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…
The former prime minister of Libya, released after a week-long abduction and disappearance, is safe and in good health, according to information released Wednesday by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). The mission said that Ghassan Salame, the new UN special envoy to Libya, has spoken with Ali…
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…
A report on the trial in Libya of members of the former regime led by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi details flaws in the process that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) urge authorities to address. The report also…
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…