In Abu Salim, the Mayor Abd al-Rahman al-Hamidi, reported that two shells landed in the playground of the Al-Fida School on March 9.
In Jufra, the Libyan National Army managed to shoot down a Turkish drone that tried to conduct reconnaissance operations.
In Misrata, the Tariq Bin Ziyad battalion of the Libyan National Army announced that its units were able to destroy three armed vehicles of the forces of the Tripoli-based Government of “National Accord”.
On the international level, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced on March 11 that Stephanie Williams will be his Acting Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) with immediate effect.
ABU SALIM
- the Mayor of Abu Salim, Abd al-Rahman al-Hamidi, reported that two shells landed in the playground of the Al-Fida School on March 9, whilst another fell in Al-Sayeda Aisha School causing damage to the teaching facility. Al-Hamidi stated that there was no loss of life due to the bombing and confirmed that the two schools are located within the line of fire and were closed down [Libya Observer, 10.03.2020].
JUFRA
- air defenses of the Libyan National Army managed to shoot down a Turkish drone that tried to conduct reconnaissance operations over Jufra Airbase, LNA Military Information Division said. The Information Division also published footage of LNA units targeting militia allied with the Tripoli-based Government of “National Accord” in Ain Zara. The targeted locations were for observatories [Address Libya, 15.03.2020].
MISRATA
- the Tariq Bin Ziyad battalion of the Libyan National Army announced that its units were able to destroy three armed vehicles of the forces of the Tripoli-based Government of “National Accord” east of Misrata, after the vehicles attempted to move near the Abugrein town [Address Libya, 15.03.2020].
TRIPOLI
- Tariq Bin Ziyad Battalion of the Libyan National Army said its military units have repelled an attempt to advance by an armed group affiliated with the forces of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord. “The GNA group tried to launch a surprise attack from the Ramla crossroads in Tripoli, but it failed after it suffered heavy losses,” Tariq Bin Ziyad Battalion in a statement on March 13 [Address Libya, 13.03.2020].
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- the respective presidents of Tunisia, Kais Saied, and Algeria, Abdelmajid Tabboune, confirmed their similar positions regarding the solution to Libya’s present crisis, which should be a Libyan-Libyan dialogue [Libya Observer, 15.03.2020];
- “The Balkanization of Libya is a risk that we see coming,” Chadian Head of State Idriss Déby said on March 12 at a meeting of the African Union contact group on Libya, which held in Oyo, Congo [Address Libya, 14.03.2020];
- the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ismail Sharqi, called on the international community to “work unabated to make the Libyan rivals return to the negotiating table, especially after the resignation of the UN envoy Ghassan Salame.” [Address Libya, 12.03.2020];
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj on March 11, a German government spokesman said in a statement, urging him to move quickly toward signing a ceasefire [Address Libya, 12.03.2020];
- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced on March 11 that Stephanie Williams will be his Acting Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) with immediate effect [Libya Herald, 12.03.2020];
- Tunisian Foreign Minister, Noureddine Erray has said that the situation in Libya can not go on like this anymore and Tunisia needs to play a greater role in the Libyan crisis. Erray stated following a meeting with the President of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People of Tunisia, Rached Ghannouchi that Tunisia will have a major role in the coming period with respect to the Libyan file, based on international legitimacy and away from the “sounds of guns”, as he put it [Libya Observer, 11.03.2020];
- the US ambassador to Libya Richard Norland has discussed with the Head of the Presidential Council Fayez al-Sarraj resuming Libyan-led talks under the auspices of the United Nations. Norland met Al-Sarraj in Pretoria, South Africa, to discuss international efforts in support of a political solution to the conflict in Libya, according to a statement by the US embassy on Facebook on March 11 [Libya Observer, 11.03.2020];
- Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said that steps taken by Turkey in Libya had struck an appropriate balance. Çavuşoğlu told Anadolu News Agency on March 10: “The strides we have made have achieved a balance that led to a ceasefire and will pave the way for an upcoming political phase.” “We have made the whole world accepts this,” he added. The Turkish minister emphasized Turkey’s important role in Libya, noting that there is no meeting held on Libya without Turkey’s presence [Libya Observer, 11.03.2020];
- the German Chancellor Angela Merkel has met with Khalifa Haftar, whose forces have been leading an offensive against Tripoli trying to seize power from the Government of National Accord for 11 months, in Berlin, according to a spokesman at the German government [Libya Observer, 10.03.2020];
- the President of South Africa, Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, said Libya’s interests in peace and ending the ongoing offensive against Tripoli, adding that the oil blockade is harming such interests. Ramaphosa and the Head of the Libyan Presidential Council Fayez al-Sarraj discussed in Pretoria South Africa’s support for the Government of National Accord, outlining the negative impact of foreign interventions in Libya [Libya Observer, 10.03.2020];
- Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the General Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), told France’s president that he would sign a ceasefire and keep to it if militias backed by Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) respected it, a French presidency source said on March 9 [Address Libya, 09.03.2020].
