In Abu Grein, three militants from the forces of the government of “National Accord” (GNA) were killed during clashes against the Libyan National Army (LNA) in the Abugrein town east of Misrata.
In Tripoli, air traffic was resumed at Mitiga Airport on February 7 after it was briefly suspended following a missile attack by the militias of Haftar.
On the international level, the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, which was held before the start of the 33rd African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, proposed three tangible steps to reach a ceasefire in Libya.
ABUGREIN
- three militants from the forces of the government of “National Accord” were killed during clashes against the Libyan National Army (LNA) in the Abugrein town east of Misrata [Address Libya, 04.02.2020].
TRIPOLI
- three foreign workers were injured when a shell fired by LNA hit their workplace in Ain Zara district, south of Tripoli, on February 8 evening, spokesman for the Ministry of Health, Fawzi Onis has confirmed. Haftar’s militias continue to indiscriminately and deliberately target civilian population and facilities with alarming frequency, despite their formal commitment to the truce announced on January 12 [Libya Observer, 09.02.2020];
- most frontlines in south Tripoli are seeing an uneasy calm amid some sporadic exchanges of artillery shelling and covert mobilization of forces by both sides of the conflict. Meanwhile, Khalifa Haftar’s artillery launchers attempted to target Government of National Accord’s (GNA) Libyan Army forces on Airport Road frontline, but the GNA forces responded with heavy artillery shelling [Libya Observer, 09.02.2020];
- air traffic was resumed at Mitiga Airport on February 7 after it was briefly suspended following a missile attack by the militias of Haftar. Earlier on the same day, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Hisham Abu Shkewat, confirmed that air traffic at Mitiga Airport was suspended temporarily, due to a rocket attack by Haftar’s militias [Libya Observer, 08.02.2020];
- students at Tripoli University luckily survived on February 5 an imminent catastrophe when a random shell fired by militias of Haftar landed in the university’s premises. According to the media office of the Volcano of Rage Operation, the shell did not explode, while the explosive dismantling team moved to the site immediately after notification to remove and dismantle the missile [Libya Observer, 06.02.2020];
- indiscriminate shelling on February 4 killed two persons and injured five others in the Libyan capital Tripoli, a local official said on February 5. Media advisor to the Libyan Health Ministry, Amin al-Hashemi, said indiscriminate shelling hit Salah al-Din district in Tripoli later last night, killing two persons and injuring 5 others, all of whom are civilians [Libyan Express, 05.02.2020];
- indiscriminate shells fired by Haftar’s LNA on February 4 killed 3 people in Tripoli, including children, the media office of the Volcano of Rage Operation said. The two children were relatives, identified to be from Algerew family. The shell hit their home in Sawani district south of Tripoli. Haftar’s militias have upped their bombardment of residential neighborhoods and civilian facilities, in open disregard to the proclaimed armistice [Libya Observer, 04.02.2020].
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, which was held before the start of the 33rd African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, proposed three tangible steps to reach a ceasefire in Libya. Attended by 15 presidents of members states, the council proposed sending African military monitoring mission for ceasefire consolidation then opening contact channels with Libyan parties, adding that this should be preceded by assessment done by the African Union and United Nations [Libya Observer, 09.02.2020];
- the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said that Establishing truce in Libya is one of the most important priorities now. In his speech on February 9 during the opening of the African Summit in Addis Ababa, Aboul Gheit outlined other priorities in Libya, namely, “reaching permanent arrangements for a ceasefire and monitoring it, stopping all foreign interventions in the Libyan affairs, and implementing the agreed political, security and economic tracks in Berlin Conference.” [Address Libya, 09.02.2020];
- Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called for a “firm stance” by the African Union Peace and Security Summit to confront the continuous dispatch of thousands of foreign fighters and terrorists from Syria to Libya. During his participation in the African Union Peace and Security Summit on Libya and the Sahel, he said the threat of foreign fighters will not be restricted to Libya, but will extend beyond its borders [Address Libya, 09.02.2020];
- Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio has reiterated his country’s support for a European mission that would follow up the arms embargo on Libya and ensure its implementation. This came during a joint press conference in Madrid, with his Spanish counterpart, Arancha González Laya, in which they expressed the willingness of their countries to make the EU mission “as effective as possible [Libya Observer, 09.02.2020];
- UNSMIL said in a statement on February 8 that the Libyan parties partaking in the 5+5 military commission meetings in Geneva couldn’t reach an agreement on “bringing living conditions to normal in clashes’ zones” despite agreeing on speeding up the return of IDPs to their houses in those zones [Libya Observer, 08.02.2020];
- a U.N. resolution that would endorse a plan to restore peace to Libya and condemn the recent increase in violence faced opposition Wednesday from Russia and South Africa. The two countries raised objections to the British-drafted Security Council resolution, which backs the 55-point road map to end the war in Libya that was approved by leaders of 12 world powers and other key countries in Berlin on Jan. 19 [Address Libya, 06.02.2020];
- Moroccan Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita has reiterated that his country only recognizes the government formed in accordance with the Skhirat agreement and Security Council resolutions [Libya Observer, 03.02.2020].
