Khalifa Haftar, head of the Libyan National Army, has in recent days threatened to move on Tripoli, retaliate against Algeria over allegations its military is crossing into Libyan territory, and called Italy an enemy of the Libyan people. “Tripoli must be liberated and will not remain in spoiled hands,” Haftar…
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says human traffickers and smugglers in Libya are impersonating their humanitarian aid staff, wearing UNHCR vests and other items to deceive migrants. Citing reliable reports from their sources and refugees, UNHCR said the practice pops up at smuggling hubs and disembarkation points where migrant…
The internationally backed Government of National Accord in Libya (GNA) declared a state of emergency and the United Nations (UNSMIL) has called for an emergency meeting on Tuesday as the country’s security crisis escalates in and around Tripoli. Fighting in Ain Zara on the southern outskirts of the city led…
In Libya, clashes between armed groups in Tripoli have now killed 39 people and injured more than 100, while forcing closure of Mitiga Airport and leaving hundreds more stranded when it came under rocket fire. An update from the Libyan Ministry of Health on Friday said most of the dead…
Nearly 2,000 people living in Tripoli in an internally displaced persons (IDP) settlement have been forcibly evicted by armed militias, the United Nations Refugee Agency said Tuesday. Triq Al Matar was the largest IDP settlement in Tripoli, hosting families originally from the city of Tawergha who have lived there since…
The head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) says that despite an attack earlier this month at the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) offices in Tripoli, the country continues to move toward elections planned for later this year. Ghassan Salamé, speaking to the UN Security Council, said the…
Libya’s Fayez Al-Sarraj, head of the Presidential Council for the Government of National Accord (GNA), called an emergency meeting with security leaders Wednesday following a terrorist attack on the national election headquarters in Tripoli. The head of the Presidential Council for the Government of National Accord (GNA) issued a statement…
It’s been a week, and there’s still no official word on a half-dozen Libya Comic Con organizers arrested by an armed group in Tripoli last Friday. Hundreds of people attended the country’s second annual Comic Con at the Dat Al-Imad conference center, where organizers say they had permission to hold…
Six years ago on May 18, the last of the late Muammar Gaddafi’s forces were pushed out of the Libyan coastal city of Misrata, ending months of urban warfare amid a besieged populace that captured the world’s attention. The hundreds of rebel groups – with their shifting strategies and alliances –…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
The United Nations envoy for Libya warns of dangerously escalating violence amid the deteriorating security situation in Tripoli, while appealing to the country’s various militia factions for national unity. “I call for all parties to put Libya and the unity of Libya ahead of their own narrow interests,” said Martin…
The United Nations Security Council has urged Libyans to move quickly on the stalled Libyan Political Agreement, amid concern over the escalation of violence among armed groups in Tripoli and the overall terror threat in Libya. The UNSC also reiterated grave concern over Islamic State and groups claiming allegiance to…
United Nations envoy Martin Kobler has appealed for calm following two days of escalated fighting in the Libyan city of Tripoli. Kobler, head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said Friday that he “is extremely alarmed by the ongoing clashes in Tripoli which are reported to have…