Volcano of Rage Operation officials have published new photographs showing the on-going exhumation of unidentified bodies from yet another mass grave in the city of Tarhuna.
In Ras Lanuf, the Libya National Army (LNA) targeted a boat carrying dozens of Syrian mercenaries, which violated the maritime zone.
In Misrata, the Libyan National Army stated that the Air Force has bombed sites controlled by the forces of the Government of National Accord.
On the international level, a preliminary list of companies and individuals to be penalized by sanctions has been prepared by Germany, France and Italy for violating the arms embargo on Libya.
BENINA
- the spokesman for the Libyan Government of National Accord’s (GNA) Sirte-Jufra Operations Room Abdelhadi Drah said they had depicted six flights on Russian military cargo planes coming from Syria’s Lattakia to eastern Libya’s Labreg and Benina airports. Drah told reporters that over the last two days, four Russian (Ilyushin IL76) aircraft arrived in Labreg in Al-Baydaa and they could have brought onboard Syrian mercenaries and weapons to back up Khalifa Haftar.
COVID-19
- Libya’s Coronavirus cases continued to rise with 439 new cases and three new deaths announced on August 13 by Libya’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). This brought the country’s total cases to 7,050, with 6,099 active cases, 816 recoveries and 135 deaths.
MISRATA
- the Libyan National Army stated that the Air Force has bombed sites controlled by the forces of the Government of National Accord, southeast of Misrata. In a press statement, LNA said that the Air Force raids were south of the Abugrein town, on the road leading to Abounjim town, stressing that the raids hit their targets precisely, which resulted in the sound of successive explosions heard throughout the area.
RAS LANUF
- the Libya National Army (LNA) targeted a boat carrying dozens of Syrian mercenaries, which violated the maritime zone near Ras Lanuf.According to LNA spokesman General Brigadier Ahmed Al-Mesmari, the boat entered the maritime zone on Sunday. After failing to comply with several warnings from LNA’s navy, the boat was hit with an missile strike.
SIRTE – JUFRA
- the Presidential Council (PC) member, Mohamed Ammari Zayed discussed on Tuesday, with the Turkish ambassador to Libya, Serhat Aksen the military situation in Sirte and Jufra district, in addition to the political process and joint projects between Libya and Turkey. During the meeting held at the Prime Minister’s office in Tripoli, Ammari Zayed affirmed that the Government of National Accord (GNA) is determined to expand its control on all Libyan territory;
- the ambassador of the United States to Libya Richard Norland has renewed his country’s support for a demilitarized solution in Sirte as well as for setting up unbiased security arrangements for the city, plus ending foreign intervention.
TARHUNA
- Volcano of Rage Operation officials have published new photographs showing the on-going exhumation of unidentified bodies from yet another mass grave in the city of Tarhuna. The images, which were published on Tuesday, showed the ‘Public Authority for Research and Identification of Missing Persons’ conducting its exploration and excavation of the most recent mass grave found in Tarhuna. The Head of the Authority, Kamal Abu Bakr, confirmed two weeks ago that the total number of human remains exhumed from mass graves unearthed so far in Tarhuna, has reached 46 bodies, eight of which have been removed.
TRIPOLI
- the Tripoli-based House of Representatives (HoR) announced on Tuesday a new comprehensive political initiative, aimed at resolving the Libyan crisis, ending the transitional phase, and implementing parliamentary and presidential elections on a constitutional basis. In a statement, the HoR members called on all political, social and youth forces to interact with and support their initiative, stressing they will continue to support sovereign and service institutions by taking prompt actions to ensure they fulfill their duties;
- Libyan National Safety Authority has detonated over 50 tons of mines and IEDs (shells and rockets) collected from Tripoli and its suburbs. The Interior Ministry said mine clearance teams of the authority carried out the explosion operation in Hira Valley in southern Tripoli at the presence of a Tripoli ambulance team.
TUNISIAN BORDERS
- Libya’s Tripoli based Interior Ministry announced on August 13 that it was ready to reopen the country’s borders with Tunisia, subject to adequate preventative health measures being put in place.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- the U.S has updated its Travel Advisory to its citizens for Libya to Level Four which advises against travel to the country. The State Department advice urges its citizens: ‘‘Do not travel to Libya due to COVID-19, crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict;
- the U.S continued its accelerated push for a ceasefire and a non-military solution to the Libyan crisis. On August 10, U.S Ambassador to Tripoli Richard Norland met Egyptian officials and Libyan House of Representatives (HoR) head Ageela Saleh in Cairo. After the meeting, the U.S. released a press statement in which it was clarified that President Trump as well as Pompeo’s State Department were now pushing the same policy line on Libya;
- a preliminary list of companies and individuals to be penalized by sanctions has been prepared by Germany, France and Italy for violating the arms embargo on Libya. The German Press Agency DPA confirmed that the three countries have agreed on a list of companies and individuals, accused of providing ships, aircraft and other logistical services, involving transportation of weapons, in violation of the arms embargo imposed since 2011;
- the Tripoli-based Government of “National Accord” has signed an economic memorandum of understanding with the Turkish government “to organize the work of Turkish companies in Libya.” GNA Ministry of Planning said that the MoU came after negotiations led by Minister of Planning Taher Al-Jhaimi with the Turkish Ministry of Trade under supervision of the President of the Presidential Council Fayez Al-Sarraj.
