Libya

UN Libya mission denies enabling anti-Government forces to target medical facilities

The UN Support Mission in Libya, UNSMIL, strongly denied “rumours” that it has been sharing coordinates of field hospitals and clinics with forces loyal to the self-styled Libyan National Army, which…

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Libyan and Italian Interior Ministers review cooperation in fighting illegal immigration

The Libyan Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha met Wednesday with the Italian counterpart, Luciana Lamorgese, in Rome and discussed illegal immigration issues, Libya's Anti Illegal Immigration Authority said on Facebook. The…

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Libya complains to Moscow about Russian mercenaries fighting for Haftar’s forces

The Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj has confirmed that his government has submitted a complaint to Moscow about Russian mercenaries fighting alongside Khalifa Haftar's forces that are leading an offensive…

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Lockerbie Primary School invites Libyan teachers for lessons in hope after tragic past

Teachers from Libya have been invited to visit pupils in Lockerbie as teachers seek to change perceptions around its tragic past. The Daily Record reports that the "Lockerbie Primary’s deputy…

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U.N. envoy pushes to stop ‘blatant’ embargo violations in Libya

The U.N. envoy for Libya said he hopes an international conference next month will produce a Security Council resolution committing foreign powers to stopping an escalating proxy war and an…

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Reports of Russian mercenaries killed in Libya

The Libya Observer and Latvian based Meduza website are reporting that between 10 and 35 Russian mercenaries may have died while fighting for Khalifa Haftar's forces in "Libya’s civil war."…

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Turkish drones targeted by Haftar’s forces in Libya

The forces of Libyan eastern commander Khalifa Haftar on Wednesday said they have carried out two air raids that destroyed installations from which ''Turkish drones'' were prepared and armed. Such…

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Haftar ready for ‘dialogue’

Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar whose forces have been battling to capture the seat of the UN-recognized government in Tripoli since April, said he was open to "dialogue”. "When all is…

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Joint AU-EU-UN Taskforce tries to find a solution to the migrant and refugee situation in Libya

The AU–EU–UN Tripartite Taskforce on the Situation of Stranded Migrant and Refugees in Libya met this week in New York in the margins of the high-level General Debate of…

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U.S. air strike kills 11 in southern Libya

U.S. forces said on Wednesday they had killed 11 suspected militants linked to ISIS in their second air strike near the southern Libyan town of Murzuq in less than a…

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Five Western countries, Turkey and UAE back Libyan state oil firm

Five Western countries including the United States, as well as Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, support Libyan state oil firm NOC as the sole legitimate authority for the country’s…

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AFRICOM targets ISIS senior figures in the south-west of Libya

The Presidential Council (PC) confirmed that the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) targeted ISIS senior figures in the vicinity of the city of Murzuq. The PC added that the operation was…

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Almost 500 persons picked up from Libyan Coast Guard in six separate operations close to Tripoli

On Thursday the Libyan Coast Guard announced that it had picked up 493 migrants on six inflatable boats in six operations in a week in areas northeast and northwest of…

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Libya’s Al-Sarraj in Rome for talks

The Head of the Libyan Presidential Council Fayez Al-Sarraj was in Rome for talks with the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. The meeting saw discussions about joint cooperation between the…

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Italy to kick off construction of coastal road project in Libya

The Libya Observer reports that the Libyan embassy in Rome announced that Italy and Libya's Presidential Council's government are going to start construction work of the coastal road in Libya…

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Scouts mobilise to help conflict-affected people in Libya

The Scouts and Guides Movement of Murzuq has announced its readiness to form an emergency room to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by the clashes in the city. The…

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Fatal drone strike in Tarhuna, Libya

Three members of Libya’s eastern force, including two commanders, were killed late on Friday in a drone strike on Tarhuna city by the internationally recognised government of national accord (GNA),…

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Air traffic at Mitiga Airport in Libya to remain suspended

The management of Mitiga Airport has confirmed that air traffic will remain suspended until further notice. "The air traffic will only be resumed by a letter from the Civil Aviation…

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Merkel says Germany will do its part to avoid proxy war in Libya

