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376 Libyans Killed, 1822 Injured in Fighting Around Tripoli, During the April 2019 Attacks

May 5, 2019

 

Libyans fighting around Tripoli, April 18, 2019	Libyan fighters, file, May 5, 2019

 

UAE and Saudi Arabia grant warlord Haftar $200 million to cover his offensive on Tripoli

Libya Observer, May 06, 2019

Written by: SafaAlharathy

CNN revealed in a report that the governments of the UAE and Saudi Arabia had previously pledged to support Haftar's military campaign on Tripoli with about two hundred million dollars.

CNN quoted regional sources as saying that Haftar has used part of the money to buy weapons, pointing to the United Nations experts report which revealed the provision of the UAE to Haftar's forces with aircraft and about 100 armoured personnel carriers, in addition to helping him in developing an air base.

The network pointed to a statement to Haftar in 2014, in which he said Libya was not ready for democracy, as well as another statement to one of his former advisers, who claimed at the time that "Haftar is seeking to rule Libya and that the country needs a strong man to lead it."

War on Tripoli: Second month in with the UN urging for truce

Libya Observer, May 05, 2019

Written By: AbdulkaderAssad

Khalifa Haftar's offensive on Tripoli has entered the second month without any solid achievement, that is the entry to Tripoli, which was scheduled by Haftar in the span of 48 hours.

Clashes between Haftar's forces and the Libyan Army forces under the Presidential Council's government command are still ongoing with the latter taking an offensive stance contrary to the defensive one taken in the first weeks of the attack.

On Sunday, fighting intensified in Tuwaysha, Qasir Benghashir and Zatarna areas, with sources reporting that the Volcano of Rage Operation forces advanced in Qasir Benghashir frontline and would soon be in control of Afiya Hospital and Funduk Al-Sharif areas, which are currently under Haftar's forces control.

"Our forces destroyed several military vehicles for Haftar's forces and advanced on Tripoli International Airport frontline ringing in the remaining fighters in south of the airport." Sources from the operation said.

Clashes in Al-Zatarna, southern Tajoura, were an exchange of artillery without a remarkable advance from any side.

Air Force of the Libyan Army forces under the Presidential Council's government command carried out 9 airstrikes on Haftar's forces positions in Gharyan, Al-Watiya airbase, Beer Al-Alem, and Wadi Rabea, on the other hand, Haftar's warplanes targeted an area near Al-Zahraa Brigade without reported casualties, according to the sources.

They added that several fighters from Haftar's forces had been captured, while others had been killed including a prominent senior leader in Tuwaysha.

The UNSMIL, meanwhile, called on all parties to commit to an extendable one-week humanitarian truce, however; no party has so far issued a reply to the UNSMIL's call.

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As death, wounded and displaced numbers rise, Serraj blames Hafter for destroying the political process and refusal to return to status quo ante

By Sami Zaptia.

Libya Herald, London, 2 May 2019:

As the armed conflict in Tripoli continues into its fourth week and into the month of May, the final toll for all of April is put at 376 dead (23 civilians) and 1,822 wounded (79 civilians) by the World Health Organization. WHO joined the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs office in Libya (OCHA) as well as other groups in calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Meanwhile, speaking this morning at the opening of a cabinet meeting in Tripoli, Libya’s internationally recognized head of the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord, Faiez Serraj, explained the position of his administration on calls for a ceasefire and the return of the political process.

Beginning with the situation on the ground, Serraj emphasized that ‘‘Libya’s youth were desperate to defend their capital and the civil state project’’, and that conditions on the ground were ‘‘good’’ thanks to the youth who gave their souls for the sake of a homeland.

As for the political situation, Serraj said that there has been a lot of talk about the ceasefire and the political process, adding “We have made clear our position to all internal and external parties that any talk of a ceasefire must be linked to the withdrawal of the aggressor force and its return from where it came from, without which any talk becomes absurd.”

On the return to the political process, Serraj stated that ‘‘the situation before April 4 (the launch date of the Khalifa Hafter-led Libyan National Army (LNA) attack on Tripoli) is quite different from the situation after this date’’.

He added that ‘‘there are variables. We did not let the political process blow up, but we were one of the parties to the political process and we are working to continue it and continue consultations. But there are those who blew up the political process and caused significant damage to the social fabric in addition to the material and moral damage’’. He stressed that ‘‘the return to the political process would be different to what it was’’.

On the battle front, cat-and-mouse and to-and-fro fighting has continued mostly on the south west and southern edges of greater Tripoli. As both sides fail to impose their will on the battlefield, the Serraj GNA aligned forces confirmed fighting in the Sbea, Wadi Rabea and Yarmouk areas. They accused the Hafter forces of an air strike on the Hadba Military College as well as claiming ‘‘inhumane’’ acts committed against captured pro-GNA prisoners.

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Fierce fighting on outskirts of Tripoli continues without any clear progress from either side as conflicting narratives endure

By Sami Zaptia.

Libya Herald, London, 30 April 2019:

Fierce fighting continued over the last two days and overnight on the outskirts of Tripoli between the Khalifa Hafter-led Libyan National Army (LNA) and its aligned forces on the one hand, and forces aligned to the internationally recognized Presidency Council and Government of National Accord (PC/GNA) led by Faiez Serraj.

