On 21 December, UNSMIL confirmed in a statement the death of former Government of National Accord (GNA) Minister of Defense Mahdi al-Barghathi and...
Results for "Ghat"
Dabaiba reiterates calls for Benghazi investigation amid reports Barghati’s son was killed
In the Government of National Unity (GNU) cabinet meeting on 19 October, Prime Minister Abdul Hameed Dabaiba called for the Attorney General to...
Haftar meets Awaqir tribal leaders following clashes over Barghati’s return to Benghazi
On 14 October, Libyan National Army (LNA) Commander Khalifa Haftar together with LNA Chief of Staff Abdurrazek al-Nadhouri and Government of...
GNS accuses Dabaiba of supporting Barghati’s return to destabilize Benghazi
On 10 October, Government of National Stability (GNS) Prime Minister Osama Hammad accused Government of National Unity (GNU) Prime Minister Abdul...
Clashes break out in Benghazi as LNA attempts to seize Barghati
On the evening of 6 October, clashes reportedly broke out in the Salmani area of Benghazi between the Libyan National Army’s (LNA) Tariq Bin Ziyad...
27 February – 5 March: LNA claim to have peacefully entered Qatrun and Ghat
On 3 March, the LNA claimed it had entered the town of Qatrun. On 28 February, the High Social Council of the Libyan Tuareg announced that the LNA had peacefully entered Ghat and al-Awenat. On 1 March, the LNA officially confirmed its control over Umm al-Aranib. On 4 March, the NOC officially lifted force majeure on Sharara oilfield.
AQIM uses southern Libya to transport fighters to Mali: UN report
According to UN reporting presented on 15 February, AQIM (‘Al-Qaida in Libya’) secures transportation routes to cities for transit or as hideouts in...
GNS says situation in Benghazi is ‘excellent’ despite recent clashes
On 14 October, Government of National Stability (GNS) Minister of Interior Essam Abu Zuriba stated that the security situation in Benghazi is...
Dabaiba creates new militia structure under his direct control as PC and others push back
On 6 June, Government of National Unity (GNU) Prime Minister Abdul Hameed Dabaiba ordered by decree the establishment of a new militia force called...
DCIM warns against influx of Sudanese refugees into Libya
On 30 April, Libya’s Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration (DCIM) warned against the influx of Sudanese refugees into Libya. The head of...
NSC condemns Italian NGO project in Fezzan
On 20 April, Libya’s National Security Council (NSC) said that all foreign organisations operating in Libya must follow Libyan laws and complete the...
LNA issues statement accusing UK Embassy of sponsoring offensive in the South
On 28 January, a statement from the Libyan National Army's (LNA) Al-Karama Military Operation Room surfaced online claiming that the LNA had...
UN publishes terrorist monitoring report
On 3 February, the UN Security Council published the ‘Twenty-ninth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIL...
18 – 24 September: AFRICOM drone circled over AQIM hotspot in southern Libya
Prior to a US AFRICOM airstrike targeting ISIS fighters near Murzuq on 19 September, a drone was also suspected to have flown over the Wadi Ajal and Ghat, an Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) hotspot
23 January – 29 January: LNA label UN Envoy an “opponent”
On 23 January, the LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari labelled UN Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame as an ‘opponent.’ The military campaign launched by the LNA to exert its control over the southern region made notable progress. On 26 January, the head of the HSC Khalid al-Mishri resigned from the Muslim Brotherhood.
28 November – 4 December: LNA arrest five ISIS members in Ubari
On 1 December, the Libyan National Army arrested five ISIS members in Ubari. On 30 November, ISIS released its Naba newsletter No. 158 that featured an article detailing the group’s attack on the town of Tazirbu.
17 October – 23 October: Libyan military unification talks resume in Cairo while LNA launch Operation “Hawd Murzuq”
On 17 October, Libyan military unification talks resumed in Cairo. The discussions, mediated by Egypt, ended with no formal declaration, resolutions or agreements. On 19 October, the LNA launched Operation “Hawd Murzuq” in an attempt to remove rebel armed groups from southern Libya.
30 Aug- 5 Sept: Serraj Snubs East with New CoS appointment
On 30 August, Serraj appointed a Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army under the GNA, a move rejected by the LNA. On 1 September, a Zawiyya militia attacked a demonstration in commemoration of Gaddafi’s revolution, organised by local rivals affiliated with the LNA.
17-27 May: GNA –aligned forces attack Brak al-Shatti
On 18 May, forces affiliated with the GNA conducted an attack on Brak al-Shatti airbase controlled by LNA in south-west Libya, leaving 74 LNA fighters dead and ending the ‘ceasefire’ between the opposing forces. The GNA is in disarray following the attack with differing statements and a pending investigation in the incident.
8 – 14 March: LNA retakes Oil Crescent from BDB
On 14 March, the LNA launched a counter attack against the BDB. Following intense fighting, by the end of the day the LNA claimed to be in control of the Oil Crescent once more, including the oil ports.
PC Condemns BDB Attack But Some Members Give Support
The PC issued a statement condemning the BDB’s attack on the oil crescent on 3 March, however two PC members have publically said they support the BDB while GNA MoD has also been accused of supporting the attacking force .