Whilst warning that the situation in Libya risked destabilising the whole of Africa Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday, she added that Germany will do its part to avoid a…

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WHO sends life-saving medical supplies to Libya

WHO is delivering urgently-needed medicines and medical supplies to more than 40 primary health care centers and referral hospitals across Libya. The supplies, which are enough to treat 220 000…

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Uneasy calm descends on Tripoli frontlines

The Libya Observer reports that an uneasy calm has descended on southern Tripoli frontlines after a day of heavy fighting. Saturday saw heavy clashes between the Libyan Army forces under…

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Renewed fighting in southern Tripoli

At least three fighters aligned with Libya’s U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) were killed in an offensive on Saturday aimed at pushing back eastern forces led by commander Khalifa…

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UN working on guarantees for resuming flights at Tripoli’s Mitiga Airport

The UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame has reiterated that United Nations Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) is going to file a case at the International Criminal Court (ICC), Security Council…

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UN condemns Libya airport attack

The internationally-recognized Libyan government led by Faiez Serraj and the United Nations condemned the attack on Mitiga airport which led to civilian casualties. The attack was attributed to the Khalifa…

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Four injured as rockets hit Tripoli airport

Rocket fire by forces loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar against the Libyan capital's sole functioning airport wounded four civilians overnight, the UN-recognised government said on Sunday. The strikes coincided with…

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50 years ago Gaddafi took power in Libya

It was 50 years ago when King Idris the First of Libya was overthrown by a group known as the Free Officers Movement. On September 1, 1969, a group of…

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40 persons are feared dead in shipwreck off Libya – UNHCR

Update: UNHCR said that at least 40 persons are feared dead or missing in shipwreck off Libya with an estimated 60 having been rescued, Sky News reports. "Terrible news coming in of potentially…

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Air strikes in southern Tripoli kill eight fighters allied to GNA

Eight fighters allied to Libya’s internationally recognised government were killed in air strikes as rival eastern forces stepped up an offensive to retake a strategic city south of Tripoli, officials…

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Chad shuts down border with Libya

The authorities in Chad have closed the borders with Libya, Sudan, and the Central African Republic for security reasons. The Libya Observer reports that Chad’s Minister of Defence, Mahamat Salah…

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Missile hits Libya’s only functioning airport in Tripoli

A missile hit the car park of Libya's only functioning airport in Tripoli on Saturday, forcing flights to be grounded for almost three hours before operations resumed, the airport and…

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Heavy clashes in southern Tripoli as Libyan Army advances

There are reports of heavy fighting in the Sabea area in the south of Libyan capital Tripoli, as Libyan forces advanced against fighter loyal to Khalifa Haftar. Forces loyal to…

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Ocean Viking rescues migrants off the Libyan coast

A handout photo dated 12 August 2019 and made available by SOS Mediterranee 19 August 2019, showing rescue vessel Ocean Viking rescuing a group of migrants off the coast of…

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Haftar’s forces lose control of Murzuq in southern Libya

Libyan media reported that forces loyal to Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar have lost control of the strategic town of Murzuq in southern Libya after two weeks of deadly clashes. The…

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Western Libya civilian airport seriously damaged in fresh air strikes – UN

Eastern Libyan forces have seriously damaged with air strikes a civilian airport in western Libya lacking any military use, the United Nations said on Sunday. Last week, the eastern-based Libyan…

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Libya reopens Sebha airport closed since 2014

Libya reopened on Friday its airport in the main southern city of Sebha which had been closed since January 2014 due to security problems. Witnesses from the area said that…

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Fighting around Tripoli resumes

Fighting around Tripoli resumed overnight, following a two-day truce observed during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. The two-day cease-fire, proposed by the U.N., was the first since the self-styled…

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‘Migrants experiencing horrific circumstances in Libya,’ says Spanish NGO Open Arms

The number of migrants stranded in the Mediterranean Sea has risen to more than 500. Open Arms, the Spanish NGO operating one of the vessels, said they felt "abandoned" and…

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Air war in Libya intensifies – Risk of Civilian casualties increase

An air war in Libya is intensifying as rival forces in the divided country try to break a military stalemate, heightening significantly the risk of civilian casualties. At least 45…

