Libya's Interior Minister: Russia sent new fighter jets to Haftar
The Libyan Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha said Thursday that Russia had sent at least eight warplanes to Khalifa Haftar. Meanwhile, sources close to Volcano of Rage Operation said intelligence from Al-Jufra airbase pointed to the arrival if some Russian aircraft in the last three days. No comment or official statements have been made by Russia regarding this development. Bloomberg also reported that Haftar's forces said they would carry out the largest aerial campaign in Libyan history to target Turkish interests in Libya. Libyan Army under GNA's command destroyed nine Russian-made Pantsir-S1 Anti-Aircraft Systems in about 72 hours as they captured Al-Watiya airbase and other towns in western Libya.
Source:Libya Observer
May 21, 2020 15:56 UTC
“People live in fear:” A clinic on the frontlines of Libya’s war - Libya
Everything starts to shake around us, so we had to close [the clinic] and run out of fear. We live in fear, not knowing when a shell could fall on us all.”Dr. Wijdan Sabri works at Khaled Ben Al-Walid primary healthcare center in the Abu Salim municipality of Tripoli in Libya. Located less than two kilometers from Tripoli’s southern frontlines, Abu Salim has been hard-hit by the current fighting in Tripoli. Remaining facilities such as Khaled Ben Al-Walid have been forced to crank up their response, despite the lack of supplies and equipment. For Khaled Ben Al-Walid, one of the few designated referral health facilities for suspected COVID-19 cases, the pandemic has only added to a debilitating cycle of never-ending needs and increasingly limited resources.
Source:Libya Today
May 21, 2020 14:37 UTC
Syria supports Greece & Cyprus against Libyan Muslim Brotherhood-Turkish deal to steal maritime space
Ankara’s military actions are affecting many countries including Iraq, Syria and Libya, while the main looting target of the Turks is the gas fields in Greek, Cypriot and Libyan maritime space. At the end of last year, Turkey made a deal with the Muslim Brotherhood government in Libya to split Greece’s maritime space between them. The letter also highlighted that Turkey is violating the sovereign rights of Greece, Cyprus and Egypt by attempting this Memorandum. Consequently, there is no legal basis for the signing of such a “memorandum of understanding” between those two parties. Moreover, such a memorandum will definitely constitute legal, political and practical problems in the future in the event of any agreement to demarcate the maritime borders between Syria and Turkey.
Source:Libya Today
May 21, 2020 14:15 UTC
UNHCR, IOM call for European resolution to Captain Morgan migrant detention
A separate group of 21 people, mostly families, women and children, were already evacuated and disembarked in Malta several days ago. It is unacceptable to leave people at sea longer than necessary, especially under difficult and unsuitable conditions,” the organisations said. “We remind States of their obligations under international law to immediately assist people in distress. “Public health measures such as mandatory, time-limited quarantines, medical screening and physical distancing must be applied without discrimination and within the specified national health protocol. “UNHCR and IOM unequivocally reiterate that no one rescued at sea should be returned to Libya.
Source:Libya Today
May 21, 2020 13:26 UTC
Al-Watiya defeat derailed UAE’s Libya plans: Analysis
The legitimate and UN-recognized Libyan forces (of the Government of National Accord) captured Al-Watiya military airbase on May 18, after long-standing operations. For this reason, the Libyan government controlling the airbase is a large loss for the LNA’s military presence in western Libya. In particular, following this defeat the LNA can no longer provide military supplies to certain critical fronts south of Tripoli and western Libya. The UAE’s military operations in Libya were confirmed for the first time in 2017 when Al-Khadim Airbase was included in the UN report. Also, the Gulf press reported last year that six UAE military personnel lost their lives at Al-Jufrah Airbase.
Source:Libya Today
May 21, 2020 12:56 UTC
Mahmoud el-Tohamy presented a religious chanting concert online on May 20
Mahmoud el-Tohamy - Social media/FacebookCAIRO - 21 May 2020: Sheikh Mahmoud el-Tohamy and Fathi Salama presented a successful online concert on May 20 at 9:30 p.m. where the traditional Sufi chants and contemporary Arab jazz combined with a unique harmony.The ceremony was hosted by the New York University Arts Center in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development in addition to Al-Burda, a platform for Islamic arts and culture.Sheikh Mahmoud el-Tohamy, born in Upper Egypt, joined Al-Azhar, and graduated from the College of Arabic Language. He holds a postgraduate diploma, then a preliminary MA in 2003, where he completed free musical studies at the conservatory.Tohamy was an expert in religious chanting by the age of 13. He held many concerts in Arab, European, Asian and African countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Spain, London, France, Turkey, South Africa, Yemen, Libya, Italy, India, Sudan, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and South Africa.Tohamy established the first chanting syndicate in Egypt and the Arab world in 2014, and was chosen as the head of chants, scholars and researchers in the chanting culture.Furthermore, Tohamy founded the school of religious chants in 2015. It is considered the first school specialized in teaching the art of religious chants and supplications, where Tohamy supervises and teaches with a group of professors of religious chants in Egypt.Also, Tohamy released 18 albums and has performed and written over 300 chants. He received the title of Ambassador of Culture in the Arab World from the International Association for Intellectual and Cultural Creativity in France.
Source:Libya Today
May 21, 2020 12:00 UTC
Togo keeps fearful watch on extremist threat from the Sahel
In Ivory Coast, extremist gunmen attacked the Grand-Bassam beach resort in 2016, leaving 19 people dead. Another extremist group has been hiding in the Comoe national park in northern Ivory Coast for the past eight months after being pursued by Burkinabe troops. In Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, the number of clashes and attacks reached unprecedented levels last year. Less than 30km from the Togo border, a much feared group has seized control in Burkina Faso's Pama forest reserve. The armed forces of Togo, Benin, Ivory Coast and Ghana have taken part in joint military operations with Burkina Faso since 2017.
