11 – 17 November: Female human rights lawyer assassinated in Benghazi

Nov 18, 2020 | Libyan actors

On 10 November, armed men shot dead the female lawyer and human rights activist Hanan al-Baraasi in Benghazi. Al-Baraasi had been openly critical of human rights abuses and corruption committed by authorities in eastern Libya, including by Libyan National Army (LNA) Commander Khalifa Haftar. Several Libyan and international organizations as well as diplomatic missions to Libya strongly condemned the assassination.

On 11 November, the Government of National Accord (GNA)’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Libya’s borders with Tunisia would be reopening on 14 November. The Ministry also reported that it had met with counterparts in Tunis to discuss the issue and the need to expedite the resolution of all issues between the two countries.

On 12 November, the participants of the 5+5 Joint Military Committee (JMC) dialogues, meeting for the 6th round of dialogues in Sirte, announced that they would ‘immediately’ reopen the main coastal road as part of the ceasefire deal announced on 23 October. A member of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said that the two sides in Libya’s conflict would ‘immediately begin to work to reopen the road, including the removal of landmines and withdrawing fighters’ from the area by 23 January.Finally, the two sides agreed that they would begin working to remove mercenaries and foreign fighters from the area, and decided to meet again as soon as possible.

On 14 November, the Libyan Airports Authority held a meeting with Turkey’s al-Bayrak Group to discuss plans for the development of a Misrata International Airport.

On 15 November, LNA commander Khalifa Haftar issued a decree appointing Major General Abdussalam al-Hassi as commander of the Benghazi-based LNA Special Forces following the death of Wanis Boukhamada on 1 November. Following the announcement, the LNA Special Forces Moral Support and Guidance Department published photos on social media of al-Hassi arriving at its headquarters – the first time al-Hassi has been seen in public since he fled Ghariyan in 2019.