Libya

The European Union's chief diplomat has called on the bloc's member states to increase their support for a recently launched military mission aimed at enforcing a collapsing arms embargo on Libya.

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has expressed deep shock at the discovery of mass graves in Libya over recent days, in territory that was recently in the hands of the so-called opposition Libyan National Army (LNA) led by General Khalifa Haftar.

Donald Trump has joined the calls for a ceasefire in Libya amid concerns that Egypt would be willing to send ground troops into the country to prevent a rout of its ally Khalifa Haftar.

Turkey has dismissed Egypt's proposal for a ceasefire in Libya, saying the plan aimed to save renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar after the collapse of his 14-month military push to seize the capital.

Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) has regained full control of Tripoli after recapturing the capital's airport. Gen Khalifa Haftar's forces have been besieging the city since April 2019. But intensified military support from Turkey helped government forces drive Gen Haftar's Russian-backed troops back from the frontlines.

Libya’s warring parties have agreed to restart ceasefire talks, the United Nations mission to the country said late on Monday after weeks of intense fighting near the capital Tripoli fuelled by foreign arms. In a statement posted online, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said it welcomed their plan to resume talks based on earlier so-called 5+5 meetings, involving five senior officers appointed by each side.

The Council today decided to appoint as EU Force Commander for the EU military naval operation in the Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR MED IRINI) Rear Admiral Ettore Socci from Italy, from 6 May 2020 until 18 October 2020. He will be followed by Commodore Theodoros Mikropoulos from Greece from 19 October 2020 until 31 March 2021.

Russia recently sent fighter jets to Libya to support Russian mercenaries fighting for strongman Khalifa Haftar, the U.S. military command for Africa (Africom) said Tuesday, in a major escalation in the long-running conflict.

Eastern commander Khalifa Haftar is reported to be about to begin a series of air strikes on Turkish targets in Libya after suffering a week of setbacks in his fight against the Ankara-backed government in Tripoli.

The civil war in Libya is in danger of intensifying as foreign intervention grows and the spectre of the COVID-19 pandemic adds to a deepening sense of insecurity, the head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) told the Security Council on Tuesday.