Libyan Civil War

In the ever-shifting sands of Libya's southeastern desert, a haunting discovery emerged, deepening an already painful narrative of affliction and desperation. As the sun beat down mercilessly on the region, local authorities on Sunday reported the unearthing of almost 50 bodies from two mass graves—a grim testament to the ongoing saga of migrants endeavoring to escape the turmoil-laden nation in hopes of reaching Europe. How do these stories begin, one might ask? A mere glimmer of hope set against a backdrop of chaos and…

In a world that constantly evolves, moments of diplomacy often unveil significant stories that, though small at first glance, ripple across borders. Recently, the grand halls of the Elysee Palace in Paris became the backdrop for such an encounter. Didier Lefevre, while sipping his morning espresso, wouldn't have imagined that later in the day, the distinguished French President Emmanuel Macron would engage with the controversial Libyan figure, General Khalifa Haftar. This unexpected meeting signals much about the intricate…

UN chief Antonio Guterres on Friday called for elections to be held in Libya as soon as possible after the country found itself with two competing prime ministers, which raises the specter of renewed violence. The Secretary-General reminded "all institutions of the primary objective of holding national elections as soon as possible", in a statement saying that he "notes" the name of the Libyan Parliament on a new Prime Minister. The UN chief's statement did not name either Libya's interim prime…

A new body was recovered from a mass grave in the city of Tarhuna, south of the capital Tripoli, Libya Observer reported on Thursday. In March, the Libyan government said it had a list of 3,650 missing people in various Libyan cities, including 350 in Tarhuna, which was a stronghold of Putist general Khalifa Haftar before being defeated and forced to leave the city in June 2020. According to official Libyan sources, Haftar's forces and affiliated militias committed war crimes and genocide during the…

The illegal East-based forces loyal to Putist general Khalifa Haftar have released 17 prisoners from Libya's western region, the Libyan army said on Saturday. "Seventeen prisoners held by Haftar's militias were released," military spokesman Abdel-Hadi Darah told Anadolu Agency (AA). He said the prisoners had been handed over to the Libyan army at the al-Khamsin gate, west of the city of Sirte. "The detainees arrived in Misrata, northwest of Libya, and will be offered medical check-ups before handing…

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has warned rival parties in Libya to refrain from any military mobilization that could hinder the North African country's path to elections in December. In a written statement shared on Twitter on Thursday, UNSMIL called on all parties to “refrain from mobilizing or deploying security elements and troops that could be perceived as escalating and could undermine the implementation of the ceasefire agreement on 23 October 2020.. ” It further called on all parties…

The Libyan army rejected the demand of the 5 + 5 Joint Military Committee on Tuesday that agreements signed by the former legitimate government be frozen, including one signed with Turkey. The commander of the Western Military Zone's joint operations room, Major General Osama Juwaili stated on social media that "agreements with Turkey were requested by the legitimate GNA (Government of National Accord) to ward off the offensive on Tripoli, while Russia and other countries have troops in place in Libya.…

Registration for the upcoming December elections in Libya was closed, the country's election commission said on Tuesday when doubts grew as to whether Libya would be able to move towards normalization despite a month-long pause in the fighting. Commission chief Imad al-Sayeh told reporters in Tripoli that some 2.83 million people in the North African country had registered to vote and urged citizens abroad to register as of Wednesday. Libya, home to some 7 million people, has taken preliminary steps…

Delegates from war-torn Libya on Wednesday launched a new round of UN-led talks via video conferencing in order to reach a compromise ahead of planned elections in December. The meeting comes six weeks after unsuccessful negotiations in Switzerland between the 75 participants from all sides gathered for Libya's political dialogue forum. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya was forced to admit that the session failed after four days due to a lack of consensus among the delegates. On Wednesday,…

Another nine bodies were found in a new mass grave on Wednesday in Libya's Tarhuna province, which was liberated from forces loyal to Putist general Khalifa Haftar. The General Authority for Research and Identification of Missed Persons said in a statement that the mass grave was discovered in an agricultural area in Tarhuna. Tarhuna, a strategic city about 65 kilometers (41 miles) southeast of the Libyan capital Tripoli, was under the control of the al-Kaniyat militia, which gained a reputation for…