Islamist militias on Friday attacked Libya’s main oil-production area in the east, prompting the forces of strongman Khalifa Haftar who control it to retaliate with air strikes, military sources said. The attack was spearheaded by the Benghazi Defence Brigades, a coalition of mostly Islamist militias and armed groups, and was backed by tribal fighters and … Read more
Russia’s foreign minister on Thursday pushed an “inclusive national dialogue” in Libya at talks with its UN-backed premier that came after his key rival sought to boost ties with Moscow. “We are convinced that only the Libyan people themselves can overcome the current crisis, all the parties in Libya through an inclusive national dialogue aimed … Read more
A ceasefire went into force early Saturday in the Libyan capital after two days of fighting between rival gunmen injured nine people and forced residents to cower indoors, the government said. The fighting between two rival armed groups in eastern Tripoli erupted on Thursday after one accused the other of kidnapping four of its members, … Read more
A trial of dozens of aides to ousted Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi is failing to uphold international rights norms in its treatment of defendants, a United Nations report said Tuesday. Libya has been riven by violence and lawlessness since Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a NATO-backed revolt in 2011, and his son Seif al-Islam … Read more
The convoy of Libya’s contested unity government chief, Fayez al-Sarraj, came under gunfire in Tripoli on Monday, without causing any casualties, his administration said. “The convoy of GNA (Government of National Accord) chief Fayez al-Sarraj… came under fire as it passed near the Abu Slim sector of Tripoli,” said spokesman Ashraf al-Thulthi. “All the cars … Read more
Rival factions have been fighting for power since the fall of Col Gaddafi’s government in 2011 Egyptian negotiators trying to broker an end to the war in Libya say they have had some success in their efforts to bring together two key players. The head of the UN-backed government, Fayez Serraj and his rival, the … Read more
Libya’s transition has been bogged down by insecurity and chaos, leaving the country looking like a “failed state” six years after the NATO-backed uprising that ended Moamer Kadhafi’s rule. “We got rid of one dictator only to see 10,000 others take his place,” said Fatma al-Zawi, a Tripoli housewife, bemoaning the multitude of warlords and … Read more
The head of Libya’s unity government and a rival army chief were to meet in Cairo on Tuesday to find a solution to turmoil in the country, a government official said. The UN-backed Government of National Accord has struggled to assert its authority across the North African country since starting work in Tripoli nearly a … Read more
Armed groups mostly from Misrata located in Libya announced the creation of the “Libyan National Gua Libya’s UN backed unity government has denounced the creation of a new ‘national guard’. In a statement released on Sunday, the Government of National Accord (GNA) said it considered the creation of the Libyan national guard to be “an … Read more
How the West changed its mind on Libya’s Gaddafi In the 42 years that Colonel Muammar Gaddafi ruled Libya, Western views went from considering him a cartoon villain to believing him a model of international conduct – and back to villain again, when the West backed an armed rebellion against him. The Libyan Army officer … Read more
A UK parliamentary report has severely criticised the intervention by Britain and France that led to the overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The foreign affairs committee accused the then PM David Cameron of lacking a coherent strategy for the air campaign. It said the intervention had not been “informed by accurate intelligence”, … Read more