Home Affairs Minister flies to Tripoli for remembrance ceremony held for Libyan General

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri travelled to Tripoli early on Saturday morning to attend a remembrance ceremony in honour of General Muhammad Ali Ahmad Al-Haddad, who died along with other officials in an a plane crash in Turkey.

In a statement, the ministry said the visit was as a gesture of respect reflecting the strong and growing relationship between Malta and Libya.

On Christmas Eve, General Mohammed Al-Haddad was among eight people who died after a Maltese-registered private jet crashed near Ankara.

Transport Malta said it was informed at 8.01pm on Tuesday that flight HMJ185, departing Ankara for Tripoli, had lost contact with air traffic control after reporting a technical problem and requesting to return to the Turkish capital. Shortly afterwards, all communication was lost.

During the ceremony, Camilleri conveyed condolences on behalf of the Maltese government and people to Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, the leadership of the Libyan Ministry of Defence, the Libyan Army and the people of Libya.

Camilleri was accompanied by Malta’s Ambassador to Libya, the Commander of the Armed Forces of Malta, and a representative of the Ministry for Home Affairs, Security and Employment stationed in Libya.

General al-Haddad had served as Libya’s army chief of general staff since August 2020 and was a key figure in UN-backed efforts to reunify the country’s divided military.