Category Archives: Uncategorized

Columbia and FARC to Ratify Peace Accord this Month

According to Spain’s acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, Columbia’s government will ratify a peace accord with the Marxist rebel group FARC on 26 September.

On 25 August, the government of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos reached a peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to end the group’s 52-year-old war against the Colombian state. On 29 August, Colombia’s FARC rebel force formally ordered its fighters to observer a ceasefire, which still has to go to a plebiscite vote on 2 October. The agreement, which was reached after almost four years of talks in Cuba, will see the FARC rebels hand their weapons over to UN-sponsored monitors and reintegrate into civilian life.

More than 220,000 people have been killed in the conflict, tens of thousands have disappeared and millions have fled their homes in a bid to escape the violence.

National Oil Corporation suspends operations at Ras Lanuf Port

National Oil Corporation suspends operations at Ras Lanuf Port

19 September- Over the weekend, fighting resumed for control of key ports in Libya’s oil crescent. Libyan officials delayed a shipment of petroleum at the newly reopened ports.

Last week, forces from Libyan National Army, loyal to the Eastern government, captured Ras Lanuf and Es Sider ports from the Petroleum Facilities Guard. The PFG briefly regained control of the ports, but were forced out again amid renewed fighting. After clashes on Sunday, the ports are back in the control of the PFG.

The NOC suspended operations at Ras Lanuf port as a tanker was loading a shipment of oil to be transported to Italy. The tanker would have been the first to ship from the port since 2014, but withdrew to a safe distance from the port.

Ras Lanuf port itself has not been affected by the fighting so far, but a previously damaged oil storage tank at nearby Es Sider port was set on fire. Firefighting teams were expected to control the blaze rapidly.

THE SITUATION IN LIBYA REMAINS EXTREMELY FLUID. Control of key facilities in Libya have, and could again, change hands with little or no notice. The Eastern government, supported by recently promoted Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and the LNA, does not acknowledge the legitimacy of the UN- backed government. The situation between the opposing factions remains extremely unstable. As a result, ports, infrastructure, and other valuable assets remain at a high risk for violent attack by opposing groups.

MS Risk continues to advise extreme caution to all vessels entering Libyan waters. Ship-owners and masters should correspond with local agents and stay abreast of the most recent information available. 

Cluster Bombs Killed over 400 People in 2015

According to a new report compiled by a Cluster Munitions Coalition, more than 400 people were killed by cluster bombs in 2015, with most of the deaths being reported in Ukraine, Syria and Yemen.

Cluster bombs scatter explosives a wide area and often fail to detonate on impact. The report indicates that 248 deaths were recorded in Syria, followed by Yemen (104); and Ukraine (19). Civilians made u 97% of the death toll while more than a third of the casualties recorded from 2010 – 2015 have been children, who are at a particular risk. The report indicates that the weapon is not banned in all three of these countries, adding that they are not signatories of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of the weapons.

The Syrian military has denied possessing or using cluster munitions and in December 2015, the Russian Defense Ministry, which supports the Syrian government, also insisted that “Russian aviation does not use (cluster munitions).” The report however suggests that despite Russia’s denial, “there is compelling evidence that it is using them” in Syria.

Snowden Dismisses US Report into his Activities

Edward Snowden has dismissed a recently released report compiled by the US House of Representatives intelligence committee, which heavily criticised his activities.

The report, which took two years to compile, rejects Mr Snowden’s view of himself as a whistleblower, stating instead that he was a disgruntled employee whose actions did nothing more than help US enemies. Releasing a summary of its 36-page investigation into the case, the House committee disclosed that Mr Snowden had fallen out with his colleagues and lied about his background while at the NSA. It further states that most of the material that he had leaked related to military secrets that had nothing to do with Americans’ privacy but were to “protect American troops overseas and…provide vital defences against terrorists and nation-states.”

In a series of tweets, Mr Snowden dismissed the report’s findings, writing: “their report is so artlessly distorted that it would be amusing if it weren’t such a serious act of bad faith.”

Since 2013, Mr Snowden, a former National Security Agency (NSA) contactor, has been living in Russia. That year, he gained notoriety for releasing thousands of classified documents, which related mass phone and Internet surveillance that has been put in place in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. The report was released just a day after two rights groups launched a campaign for President Obama to pardon Mr Snowden. On 14 September, Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) launched their ‘Pardon Snowden’ campaign, urging President Obama to do so before he leaves office in January 2017. Amnesty has sated that no-one should be prosecuted for exposing human rights violations, which, it claimed, is what “indiscriminative mass surveillance of communications” amounts to. Meanwhile the ACLU, which acts as Snowden’s legal adviser, has called him “a great American who deserves clemency for his patriotic acts.” The White House has already rejected the possibility of a presidential pardon.

UPDATE: Port of Ras Lanuf and Es Sider Ports

11 September, 2016

Forces loyal to Libya’s unrecognized Tobruk government have seized the Es Sider and Ras Lanuf ports in Libya’s oil crescent. Clashes are ongoing for control of Zueitina port.

On Sunday, a spokesman the Libyan National Army (LNA) announced that its fighters had wrested control of Es Sider and Ras Lanuf ports, and clashes were underway at Zueitina port. The statement was confirmed by Libya’s National Oil Corporation and the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).

Mixed accounts suggest that the LNA has also taken control of Brega port, as well as the south and east gates of the city of Ajdabiya. However, these reports could not be triangulated.

The ports were under the control of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG). In July, PFG leader Ibrahim Jathran struck a deal with the UN-backed government to end its blockade of the key ports, which were scheduled to resume operations after long stoppage.

The LNA is led by General Khalifa Haftar, a powerful and controversial military figure. Haftar has opposed the unity government since its establishment in December 2015, maintaining loyalty to the rival administration based in Tobruk. The eastern government has not recognised the GNA’s authority, and in August issued a vote of no confidence against the group. A spokesman for the Tobruk-based authority stated that the attack was intended to regain full control of the oil crescent from the GNA; they have previously threatened to try to sell crude themselves.

Together, Es Sider and Ras Lanuf ports account for more than half of Libya’s oil output, and their revival represents a vital source of revenue for the OPEC nation. It is expected that forces loyal to the GNA will attempt to recover these vital assets.

MS Risk has previously warned that control of key facilities in Libya could change hands with little or no notice. There remain several armed groups seeking control over Libyan oil assets, and it is likely that pro-GNA forces will seek to regain control of the ports. The government remains extremely unstable and the compounded situation in the nation is extremely fluid. As a result, the ports remain at a high risk for violent attack by opposing groups, which could target the infrastructure at the ports. MS Risk advises extreme caution to all vessels entering Libyan waters. Ship-owners and masters should correspond with local agents and stay abreast of the most recent information available.