Mobilisation in Hun, Clashes & Violence in Tripoli
Local sources in Jufra report a new mobilization by GNA/Islamist affiliated groups who reportedly plan to attack Ras Lanuf port in the coming weeks. Rivalries between militias of various factions in Tripoli are escalating, with various rival armed groups implicated in clashes, kidnappings and armed assault.
Ghwell’s Seizure of Tripoli Ministries & Blackouts Provoke Tensions
On 12 January, militias allied to Khalifa al-Ghwell, leader of a rival government in Tripoli, seized several ministerial buildings in Tripoli, while the whole of western and southern Libya continues to suffer chronic power outages, provoking tensions and anti-GNA sentiment
US AFRICOM Concludes Operations in Sirte
Last week, US AFRICOM concluded Operation Odyssey Lightning in Sirte while support is being given to the Stabilisation Facility for Libya. On 23 December, an internal Libya flight was hijacked and flown to Malta, where the hijackers were apprehended.
UNSMIL, Russia, Egypt and Algeria Hold Diplomatic Talks on Libya
Last week, the UN held a conference in Tunis to discuss how the international community can support the GNA’s fledgling presidential guard. A number of high-level diplomatic events in Egypt, Russia and Algeria also took place that may indicate a shift towards a more Haftar-inclusive approach to the Libyan peace process at an international level.
LNA Defeats Counter Attack, Extends Territorial Control
The LNA defeated a counter-attack on the oil crescent launched from Jufra by allied forces including Jadhran loyalists, BDB fighters and some GNA forces. The attacking convoy was routed and the LNA even extended its control south of Jufra, all the way to Brak al-Shati. In Tripoli, tensions are high as anti-GNA Misratan forces mobilize to support the anti-GNA Islamist coalition, while protests took place after a video of militiamen raping a woman was released.
Anti 15 Nov 2016
PM Fayez Serraj and his allies are taking active measures to entrench the GNA’s de facto control in the capital by creating new security forces and appointing ministers, provoking fears in Eastern Libya that the GNA intends to ‘go it alone’.
Other 8 Nov 16
In Tripoli, tensions are growing between RADA and BRSC, with two RADA officers assassinated last week. In Benghazi, there was an assassination attempt against the head of the Magharba tribe while the GNA MoD is believed to be allying with BDB militias.
Anti 8 Nov 16
GNA Defence Minister Mahdi al-Barghathi condemned Haftar and the LNA last week, accusing them of carrying out assassinations and human rights abuses in eastern Libya. The LNA fears Barghati is allying with BDB militias and Jadhran loyalists to launch a counter-attack on the oil crescent.
Western 25 Oct 16
Last week, UN and European diplomats visited PM Fayez Serraj and head of the High Council of State, Abdulrahman Swehli, to discuss the recent ‘coup’ attempt in Tripoli and to reaffirm their support for the Libyan Political Agreement and the GNA. The US have ramped up their airstrikes in Sirte and are in the process of switching the aircrafts involved in this campaign.
Anti — 27 June 2016
In the coming weeks, Libya’s oil crescent is likely to witness increased tension between three actors: the Libyan National Army (LNA), the Government of National Accord-aligned Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), and renegade Islamist militias… The reversal of military momentum once more in favour of the LNA, coupled with the Islamist subversion of the GNA’s anti-ISIS, efforts is bolstering the political position of Haftar and anti-GNA factions… After several Islamist militias broke away from the GNA’s Bunyan Marsus coalition and attacked Ajdabiya on 18 June, the GNA’s political position in the oil crescent was severely compromised, and with it the standing of PFG forces loyal to Ibrahim Jadhran… Meanwhile, the GNA is still holed up in Abu Setta naval base, while other militias affiliated to Islamist forces have a freer hand in the Tripoli.
Anti — 13 June 2016
As militias nominally aligned with the Government of National Accord (GNA) made highly impressive gains against ISIS in Sirte last week, and a degree of euphoria has gripped international actors and some GNA supporters, these gains have not automatically led to authentic political unity among Libya’s major anti-ISIS factions. To the contrary, prospects for unity and strengthened political legitimacy for the GNA are lower, and the likelihood of renewed civil conflict higher, due to three factors identified this week.
Anti — 6 June 2016
The Government of National Accord’s (GNA) establishment of the Adjabiya-Sirte operations room to coordinate the anti-ISIS campaign from the east, and de-facto reinstatement of Ibrahim Jadhran as head of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) in the central region, in tandem with the PFG attack on ISIS in Libya’s oil crescent, signals that a deal has been made between the GNA and local actors in the oil crescent that circumvents Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA). While this dynamic effectively puts the GNA in a firm position to negotiate workable, yet temporary, alliances with rival militias to focus on the fight against ISIS, it threatens to expose the GNA to hijacking by groups that are not under its direct control, and who have no other overlapping interests than the defeat of ISIS in Sirte.
Other — 6 June 2016
On 1 June, a group composed of hardline Islamist revolutionaries from Benghazi and Ajdabiya issued a televised statement, aired by former Libya Dawn mouthpiece Al-Nabaa, declaring the establishment of the “Benghazi Defense Corps” (BDC)… The BDC said it would begin a new phase of operations to ‘defend’ Benghazi from the Libyan National Army (LNA), and pledged full solidarity with the Benghazi Revolutionary Shura Council.