The announcement Friday of new leadership in Libya brought some optimism that the volatile and fractured nation may have turned toward peace and a pathway to elections, but much skepticism remains despite the establishment of an interim presidency council. “Realistically, I don’t think we are beyond the military phase in…
Ghassan Salamé, head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), had a stern warning Monday for other nations backing the warring parties in Libya, one he delivered after a closed-door session with the United Nations Security Council. “Keep your hands off Libya,” he said, when asked for his message…
Another bombing on the outskirts of Tripoli – impacting civilians for the fourth time this week – drew a fresh appeal from the United Nations representative in Libya for their protection. The Institute of Applied Engineering, located near hundreds of people sheltered in the Al-Nasser Migrants Center in Al-Zawiya, was…
On the question of Libya, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with his Tunisian and Algerian counterparts Wednesday to discuss the crisis, agreeing to press for a ceasefire and advance the cause of a Libyan political agreement jeopardized by the fighting in Tripoli. Shoukry, Tunisian Khemaies Jhinaoui and Algeria’s Ramtane…
Libya is on the edge of a long and bloody civil war that could permanently divide the nation, the United Nations special representative to Libya said during a briefing to the United Nations Security Council Tuesday. Ghassan Salamé, who also serves as head of UNSMIL, the UN mission in Libya,…
Fayez Al-Sarraj, head of the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya, met Thursday with Ghassan Salamé, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to discuss the ongoing conflict over Tripoli. The meeting comes as the death toll in Libya…
At least 35 people have died since Thursday, when Khalifa Haftar – head of the Libyan National Army and its eastern forces – gave the order to retake Tripoli, home of the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez Al-Sarraj. As the conflict escalated on Sunday, the…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Conflict in the eastern Libyan city of Derna is at the forefront again, as the humanitarian coordinator for the United Nations appealed Friday for humanitarian aid access in its hard-hit old city center. “I am deeply concerned by the escalation of hostilities in the eastern city of Derna,” said Maria…
Libya’s Fayez Al-Sarraj, head of the Presidential Council for the Government of National Accord (GNA), met Wednesday with security officials and his interior minister to discuss Tuesday’s attack on the foreign ministry building in Tripoli. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed at least three people…
Migrants and refugees are being subjected to “unimaginable horrors” from the moment they enter Libya, and at every stage of their journey as they seek to cross the Mediterranean Sea, according to a report released Thursday by UNSMIL, the UN Support Mission in Libya. The 61-page report is based on…
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…
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…
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) expressed concern Wednesday after images appeared to show summary executions at the site of an earlier bombing attack in Benghazi that has claimed 35 lives. “UNSMIL is alarmed by reports of brutal and outrageous summary executions in Benghazi today,” the mission, led…
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…