Libya

The United Nations Security Council called on all parties to the Libya conflict on Friday to commit to a ceasefire and return to UN-led mediation, said Indonesian UN Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, president of the 15-member body for May.

United Nations sanctions monitors are investigating the likely use of an armed drone by eastern Libyan National Army (LNA) forces, or a supporting "third party", in an attack last month on troops affiliated with Libya's internationally recognised government, according to a confidential report to the UN Security Council.

The U.N. health agency says 443 people have died and 2,110 have been wounded in violence in Libya's capital since the head of the self-styled Libyan National Army launched an offensive against Tripoli last month.

France on Wednesday called for an unconditional ceasefire in the Libya conflict under international supervision after a meeting between President Emmanuel Macron and U.N.-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.

Forces loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar shot down a Tripoli government warplane purportedly flown by a foreign mercenary south of the Libyan capital on Tuesday, the Libyan National Army (LNA) said. … The escalation is a setback for efforts by the United Nations and Western states to end the chaos and political division in Libya … .

Since fighting broke out on the edge of Libya’s capital, Tripoli, earlier this month, over 42,000 people have been displaced and thousands are believed trapped in the city’s southern outskirts. As UN humanitarian teams work around the clock to provide life-saving assistance, human rights chief Michelle Bachelet stressed on Tuesday the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire, and humanitarian corridor for civilians.

The European Union has formally recognized the government in Tripoli. However, French officials seem to be playing both sides. Many Libyans want France's government to butt out — and General Haftar continues to advance.

Haftar is seen by Britain and the UN as the immediate aggressor in the conflict. Diplomats were surprised last week when an official White House readout of a telephone call between Trump and Haftar said the US president “recognised Field Marshal Haftar’s significant role in fighting terrorism and securing Libya’s oil resources”.

The prime minister, Fayez al-Sarraj, visited some of the sites struck by missiles after which he called for three days of mourning. He said evidence of the brutal attacks on civilian neighbourhoods would be handed to the international criminal court (ICC).

Paris has given Haftar support in the past, viewing him as the best bet to end the chaos since a NATO-backed rebellion to end Gadhafi's murderous four-decade rule. Italy, with considerable oil interests in the OPEC member, supports the Tripoli government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and was furious with French reluctance to back a recent European Union resolution urging Haftar to halt his advance.