In Sadada, military units of the 166th Infantry Battalion of the Libyan National Army (LNA) advanced in areas south of Misrata and reached the area of Sadada where it controlled the fortress over there.
In Tripoli, the forces of Volcano of Rage Operation under the Libyan Presidential Council government’s command have downed a MIG23 for Khalifa Haftar’s forces in southern Tripoli and have captured the pilot.
On the international level, Turkey announced on December 7 that the memorandum of understanding signed with the Government of National Accord (GNA) regarding the maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean has entered into force after being published in the official gazette.
SADADA
- military units of the 166th Infantry Battalion of the Libyan National Army (LNA) advanced in areas south of Misrata and reached the area of Sadada where it controlled the fortress over there, said the Battalion on December 4. Sadada fortress used to be holed up by terrorist groups and criminal gangs, according to Battalion 166 of LNA [Address Libya, 04.12.2019].
TRIPOLI
- the forces of Volcano of Rage Operation under the Libyan Presidential Council government’s command have downed a MIG23 for Khalifa Haftar’s forces in southern Tripoli and have captured the pilot. The operation’s media office said on Facebook that the MIG23 was shot on Yarmouk Camp frontline in southern Tripoli, adding that the pilot Amer al-Jagam was captured after he had ejected himself. Social media activists circulated footage and photos for the aircraft burning in Al-Zawiya and the pilot being captured. Sources said that the co-pilot Younis al-Dinali was killed in the downing of the warplane as he failed to eject himself [Libya Observer, 07.12.2019];
- the Libyan National Army (GNA) forces are pounding the last strongholds and remnants of the militias allied with the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), and they are going to collapse, said the Address Journal sources. GNA militias suffered significant losses in their members and vehicles on the outskirts of Abu Salim, Firnaj Road, Al-Hadhba, and Salah Eddin areas in Tripoli, according to our sources [Address Libya, 06.12.2019];
- the headquarters of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) was attacked on December 4 by militants affiliated with GNA’s own Deterrence Force (Rad’a) and some other armed groups of the city of Misrata. Sources told the Libyan Address Journal that the attack was a coup attempt to remove GNA’s Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and install head of the former National Salvation Government, Khalifa al-Ghweil. Clashes between GNA forces and its disobedient militants are still ongoing and led to the fall of indiscriminate shells on the Ben Ashour neighborhood in central Tripoli [Address Libya, 04.12.2019];
- at least five civilians were killed and 10 wounded in overnight air strikes in a suburb of Libya’s capital, the unity government’s health ministry said on December 2. “Violent air raids on the residential area of Al-Swani killed five civilians and injured 10 others, some of them seriously,” said spokesman Amin al-Hashemi [Marsad, 02.12.2019].
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- Turkey announced on December 7 that the memorandum of understanding signed with the Government of National Accord (GNA) regarding the maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean has entered into force after being published in the official gazette. The official gazette of Turkey published on December 7 the approval of the Turkish Parliament of the MoU signed between Turkey and Libya. For its part, the GNA approved on December 5 the two MoUs signed by PC head, Fayez al-Sarraj, and Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the 27th of last November [Libya Observer, 08.12.2019];
- Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said at a forum in Rome on December 7 he hoped that the planned Berlin conference on Libya would lead to a ceasefire. “We are involved in the upcoming Berlin conference organization, because we hope to be able to enable the achievement of a ceasefire,” he said at the Mediterranean Dialogues. He added that Italy backed peace efforts of UN special envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame and reiterated that there was “no credible military solution” to the Libyan crisis [Address Libya, 07.12.2019];
- Greece on December 6 said it was expelling the Libyan ambassador to the country, angered at an agreement signed on Nov. 27 between the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and Turkey mapping out a sea boundary between the two countries close to Crete. Mohamed Younis AB Menfi had 72 hours to leave the country, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias told a news briefing. Dendias called the Turkey-Libyan accord a ‘blatant violation of international law’ [Address Libya, 06.12.2019];
- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian criticized on December 4 two memorandums of understanding (MoU) signed last week between the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and Turkey delimiting maritime borders in the Mediterranean and covering military and security cooperation between both sides [Address Libya, 05.12.2019];
- in a general interview in Rome today by journalists Orietta Moscatelli and Cristina Giuliano of Askanews.it, Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said on Libya: ‘‘Russia is conducting exclusively responsible politics in Libya. It is devoid of a geopolitical dimension and puts Libyan interests at the forefront. We are not siding with anyone in this conflict. Our approaches to resolving crises – be it in the Middle East or other regions of the world – invariably rely on the principle of an all-encompassing national dialogue aimed at finding trade-offs based on international law and corresponding UN Security Council resolutions’’ [Libya Herald, 05.12.2019];
- the European Union announced that it stands “in full solidarity” with Greece and Cyprus over a controversial maritime agreement signed between the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and Turkey. In a statement released on December 4, the EU said that “Turkey needs to respect the sovereignty and the sovereign rights of all EU Member States, as stressed repeatedly by the European Council and in Council conclusions, most recently in June 2019.” [Address Libya, 04.12.2019];
- the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has reiterated his country’s support for the Libyan Presidential Council as the only internationally recognized and legitimate government. The Emir of Qatar met with Libyan Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha in Doha on December 4 and renewed support to Libya in its efforts to build capabilities such as the institutions of police and military. Bashagha arrived in Qatar on December 4 and was met by the Prime Minister of Qatar Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani [Libya Observer, 04.12.2019];
- Maltese Foreign Minister, Carmelo Abela said on December 3 that a peaceful solution to the Libyan crisis looms on the horizon, stressing that finding a solution to the Libyan crisis is a priority for his country, especially with regard to illegal immigration. “Peace, security and stability in our neighborhood and Mediterranean region remain at forefront of Malta’s agenda,” Abela tweeted, emphasizing his country’s support for the work of the UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame, and that Malta will continue its approach in raising the Libyan issue in international forums [Libya Observer, 04.12.2019];
- Russia has called on Turkey and the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) refrain from actions that could further destabilize Libya and the Mediterranean region. This comes in the aftermath of international uproar over a controversial maritime deal signed between GNA and Turkey. Speaking to reporters, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that a legal evaluation of the memorandum of understanding was not possible until the text has been examined [Address Libya, 04.12.2019];
- the new agreement between Turkey and Libya on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean could threaten the stability that America has “sought to encourage,” US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt said on December 3 [Address Libya, 03.12.2019];
- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry called on December 2 UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame to discuss developments in the Libyan crisis. They also discussed the efforts exerted towards the success of the Berlin conference to secure a political solution to restore stability in Libya, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry [Address Libya, 03.12.2019];
- spokesman of Turkish Foreign Ministry, Hami Aksoy has said that the agreement with Libya on maritime jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean was signed in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Aksoy explained in a press release that his country had called on Greece and Cyprus to negotiate in order to reach what he called a fair understanding, confirming that they are still willing to negotiate. “These parties chose to take unilateral actions and bring charges against Turkey instead of negotiating with it,” Aksoy added [Libya Observer, 03.12.2019];
- Saudi Arabia has summoned the Speaker of eastern Libya’s House Representatives (HoR) Aqila Saleh to inform him of a new plot that aims to withdraw the Arab, African and Islamic World recognition of the UN-backed Presidential Council, according to Libya Al-Ahrar TV Channel [Libya Observer, 02.12.2019].
