and civilians without consequence.

• AQIM aims to overthrow various African regimes and replace them with one ruled by sharia law, establishing an Islamic caliphate across all of North and West Africa. Headquartered in Algeria, AQIM also operates in Tunisia and Libya.

• AAS-B and AAS-D officially disbanded in June 2017, but fighters and local elements remain. Each is a coalition of violent religious extremist groups combating the Libyan House of Representatives- aligned forces.

• ISIS-Libya aims to prevent the formation of a reunified Libyan state, secure control over the country's critical resources, and, ultimately, establish an Islamic caliphate in Libya. It has been active in Libya since circa 2015, with its original headquarters in Sirte. ISIS-Libya no longer controls territory in Libya, but does maintain a low-profile presence throughout much of the country.

Political, Economic, Religious, and Ethnic Violence

The U.S. Department of State has assessed Tripoli as being a CRITICAL-threat location for political violence directed at or affecting official U.S. government interests.

Civil Unrest

The law on guidelines for peaceful demonstrations fails to include relevant security assurances for protesters, and severely restricts the exercise of the right of assembly. The law mandates protesters must inform the government of any planned protest at least 48 hours in advance, and provides that the government may notify the organizers that a protest is banned as little as 12 hours before the event.

There were reports of several small public protests in Tripoli and other major Libyan cities in 2019, in which participants expressed frustration with civilian casualties and fatalities caused by the continuing conflict and poor service delivery by the national and municipal governments. Review OSAC’s report, Surviving a Protest.

Libya 2020 OSAC Crime & Safety Report

Religious/Ethnic Violence

Proselytizing is illegal in Libya. Penalties are severe. In addition to possibly facing the death penalty, proselytizers may be the target of extra-judicial killings. Review OSAC’s report, Freedom to Practice, and the State Department’s webpage on security for faith-based travelers.

Anti-U.S./Anti-Western Sentiment

Post-specific Concerns

Environmental Hazards

The hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall. Dust storms and sandstorms are common. Air quality suffers as a result. Water pollution is a significant problem. The combined impact of sewage, oil byproducts, and industrial waste threatens Libya's coast and the Mediterranean Sea.

Critical Infrastructure Concerns

Libya suffers from widespread power outages, caused by shortages of fuel for power generation.

Libya suffers from desertification, and has limited natural freshwater resources. “The Great Manmade River Project,” the largest water development scheme in the world, brings water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities.

Although political and security instability in Libya has disrupted its telecommunications sector, much of its infrastructure remains superior to that of most other African countries. Selective filtering or blocking of internet access occurs, despite the fact that no reliable public information identified those responsible for censorship. There were no credible reports that the GNA restricted or disrupted internet access or monitored private online communications without appropriate legal authority in 2019. Social media outlets such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter play a critical role in official and unofficial government and nongovernmental communications. Pages on Facebook, the main platform government officials, ministries, and armed groups use to transmit information to the public, were regularly hacked by unknown actors or closed due to mass reporting and complaints. A large number of bloggers, online journalists, and citizens report practicing self-censorship due to instability, intimidation by armed groups, and the uncertain political situation.

Economic Concerns/Intellectual Property Theft

Libya's economy, almost entirely dependent on oil and gas exports, has struggled since 2014 given security and political instability, disruptions in oil production, and decline in global oil prices. The Libyan dinar has lost much of its value since 2014 and the resulting gap between official and black-market exchange rates has spurred the growth of a shadow economy and contributed to inflation.

Libya 2020 OSAC Crime & Safety Report

Personal Identity Concerns

U.S. citizens of Libyan origin may have to adhere to special obligations usually only reserved for citizens of Libya. The state of Libya deems all children born to Libyan fathers to be Libyan citizens. Dual Libyan- American nationals will face further challenges when entering or exiting Libya on their U.S. passports. The Libyan government requires them to obtain a Libyan travel document before entering Libya. If those dual nationals travel to Libya under a Libyan passport, they will be treated by the Libyan government as a Libyan citizen.

Ethnic minorities face instances of societal discrimination and violence. Racial discrimination targets dark- skinned people, including those of sub-Saharan African heritage. Government officials and journalists often distinguish between “local” and “foreign” populations of Tebu and Tuareg in the south, and advocate expulsion of minority groups affiliated with political rivals on the basis they were not truly “Libyan.” Some representatives of minority groups, including representatives of Tebu and Tuareg communities, rejected the 2017 draft constitution because of a perceived lack of recognition of the status of these communities, although the draft explicitly protects the legal rights of minority groups. Tebu and Tuareg communities receive substandard or no services from municipalities, lack national identity numbers, face widespread social discrimination, and suffer from hate speech and identity-based violence. Some members of ethnic minority communities in southern and western Libya reported being unwilling to enter certain courthouses and police stations for fear of intimidation and reprisal.

