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Libya: Saadi, son of dictator Moamer Kadhafi, released from prison
Saadi Kadhafi, a son of Libya's late dictator Moamer Kadhafi who was overthrown and killed in a 2011 uprising, has been freed from jail, said the interim government. Saadi -- the strongman's third son, now aged 47 -- was known for his playboy lifestyle and briefly...
Libya: Violence reignites in Libya amid slow political progress
Two Libyan army units used heavy artillery in an exchange of fire overnight centring on a barracks in a densely populated area of southeast Tripoli. An attack early Friday ordered by the military commander in the capital saw members of a security group set up by...
Libyan’s electricity crisis
By Hamza Mekouar: Walk down any commercial street in the Libyan capital Tripoli and the pavements will be lined with generators ready to spring into action whenever the mains electricity supply cuts out. In the decade since the NATO-backed overthrow of longtime...
Libya: Preserving Libya’s Sufi heritage
By Hamza Mekouar: Bullet holes scar the minaret of the Sufi mosque in Libya's Zliten, but followers of the Muslim mystical tradition are working to renovate and preserve their heritage. A handful of students sit cross-legged on the floor of the mosque in the Asmariya...
Libya: Rival forces agree to protect water network
The United Nations on Thursday welcomed the creation of a joint security force from rival sides in Libya to secure the country's water network amid sabotage threats. "It is a very significant step forward towards the unification of the military institution and the...
Libya: Countries jockeying for lucrative projects in Libya when stability returns
By Hamza Mekouar A decade after Libya descended into chaos, a host of countries are eyeing potential multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects in the oil-rich nation if stability is assured. Economist Kamal Mansouri expects Libya's reconstruction drive to be one of...
Libya: Water supply to west and south Libya cut because of political terrorism
Libyan authorities have shut water supplies to swathes of the country after gunmen demanding the release of a jailed Kadhafi-era official threatened to sabotage the water network. Supplies to western and southwestern Libya were interrupted overnight Saturday to...
Libya: Strong disagreements over December elections in Libya
A day of UN-led talks between delegates from war-torn Libya failed to reach agreement on a constitutional framework to hold elections as planned in December, the United Nations said. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya said participants at Wednesday's meeting...
Refugees: Hundreds rescued from drowning off the coast of Libya
By Estelle Emonet Rescue ships picked up more than 700 people trying to cross the Mediterranean in makeshift vessels this weekend, mainly off the coasts of Libya and Malta, a migrant aid group said Sunday. The latest figures came as UN migration officials repeated...
Libya gets 2 million Sinopharm doses with more expected
Libya called Monday on people to come forward to be vaccinated after it received two million doses of the Chinese vaccine Sinopharm, with more on the way. "We call on all our fellow citizens to be vaccinated," Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah told reporters at Mitiga...
Libya: Seif al-Islam wants to become the next ‘Kadhafi’
Anyone supporting Seif is a foolish person: Opinion by Arezki Daoud A decade ago, Seif had the opportunity to save his country. He could have convinced his dictator father to let go and could have even cemented the Kadhafi power had he took over his dad. Yes, Seif...
Libya: Militia gang leader Mohammed al-Kani gunned down
A Libyan militia gang leader accused of major human rights violations has been shot dead at a farm in the eastern city of Benghazi, a military source told AFP Tuesday. Mohammed al-Kani was gunned down after resisting members of the military who had arrived bearing an...
Covid-19: Libya announces night curfew to stem rise of coronavirus, but not in Haftar’s controlled territories
Libya's government Monday announced a two-week overnight curfew in the areas it controls in the centre and west of the North African country, as it battles a rise in Covid-19 cases. A government statement said the 12-hour curfew would start at 6:00 pm and end at 6:00...
Covid-19: Rush to vaccinate in Libya as pandemic continues to spread
Libyan authorities on Saturday stepped up their vaccination campaign around the capital Tripoli, as coronavirus cases rise across the country. The health ministry has set up temporary centres in six districts of the capital, and AFP journalists saw long queues outside...
Libyans facing an expansive Eid El-Adha holiday
Muslims in war-scarred Libya mark Eid al-Adha from Tuesday, but few will be able to afford the sheep or goat traditionally slaughtered during the festival. The guns may have fallen silent in the North African country, but its people are now fighting a deep economic...
Libya’s normalization efforts at an impasse
The UN envoy for Libya, Jan Kubis, on Thursday warned of an impasse in the political, security and budgetary plans for the country, which is supposed to hold general elections on December 24 but which are looking increasingly in doubt."I am deeply concerned about the...
Libya: Migrants returned to Libya by Europe suffer “horrific violations’
Amnesty International on Thursday condemned the "horrific violations" being committed against migrants returned to Libya with the cooperation of European states after trying to cross the Mediterranean. It said new evidence had emerged of "harrowing violations,...
Covid-19: Covid cases in Libya hit new high, country faces critical situation
Libya on Sunday imposed sweeping restrictions to stem the spread of coronavirus as recorded cases hit a new high, with experts warning of a "critical" situation. For the next two weeks, cafes must close, weddings and organised funerals with mourners are barred, and...
Migrants: Rescue ship Ocean Viking docks in Sicily with almost 600 migrants
Italy on Thursday authorised the Ocean Viking migrant rescue ship to dock in Sicily after the group urged EU members to allow 572 people picked up in the Mediterranean Sea over three days to be brought ashore. "The Ocean Viking this evening received from the Italian...
Libya: Russia and Turkey signaling willingness to pull tiny number of their mercenaries from Libya
By Hui Min Neo and Shaun Tandon Hopes grew Wednesday for Libya's stability following a decade of bloodshed as Russia and Turkey reached a tentative plan in talks in Berlin to start withdrawing foreign mercenaries, officials said. The UN-sponsored conference -- the...
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