In Tripoli, Major General Fawzi al-Mansouri, commander of the Ain Zara axis, confirmed that military units of the Libyan National Army (LNA) made progress towards Salah al-Din, south of Tripoli.
In Misrata, the Air Force of Khalifa Haftar’s forces said it had carried out airstrikes on Misrata’s air college early on August 6, hitting a military cargo plane laden with ammunition.
On the international level, embassies of the UK, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, and the European Union’s delegation to Libya urged in a joint statement on August 6 for the release of the kidnapped member of the House of Representatives Siham Sirgiwa.
MISRATA
- the Air Force of Khalifa Haftar’s forces said it had carried out airstrikes on Misrata’s air college early on August 6, hitting a military cargo plane laden with ammunition. The claims of Haftar’s forces were debunked by Volcano of Rage Operation’s media sources saying the strike destroyed a civilian plane that was landing at the Misrata Airport near the air college. The sources added that the strike was carried out by a drone that hit the civilian cargo plane minutes after it had touched down [Libya Observer, 06.08.2019];
- the Libyan National Army (LNA) destroyed a warplane when it landed at Misrata Airport, LNA air force operations room commander, Major General Mohamed Manfour, said in a statement to the Address Journal on August 7. According to Manfour, the targeting came after LNA main air force operations room monitored the transfer of two L-39 planes from Misrata to Mitiga airport for bombing operations in Tripoli. He pointed out that one of the two warplanes took off this morning from Mitiga and targeted civilians and while returning to Misrata, LNA air force fighters were waiting for them and targeted them when landing in Misrata [Address Libya, 07.08.2019].
MURZUK
- a man and his wife were murdered by Libyan and Chadian Toubou gunmen in the southern city of Murzuq on August 7 morning. Muhamad Mukhtar Elwa was on his way to leave Murzuk with his wife and son when gunmen attacked his car and fired many shots at the vehicle from the front.According to witnesses, Elwa and his wife immediately died at the scene but their 7-year-old survived after he escaped the car, though he was severely injured.The Elwas were from a Libyan Arab tribe called Ojla. They were likely targeted because of their ethnicity. In Murzuq, Libyan Arab tribes known collectively as “Al-Ahali” are being singled out for racist attacks by Libyan and Chadian Toubou militants [Address Libya, 08.08.2019].
TRIPOLI
- Major General Fawzi al-Mansouri, commander of the Ain Zara axis, confirmed that military units of the Libyan National Army (LNA) made progress towards Salah al-Din, south of Tripoli late August 7. Mansouri said on August 8 that army forces clashed with militias near the Yarmouk camp south of Tripoli. He pointed out that the army’s progress was in the form of tactical leaps to control new monitoring positions belonging to the militias. He said that the militias fled as the army advanced so that the clashes were no more than skirmishes followed by the advance of the armed forces and their control over the monitoring areas [Address Libya, 08.08.2019].
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- the Head of the UNSMIL Ghassan Salame said his recent initiative for de-escalation in Libya has three points that could lead to a peaceful solution to the conflict. Salame told Anadolu Agency on August 7 that the first stage of the plan is achieving a humanitarian truce during Eid al-Adha, which, if agreed on by all parties, would show Libyans’ care about a solution to the war [Libya Observer, 08.08.2019];
- the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called on August 6 the parties to the conflict in Libya to stop attacks on civilians and to distance children from the ongoing dispute, in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law. The organization confirmed in a statement that it had received reports that children and women were among 43 people killed in the recent attack on the town of Murzuq, southwest of Tripoli. An airstrike by Haftar’s airforce on Murzuq left more than 100 people, between dead and wounded [Libya Observer, 07.08.2019];
- embassies of the UK, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, and the European Union’s delegation to Libya urged in a joint statement on August 6 for the release of the kidnapped member of the House of Representatives Siham Sirgiwa, citing grave concerns about her whereabouts [Libya Observer, 07.08.2019];
- The Embassy of the United States of America called on all parties in Libya to redouble their efforts to protect civilians and prevent damage to civilian infrastructure. The US embassy urged on August 7 for an immediate de-escalation and halt to attacks against Mitiga Airport in Tripoli, which endangered Libyan civilians seeking to perform the Hajj pilgrimage on August 3 [Libyan Express, 07.08.2019];
- the UN Security Council has called on all parties in Libya to stop hostilities and return to the political process under the United Nations mission. The council welcomed in a press statement on August 5 the call of the UN envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame to a truce on Eid al-Adha between the warring parties. “The State members strongly support the UN envoy’s mission to stabilize Libya and end the crisis, which will only be through political solutions,” the statement read [Libya Observer, 06.08.2019].
