30 January – 5 February: French fighter jets launch airstrike on Libyan convoy

Feb 5, 2019 | International actors

On 3 February, the French Defence Ministry announced French fighter jets had launched airstrikes on armed groups that entered northern Chad from Libya following a request from the Chad government. The targets were said to have been moving in a column of 40 pickups.

On 2 February, UN Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame announced the start of a tour of meetings with key Libyan political figures ahead of the National Conference. This will see him hold discussions with the head of the Presidential Council (PC) Fayez al-Serraj, the head of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) Aqeela Saleh. The announcement followed meetings in Cairo with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States (LAS), Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and a round table discussion with Libyan activists concerning the National Conference.

On 2 February, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the European Union, Federica Mogherini, stated that there was consensus from European powers concerning continuing Operation Sophia in the Mediterranean. This follows fears that the operation would end in March when its latest 3-month extension expires.

On 30 January, the Government of National Accord’s (GNA) Minister of Interior Fathi Bashaaga met with US Charge d’Affaires to Libya Peter Bodde to discuss security cooperation and counter-terrorism efforts. Bashaaga petitioned Bodde for support in training and increasing the capabilities of MoI-aligned forces. Bodde also met with the GNA’s Central Region Commander Mohammed al-Haddad as well as other representatives from the city.