On Saturday, US President Joe Biden extended the national emergency with respect to Libya, to continue in effect beyond February 25, 2023, according to the White House.
The first emergency was declared on 25 February 2011, amid the revolution against the late longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi, for using violence against civilians and misappropriating Libyan state assets.
In a statement, the White House said that the “situation in Libya continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, and measures are needed to protect against the diversion of assets or other abuses by members of Gaddafi family, their associates, and other persons hindering Libyan national reconciliation.”
In addition, “there was a serious risk that Libyan state assets would be misappropriated by Gaddafi, members of his government, members of his family, or his close associates if those assets were not protected. The foregoing circumstances, the prolonged attacks, and the increased numbers of Libyans seeking refuge in other countries from the attacks caused deterioration in the security of Libya and posed a serious risk to its stability.”
On 19 April 2016, former President, Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13726, which expanded the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13566. The President found that “the ongoing violence in Libya, including attacks by armed groups against Libyan state facilities, foreign missions in Libya, and critical infrastructure, as well as human rights abuses, violations of the arms embargo imposed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011), and misappropriation of Libya’s natural resources threaten the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, democratic transition, and territorial integrity of Libya, and thereby constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,” according to the White House.
“For this reason, the national emergency declared on February 25, 2011, and expanded on April 19, 2016, must continue in effect beyond February 25, 2023. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13566,” the statement concluded.
