Libya

EU foreign ministers were discussing the intensifying conflict in Libya on Wednesday, with Germany pledging to contribute up to 300 troops to a new EU naval mission aimed at curbing the flow of arms into the North African country. Operation Irini, which has a core mandate of upholding the UN arms embargo on Libya, was officially launched on April 1. However, the coronavirus pandemic has hampered its implementation, and crucial details - including troop contributions - remain outstanding.

Forces aligned with Libya’s internationally recognised government said they had advanced on Saturday on Tarhouna, a key support base for their eastern-based rival Khalifa Haftar.

The UN mission in Libya condemned on Wednesday the indiscriminate shelling carried out by Haftar's militias against civilians in Tripoli. In a statement, the mission said it was alarmed by the escalation of violence in Libya, particularly by the intensification of fighting in the past few days, resulting in civilian casualties.

The head of Libya's UN-recognised government Fayez al-Sarraj has said he would not resume negotiations with renegade commander Khalifa Haftar, accusing him of exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to launch a new offensive against the government.

Libya's internationally recognised government said its troops have seized control of three strategic coastal cities located between the capital, Tripoli, and the Tunisian border after expelling forces loyal to eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar.

UN chief is searching for new envoy to Libya after US refused to endorse former Algerian FM Lamamra.

[…] Last month, both sides of Libya’s now one-year-old war for Tripoli again agreed to a cease-fire as the coronavirus pandemic spread around the world. But since then, bombings can be heard daily from Tripoli homes as the fighting escalates and the health care system crumbles.

The European Union is stepping up its efforts to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya, thereby contributing to the peace process in the country, through the launch of a new CSDP (Common Security and Defence Policy) military operation in the Mediterranean. The Council today adopted a decision launching Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI. IRINI, (Greek for "peace"), will have as its core task the implementation of the UN arms embargo through the use of aerial, satellite and maritime assets. … In parallel with the launch of Operation IRINI, the existing EUNAVFOR MED operation in the Mediterranean, SOPHIA, will permanently cease its activities.

The United Nations on Saturday welcomed the “positive responses” of Libya’s Tripoli-based government and the Libyan National Army (LNA) to calls for a pause to stop the fighting, in the hopes that this would allow humanitarian access throughout the crisis-torn country and head off the potential threat of COVID-19.