The European Union has appointed Rear Admiral Valentino Rinaldi as the EU Operation Commander for the European Union military operation in the Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR MED IRINI) to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya He will assume command from Rear Admiral Stefano Turchetto on 19 July.
According to a statement by the Council of the European Union, Rear Admiral Rinaldi brings extensive experience from the Italian Navy. He has commanded various units of the Italian fleet and was recently the Force Commander of “Operazione Mare Sicuro.” He also served as the Commander of the Amphibious Task Force for the 2022 NATO Response Force and during the “Cold Response-22” exercise.
Rinaldi was the Force Commander of Operation IRINI from 1 April to 30 September 2023.
EUNAVFOR MED IRINI was launched on 31 March 2020, following the Berlin Conference on Libya in January 2020. This operation is a concrete EU effort to support the international community’s process to restore peace and stability in Libya. Its mandate runs until 31 March 2025.
Operation IRINI’s primary mission is to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya using aerial, satellite, and maritime assets. The operation conducts inspections of vessels on the high seas off the Libyan coast, suspected of carrying arms or related materials to and from Libya, in violation of the UN arms embargo.
These inspections are conducted in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2292 (2016) and subsequent UNSC resolutions.
Additionally, Operation IRINI monitors and gathers information on illegal exports from Libya of petroleum, crude oil, and refined petroleum products. It also contributes to disrupting the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks by patrolling and collecting information.
Earlier this month, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) voted to extend the mandate allowing member states to inspect ships on the high seas off the coast of Libya for another year. This decision is part of ongoing international efforts to enforce the arms embargo imposed on Libya.
Russia’s UN mission announced that it abstained from voting on the resolution submitted by France and Malta. The proposal aims to extend the mandate of the European Union’s Operation Irini, which inspects vessels suspected of violating the arms embargo on Libya.
The arms embargo on Libya was first imposed by the UN Security Council through Resolution 1970 in 2011, in response to the Libyan Civil War. The blockade aims to prevent the influx of weapons into the conflict-stricken country, thereby reducing violence and instability.