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Libya halts flights at Mitiga airport

Flights were suspended Sunday at Libya’s Mitiga International Airport in capital Tripoli as Khalifa Haftar-affiliated forces violated the truce reached on the Eid al-Adha, Muslim religious holiday, for the second…

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Joint Statement by the Governments of France, Italy, the UAE, the UK, and the USA on the Truce in Libya

The following is the text of a joint statement by the governments of France, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States: The governments of…

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Reports that Haftar under investigation by ICC

The Libya Observer reports that the International Criminal Court's Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has started investigating crimes committed by forces under Khalifa Haftar's command in Libya, The declaration was made by…

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UPDATED: Halt to military operations in Libya during Eid al-Adha, reports of bombing on Mitiga airport

Italian news agency ANSA reported that the ceasefire was broken hours after it came in force. ANSA quotes Libyan TV station Al Ahrar that it is reporting a bombardment on…

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Two U.N. workers killed in car bomb in Benghazi, Libya

A car bomb in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Saturday killed two U.N. staff, several medical sources said. A Reuters reporter at a Benghazi hospital saw a list…

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Head of Haftar’s military intelligence service kidnapped

The Libya Observer reports that Ramadan Albarasi, the head of Khalifa Haftar’s military intelligence, was kidnapped. The Libya Observer quotes sources from the city of Al-Bayda east of Libya that…

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Libya’s U.N.-backed government increases defence spending

Libya’s internationally recognised government has allocated 40 million Libyan dinars for its defence ministry, stepping up spending to fend off an eastern offensive as the war enters a fifth month.…

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Plans for migrants detained in Libya transfer to Rwanda

Migrants trapped in Libyan detention centres where many have been subjected to abuse would be evacuated to Rwanda under an emergency plan being discussed with international humanitarian agencies and the…

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Massacre during Libyan wedding

Al Jazeera is reporting that at least 40 people have been reported killed and dozens injured after an air strike hit a wedding ceremony in southwestern Libya. Reports said forces…

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Libya’s Mitiga airport reopens

Libya's Mitiga airport reopened to air traffic on Saturday after being closed for several hours following shelling, the airport authority said on its Facebook page. Mitiga is the only working…

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“It will soon be too late” – President George Vella on Libya’s political process

President Vella expressed his full support to a declaration by EU High Representative and VP Mogherini on the support needed to the UN facilitated political process in Libya. In a…

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Libya to close three migrant detention centres

Libya plans to shut down three of its biggest migration detention centres, the country's Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha has announced. The centres in question are in Misrata, Tajoura and Khoms.…

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NOC reinstates force majeure on Libya’s largest oilfield “Sharara”

The Libya Observer reports that the National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced the reinstatement of force majeure on crude oil loadings at Al-Zawiya port starting on Tuesday, July 30. The NOC…

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Migrant’s death exposes UN failures in Libya

As tragedy and controversy continues to move hand in hand with the migrant voyages from the shores of Libya across the Mediterranean, Rana Jawad, the BBCs North Africa correspondent gives…

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Libya’s central bank drops dollar purchase fees to 163%

Reuters reports that the Libyan Presidential Council on Tripoli of the Government of National Accord (GNA) announced on Tuesday that it will cut the fee on sales of dollars and…

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U.N. calls for Eid truce in Libya, warns foreign mercenaries fuelling conflict

A United Nations envoy called on Monday for a truce to be declared in Libya around Aug. 10, and warned that an influx of weapons from foreign supporters in violation…

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Photo Story: Tunisia, Libya, Sicily and Malta from Space

NASA’S astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) have taken landscape photography to a whole new level with these stunning photos of our Earth from 250 miles up in space.…

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Air traffic from Libya’s Mitiga Airport suspended following air strikes

Libya's Mitiga airport halted air traffic on Monday after it was hit by air strikes, the airport authority said on its Facebook page. Missiles on Monday hit Tripoli's only functioning…

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Senior UN officials call for return to sea rescues, after ‘the worst Mediterranean tragedy of this year

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with the heads of a number of UN agencies, expressed horror at Thursday’s reports that as many as 150 people may be dead after a boat…

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