In Sabha, security sources from have reported skirmishes in the area of Mansheya and an attack on a military checkpoint belonging to so-called battalion 128, loyal to Haftar, near Al-Qadisiya Square.
In Tripoli, Khalifa Haftar’s forces carried out four airstrikes on Mitiga Airport on November 3.
In Zaltan, the air force of Libya’s National Army (LNA) on November 2 targeted the forces of the Fayez al-Sarraj government in western Libya. A military camp located near the western city of Zaltan, some 140 west of the capital Tripoli, was targeted with more than 12 military vehicles and two tanks destroyed.
On the international level, the US State Department has described the Government of National Accord (GNA) as a “trusted partner in combating terrorism”, saying that Washington will continue to cooperate with the GNA.
SABHA
- security sources from Sabha have reported skirmishes in the area of Mansheya and an attack on a military checkpoint belonging to so-called battalion 128, loyal to Haftar, near Al-Qadisiya Square, on Saturday November 3 night. According to the sources, gunmen set a military vehicle on fire and attacked members of the battalion, noting that no death casualties were reported. In the same context, the media office of Sabha Medical Center has denied widespread news on social media platforms saying it had received no casualties related to the incident. Meanwhile, local residents said several inmates have managed to escape from a prison guarded by the battalion 128 with the facilitation of unknown gunmen [Libya Observer, 03.11.2019].
TRIPOLI
- despite the latest warning by the UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame, Interior and Transportation Ministers upon reopening Mitiga Airport, Khalifa Haftar’s forces, carried out four airstrikes on Mitiga Airport on November 3. According to the media office of Volcano of Rage Operation of the Government of National Accord, the airstrikes hit the runway of the airport, causing no casualties. The airport, which is the only one operating in the capital, was shut down for over two months due to repeated attacks by Haftar’s forces that caused casualties and damage inside and around it. The attacks on the airport are part of Haftar’s operation, which was kicked off on April 04, to take control of Tripoli by force [Libyan Express, 03.11.2019];
- the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, said it was responding to an attack by forces of Government National Accord (GNA) in Saladin axis south of Tripoli. The army announced it thwarted a militia attack in Saladin, pointing out that violent clashes led to their retreat. It also announced the death of two members of the militia led by Abdul Ghani al-Kikli, known as “Ghaniwa”, in Al-Nagleyya axis. Those members were the last top commanders that Ghaniwa relies on during the battles. LNA accused militias loyal to Fayez al-Sarraj, chairman of the Presidential Council, of smuggling prisoners to participate in the clashes inside Tripoli, which coincided with the United Nations’ confirmation that hundreds of immigrants were released from detention centers [Address Libya, 31-10-2019];
- hundreds of migrants were released on October 29 from a detention centre in the Libyan capital Tripoli as heavy gunfire rang out across the city, witnesses and the United Nations said. At least 200 of the migrants made their way to a centre for processing resettlement cases set up in Tripoli by U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, where they were seeking access, the agency said [Address Libya, 30.10.2019].
ZALTAN
- the air force of Libya’s National Army (LNA) on November 2 targeted the forces of the Fayez al-Sarraj government in western Libya. A military camp located near the western city of Zaltan, some 140 west of the capital Tripoli, was targeted with more than 12 military vehicles and two tanks destroyed, LNA’s information office said in a statement. The air force also targeted positions of the government’s forces 15 km east of Tripoli, the information office added. The statement did not reveal any details about human casualties [Address Libya, 03.11.2019].
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- the US State Department has described the Government of National Accord (GNA) as a “trusted partner in combating terrorism”, saying that Washington will continue to cooperate with the GNA, in order to curb the spread of terrorist groups. In its annual report on terrorism, the state department has said that Libya lacked an overarching law in this regard [Libya Observer, 02.11.2019];
- the UN Security Committee on Libya has said it had received an oral briefing from the UN mission in Libya and the Panel of Experts on the latest developments in Libya. During an informal consultations meeting, the members of the committee condemned the continuing violations of the arms embargo and the escalation of civilian casualties, stressing that attacks against civilians violate international humanitarian law [Libya Observer, 02.11.2019];
- the Italian Defense Minister said on October 30 that Italy’s strategic priority is the stability in Libya. The Defense Minister said at the Italian Parliament that his country is committed to supporting Libyan institutions and civil societies, Italian news agency Aki reported. Meanwhile, the Italian Interior Minister said establishing stability in Libya is very significant for fighting illegal immigration across the Mediterranean. She added that it’s important to provide the immigrants’ source countries with the necessary resources to end this phenomenon as many take up the risky sea trip hoping for better lives [Libya Observer, 30.10.2019];
- the European Union (EU) confirmed on Tuesday that it will continue training Libyan Coast Guard forces to improve their efficiency and ability to manage search and rescue operations in Libyan territorial waters. Spokeswoman for the High Representative for EU Security and Foreign Policy, Maja Kocijancic has clarified that the objective of the training is to explain the international laws and humanitarian standards to the Libyan Coast Guard and to commit them to comply with these laws [Libya Observer, 30.10.2019];
- German Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas said on October 28 that the date of Berlin conference on Libyahas not been identified yet. During his meeting with the Tunisian Foreign Minister, Khemaies Jhinaoui in Tunis, the German minister said that his visit to Tunisia comes in the framework of consultations on the conference. For his part, Jhinaoui affirmed that the Libyan file is a priority for his country, considering the close neighbourly relationship between the two nations and the direct impact of the Libyan crisis on Tunisia at the economic and security levels, insisting that Tunisia should be part of any effort or initiative for a peaceful settlement for the Libyan crisis [Libya Observer, 29.10.2019].