Source:Libya Today
May 21, 2020 10:18 UTC
Armed Forces refuses to disclose details of denied rescue to Pozzallo migrants
Malta’s armed forces have branded allegations of human rights breaches against migrants at sea as “false and unfounded”, despite survivor accounts of attempted pushbacks. Witness testimonies and video evidence gathered by #AlarmPhone suggest that the Armed Forces of Malta (@Armed_Forces_MT) endangered the lives of 101 people in distress before facilitating their arrival in Italy. “Throughout the years, the Armed Forces of Malta have rescued thousands of migrants from drowning at sea. If the boat was in Maltese waters, the AFM would have been obliged to rescue migrants who could include asylum seekers. NGOs have reported that migrants aboard these boats are enduring a hunger strike in a final act of desperation.
Source:Libya Today
May 21, 2020 07:18 UTC
Turkey hack Greek Interior Ministry website
The Greek Interior Ministry website has been taken down by a Turkish hacker. Currently, users trying to open the Greek Interior Ministry website will instead be faced with an image of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Erdoğan had the ambition to make Turkey a regional hegemon and a top 10 world economy by 2023, but has utterly failed in this task. On the path towards a top 10 economy, Turkey began ranked as #17 in the world, but has actually fallen to rank #18 today. In addition, Turkey faces a very real bankruptcy if it cannot find $80 billion by the end of July, as reported by Greek City Times.
Source:Libya Today
May 21, 2020 06:45 UTC
Despite Calls for Ceasefire amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Unabated Fighting Could Push Libya to New Depths of Violence, Acting Special Representative Warns Security Council - Libya
Tunisia’s representative, echoing commonly conveyed concerns, said that, given the COVID-19 outbreak, growing violence in Libya is putting its people at high risk. For its part, the international community must use all its influence to encourage the Libyan parties to achieve a ceasefire. “We are pushing Libyan parties for dialogue and the search for compromises,” he said. Expressing strong support for the United Nations role, he called for the appointment of new Special Representative of the Secretary-General as soon as possible. Turning to the report of the Panel of Experts, he expressed dismay that it was leaked to the press and demanded that the United Nations Secretariat launch an investigation.
Source:Libya Today
May 20, 2020 23:15 UTC
How the Libyan conflict became the Middle East’s most important proxy war
The Libyan civil war has raged for almost a decade, but in the last year the conflict has escalated into a regional proxy war. Libya is the Middle East’s most important proxy conflict today. It may also shift the balance of power between Russia, Turkey, Greece and the Gulf states. To reclaim their historic influence, the Gulf states and Egypt sought to try to end the Libyan conflict. The Libyan conflict is an example of what happens when western governments walk away.
Source:Libya Today
May 20, 2020 18:48 UTC
German naval assets to join Mediterranean mission by August, says minister for Middle East
Thank you for your reading and interest in the news German naval assets to join Mediterranean mission by August, says minister for Middle East and now with detailsHind Al Soulia - Riyadh - The first German naval vessels to participate in Operation Irini, the EU naval mission to enforce Libya’s long-flouted arms embargo, will join in August, German minister Niels Annen said. The German minister of state said he was “very happy” the EU had managed to launch Irini in “merely two months” after the conference. EPA / SPUTNIKThe EU’s naval mission, which became operational at the end of March and was agreed in February, has been tasked with enforcing the 2011 UN weapons embargo on Libya through the use of aerial, satellite and maritime assets. There had also been some “encouraging progress”, the German minister said on negotiations in Geneva under the 5+5 format. The German minister said for stability to return to Libya, it was crucial the arms embargo was adhered to.
Source:Libya Today
May 20, 2020 18:00 UTC
US, France agree on urgent need for de-escalation in Libya
“I am urging you not to travel during the Eid. Definitely, such trips mean new cases of infection...People should not travel to and from those high-risk red areas,” Namaki was quoted by state television as saying. A report by parliament’s research center suggested that the actual tally of infections and deaths inn Iran might be almost twice that announced by the health ministry. Infected cases have been on a rising trajectory for the past two weeks. However President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Iran was close to curbing the outbreak.
Source:Libya Today
May 20, 2020 17:09 UTC
Gaddafi loyalists break up with Haftar, call him "a traitor"
Pro-Gaddafi Al-Jamahiriya TV issued a statement Wednesday accusing Khalifa Haftar and his forces of being linked to foreign agenda and described Haftar as a traitor and a foreign agent receiving his orders from overseas. "We won't be part of a virtual command that hasn't even heard of the loss of Gharyan until three days later and Al-Watiya airbase until today. A command that hasn't visited frontlines for over a year and half." The Gadaffi loyalists' statement says, adding that the tactical withdrawals and truces aren't as they claim, but in fact, they are orders coming from overseas and they must be implemented. In an earlier statement, Al-Mismari said their forces would withdraw from some southern Tripoli locations for "repositioning" as part of a "military tactic for mobilization of forces".
Source:Libya Today
May 20, 2020 16:41 UTC
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Libya is now the Middle East’s most important proxy war
However, in the last year, the conflict has escalated and become a regional proxy war. This matters because Libya is a gateway for migrants coming to Europe and because whoever wins in Libya will emerge a powerful figure in the Middle East. Libya is the Middle East’s most important proxy conflict today. With Washington increasingly unwilling to play a leadership role in places like Libya, and a global pandemic distracting other countries, the results are a growing proxy conflict. Libya looks symbolic to the future of international affairs, with proxy wars, armed drones and regional powers pushing forward when western countries step aside.
Source:Libya Today
May 20, 2020 15:45 UTC