There are no reliable statistics on the extent of domestic violence. Social and cultural barriers, including police and judicial reluctance to act and family reluctance to publicize an assault, contribute to lack of effective enforcement. Rape survivors who could not meet high evidentiary standards could face charges of adultery. Migrant women and girls are particularly vulnerable to rape and other forms of conflict- related sexual violence, including forced prostitution and sexual exploitation in conditions amounting to sexual slavery. By law, a convicted rapist may avoid a 25-year prison sentence by marrying the survivor, regardless of her wishes, provided her family consents. there was widespread harassment and intimidation of women by armed groups and terrorists, including harassment and arbitrary detention based on accusations of “un-Islamic” behavior. Armed groups harass women traveling without a male “guardian.” Armed groups have asked men and women socializing in public venues to produce marriage certificates to verify their relationship. Review the State Department’s webpage on security for female travelers.

The Constitutional Declaration addresses the rights of persons with disabilities by providing for monetary and other types of social assistance for the “protection” of persons with “special needs” with respect to employment, education, access to health care, and the provision of other government services, but it does not explicitly prohibit discrimination. The government does not effectively enforce these provisions. Review the State Department’s webpage on security for travelers with disabilities.

Societal discrimination against LGBTI+ persons persists, and official discrimination is codified in local interpretations of sharia law. Convictions of same-sex sexual activity carry sentences of three to five years’ imprisonment. The law provides for punishment of both parties. There were reports of physical violence, harassment, and blackmail based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Armed groups often police communities to enforce compliance with their commanders’ understanding of “Islamic” behavior, Libya 2020 OSAC Crime & Safety Report

harassing and threatening with impunity individuals believed to have LGBTI+ orientations and their families. The threat of possible violence or abuse could intimidate those who want to report discrimination. Review OSAC’s report, LGBTI+ travelers.

Drug-related Crime

Penalties for possessing, using, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Libya are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines. Driving under the influence can result in immediate detention. Alcohol is also prohibited in Libya, and possessing, using, or trafficking in alcohol can carry severe penalties.

Kidnapping Threat

Kidnapping remains a significant issue in Libya associated with criminal, militia, and terrorist organizations. The group al-Mulathamun Battalion, which aims to replace several African governments (including Libya's transitional government), with an Islamic state, maintains an operational presence in Libya, and engages in kidnappings for ransom. Review OSAC’s report, Kidnapping: The Basics.

Other Issues

Human trafficking is a significant issue in Libya. Libyan territory is a transit area for asylum seekers hoping to make it to Europe, but those seeking to escape challenging conditions in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are often forced into prostitution or labor. There have been reports of Libyan brothels procuring Sub- Saharan women from detention centers and pressing them into prostitution.

It is against the law to take photos of certain buildings, such as military and government facilities. Review OSAC’s report, Picture This: Dos and Don’ts for Photography.

Counterfeit and stolen goods are often for sale, but the purchase of such items is illegal in the United States and is sometimes illegal under local Libyan law. Expect customs to be strict when exporting or importing prohibited goods. These items include firearms, religious materials, antiquities, medications, currency, alcohol, pornography, and pork products. Exchanging currency outside of authorized agencies is illegal and penalties are severe. Read the State Department’s webpage on customs and import restrictions for information on what you cannot take into or out of other countries.

Libya does not have formal tourism industry infrastructure. You must carry your passport with you at all times or militias could detain you for questioning.

Police Response

The emergency line in Libya is 1515. Download the State Department’s Crime Victims Assistance brochure.

The GNA has various ground, air, naval, and coast guard forces under its command. Ground forces are a mix of semi-regular military units, tribal militias, civilian volunteers, and foreign-supplied troops. Forces under Khalifa Hafter also include various ground, air, and naval units. The ground forces, known as the (LNA), are a mix of semi-regular military units, tribal militias, and foreign-provided troops. Libya 2020 OSAC Crime & Safety Report

Medical Emergencies

Modern medical care and medicines may not be readily available throughout Libya. Libyans usually travel outside of the country for treatment of severe medical conditions. Find contact information for available medical services and available air ambulance services on the U.S. Embassy to Libya website.

Living conditions, including access to clean drinking water, medical services, and safe housing have all declined since 2011. Review OSAC’s report, I’m Drinking What in My Water?

The U.S. Department of State strongly recommends purchasing international health insurance before traveling internationally. Most Libyan healthcare providers only accept cash. Review the State Department’s webpage on insurance overseas. Purchase supplemental insurance to cover medical evacuation (medevac).

The CDC offers additional information on vaccines and health guidance for Libya.

Review OSAC’s reports, The Healthy Way, Traveling with Medication, Shaken: The Don’ts of Alcohol Abroad, Health 101: How to Prepare for Travel, and Fire Safety Abroad.

OSAC Country Council Information

Tripoli does not have an active OSAC Country Council. Interested private-sector security managers should contact OSAC’s Middle East & North Africa team for more information.

U.S. Embassy Contact Information

There is currently no U.S. Embassy in Libya. Questions may be addressed to the Libya External Office located in Tunis, or the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy Tunis

North East Zone, Les Berges du Lac, 1053 Tunis, Tunisia Telephone:+216-71-107-000, press 0 and ask for the Libya Office consular officer. Emergency After-Hours Telephone: +216- 58-575-409 Email: [email protected]

Website: http://ly.usembassy.gov

Helpful Information

Before you travel, consider the following resources:

• OSAC Risk Matrix • OSAC Travelers Toolkit • State Department Traveler’s Checklist • Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) • Libya Country Information Page