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More North Africans die at sea in desperate effort to escape misery
At least 11 migrants died on Sunday when their boat floundered off the coast of Libya, the UN's migration agency said, days after 20 others died in desperate bids to reach Europe. "At least 11 migrants drowned after their boat capsized this morning, according to 10...
Libya: Tenuous ceasefire in Libya as foreign meddlers ponder what to do next
Libya's two warring factions signed a "permanent" ceasefire agreement on Friday after five days of talks at the United Nations, which hailed the deal as a historic moment following years of turmoil and bloodshed. "Today is a good day for the Libyan people," said...
Libya: Shipwreck off Libya coast claims lives of 15 migrants
A shipwreck off Libya has left at least 15 migrants dead, the UN's migration agency said Wednesday, the latest tragedy to strike people making desperate bids to reach Europe. "At least 15 migrants are presumed dead after their boat capsized off the coast of Sabratha,...
Libya: As Libyans hope of some normalcy, Afriqiyah Airways resumes Tripoli-Benghazi flights
Flights between the Libyan capital and Benghazi resumed Friday after an 18-month halt, amid an a easing of tensions between a Tripoli-based administration and rival authorities in the eastern city. "An Afriqiyah Airways plane... landed on Friday morning at Benina...
Prosecutors say ex French Prez Sarkozy was involved in criminal conspiracy, took money from Libya’s Muamar Gaddafi
French prosecutors said Friday that they had slapped criminal conspiracy charges on former president Nicolas Sarkozy over claims he used Libyan cash for his 2007 election campaign. The charge for "membership in a criminal conspiracy" was brought on Monday, the...
Libya: Another rogue official arrested in Libya for human trafficking
Libya's UN-recognised government on Wednesday announced the arrest of a former coastguard wanted by Interpol and under UN sanctions for alleged human trafficking. Abd al-Rahman al-Milad, also known as al-Bidja, was arrested by senior security operatives in Tripoli on...
Libya: Hopes for resolution of Libya crisis as rivals to meet and oil production resumes
Libya's state oil firm gave the green light Sunday for production to resume at a major oil field, as the UN announced 'face-to-face" talks between the country's rivals. Following the end of a blockade that was imposed in February, the National Oil Corporation lifted...
Libya: Tripoli authorizes reopening of mosques
Mosques reopened in and around the Libyan capital Friday almost seven months after they were ordered to close as part of strict curbs to rein in the Covid-19 pandemic. Libya, ravaged by a complex web of conflicts since the ouster of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi...
Libya: Financial challenges undermine UN’s rights agency’s work in Libya
The United Nations does not have enough funds to investigate rights violations in strife-torn Libya this year, the Human Rights Council decided Tuesday. In June, the UN's top rights body, with the support of Tripoli, adopted a resolution calling for a fact-finding...
Libya: After Morocco, Egypt gets its own Libya conference
Two days of talks between representatives of Libya's rival administrations that took place in Egypt this week were "positive" and pave the way for further face-to-face discussions, the UN said. The UN Mission in Libya, UNSMIL, "appreciates the efforts of both...
Libya: Armed militias clash in populated neighborhood of east Tripoli
The United Nations has condemned clashes between two armed groups in a residential suburb of the Libyan capital and the use of heavy weapons. UNSMIL, the world body's support mission in Libya, in a statement late Friday expressed "great concern" over the fighting in...
Libya: More tragedy at sea, with migrants dead, others missing
Tripoli, Sept 25, 2020 - The International Organization for Migration said Friday the bodies of three migrants whose boat went down off Libya were recovered from the Mediterranean but at least 13 others were missing. Twenty-two survivors were rescued late Thursday...
Libya: Amnesty Intl catalogs horrific abuses on migrants in Libya
Amnesty International on Thursday urged the EU to reconsider cooperation with Libya over "horrific abuses" of refugees and migrants in the North African country. Libya has become a key route for irregular migration to Europe in the chaotic years since the 2011...
Migration: Uncertain fate for migrants who arrived in Italian island
A ship with 125 rescued migrants aboard reached the Italian island of Sardinia on Thursday, the aid organisation Sea-Eye said, adding that the fate of its survivors remains unclear. The Alan Kurdi docked at the port of Arbatax on the east of the island, having been...
Libya: Russian and other mercenaries still impeding oil sector activity in Libya
"force majeure continues on the oil fields and ports that confirmed the presence of elements of Wagner gangs and other armed groups that impede the activities and operations of the National Oil Corporation". Libya's state oil firm lifted force majeure on what it...
Libya: EU targeting three companies for breach of arms embargo
The European Union on Monday imposed sanctions on three companies -- one Turkish, one Kazakh and one Jordanian -- for breaching the UN arms embargo on Libya, diplomatic sources told AFP. Foreign ministers from the bloc signed off on the measures, which freeze any EU...
Libya: Turkey’s Erdogan not too happy that Libya’s Sarraj is apparently quitting
What happened? The head of Libya's UN-recognised Government of National Accord, Fayez al-Sarraj, said he plans to step down within six weeks as part of efforts to broker a peace agreement. Libya has endured almost a decade of violent chaos since the 2011 NATO-backed...
Libya: Warlord Khalifa Haftar wants money from oil revenues as condition to lift blockade of oil fields
Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar announced Friday a conditional lifting of a months-long blockade on oilfields and ports by his forces. "We have decided to resume oil production and export on condition of a fair distribution of revenues" and guarantee they "will not be...
Libya: Under US pressure, version 2.0 of the UN Mission in Libya will have a ‘Special Envoy’ and a ‘Coordinator.’ As if that matters!
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution Tuesday under pressure from the United States endorsing a change in structure for its mission in Libya, which will in the future have a special envoy and a "coordinator." Thirteen of the 15 Council members voted for the...
Libya: Head of eastern government resigns over public protests
Benghazi, Libya, Sept 14, 2020 - The head of Libya's parallel government installed in the country's east has handed in his resignation following street protests against corruption and falling living standards that turned violent, his spokesman said Monday. Abdallah...
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