Fighting took place around Aziziya, Sbea, Sug il Sibt and Yarmouk. There were also reports of air strikes in Ain Zara, Abu Sleem and Khallat Al-Furjan.

Meanwhile, the various United Nations partner humanitarian agencies report increased internally displaced. In its latest report released yesterday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that one child was killed and three children injured in airstrikes during past three days.

It said that the armed conflict continues to impact health facilities, as shelling damaged a hospital in Sbea on Sunday, leading to temporary evacuation and disruption of health services.

It reported that there have been 96 civilian casualties of which 22 were fatal since the conflict started 4 weeks ago. It said that 42,000 have been displaced with 3,350 refugees or migrants in detention centres exposed or at risk from the conflict. To date, it reported that 29,900 people have been assisted with some form of humanitarian service.

The report reminded all parties to the conflict that the principal of proportionality, as preserved in International Humanitarian Law, must be adhered to. All sides must avoid the indiscriminate use of force such as the use of aerial bombardment or shelling in civilian areas.

On the battlefront, the Serraj GNA aligned Volcano of Anger Operations Room claimed yesterday that on the Aziziya frontline, its forces ‘‘advanced and took control of strategic sites in areas of ​​Sbea and Suq Il-Sibt’’.

There was also heavy fighting reported around the Yarmouk frontline, where initially, it was thought that the Hafter aligned forces had made considerable progress up to the edge of Salah Al-Deen. However, it seems that the Serraj GNA-aligned forces succeeded in repelling the offensive.

The Serraj GNA aligned Air Force claimed that it had carried out 10 air raids targeting pro Hafter armoured vehicles and supporting their forces on the ground.

They claimed that as a result of the failure of the Hafter-aligned forces to make advances on the ground since the beginning of the attack on Tripoli, the ‘‘countries supporting the war criminal Hafter intervened with their aircrafts deliberately targeting homes of civilians’’, most recently on Sunday morning in Ain Zara, and previously in Abu Sleem, leading to civilian casualties.

The Serraj GNA-aligned forces also accused the Hafter side of using its ‘‘militias with support from some countries’’ to take over and use oil installations as military bases. It reminded that this is a crime that is to be added to the crimes that the Hafter side will be prosecute for.

They renewed their call for all of those who are fighting with Hafter to abandon their weapons and surrender themselves, before Hafter, ‘‘who pushed them’’ into this battle, ‘‘abandons them’’ like he did with their former comrades, Volcano of Anger Operations Room said.

On the other hand, the LNA Official Spokesperson, Ahmed Mesmari, claimed that there has been ‘‘great improvement in the LNA’s performance’’ since Saturday and that the LNA have the ‘‘endurance to carry through these battles. We are fighting day and night and committing to all rules of engagement’’.

He claimed that on Sunday the GNA forces ‘’breached all international conventions by attacking Sbea civilian area”. He also claimed they ‘‘shelled various civilian locations in Tarhuna, Sug Khamis and Sbea’’. The LNA spokesperson also claimed that LNA jet fighters targeted what he referred to as ‘‘Misurata’s terrorist militias operations room in Ghout Al-ruman east of Tajura’’.

Continuing the LNA narrative that Tripoli is full of terrorists, Mesmari said that ‘‘the battle is between the Libyan people and terrorist groups’’. He claimed that the LNA targeted an ‘‘Al-Qaeda operations room near Tripoli”. He said that the LNA operations are ‘‘continuing and our air force is working on destroying armed militias and terrorist groups combat capabilities’’.

With reference to the comment by Fathi Bashagha, the Faiez Serraj Minister of Interior, that the LNA’s Air Force accuracy indicates that they are using foreign fighters, Mesmari took the comment as a compliment of the accuracy of the LNA’s Air Force, rather than a criticism.

On the political front, Muhanad Younis, the Official Spokesperson for the Serraj PC/GNA yesterday condemned foreign participation in the Tripoli war. In his statement, Younis did not mention UAE, Egypt or Saudi Arabia, however, many foreign experts have concluded that some of the accurate and night-time air raids are too sophisticated to be carried out by the LNA and its ageing technology.

Younis said that over the past few days, the civilians of Tripoli endured deadly and illegal air raids targeting populated areas, which included civilian targets and the city’s infrastructure in the heavily populated areas of Ain Zara and Abu Sleem.

He stated that the attacks were carried out by ‘‘foreign aircraft’’ and that those foreign countries ‘‘must answer for the murders of innocents in Tripoli…as well as for their partnership with a known war criminal’’.

Younis added that ‘‘these atrocities and the violation of sovereignty require accountability and justice’’. He said that the international community has ‘‘a duty to intervene to support the internationally recognized Government of National Accord and Tripoli’s more than 3 million people’’. Libya’s problems cannot be solved through violence against civilians, he added.

Younis said that Khalifa Hafter’s backers are funding and arming a man accused by the ICC of war crimes and that in the process of funding Hafter’s war machine, these foreign governments and backers are helping to create a humanitarian crisis in Libya, laying the ground for a resurgence of terrorism, and creating a situation that will lead to mass migration of refugees to Europe.

Younis concluded that ‘‘Hafter’s personal war’’ is also placing Libya’s oil industry at risk, the cost of which will be borne by energy consumers around the world.

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Indiscriminate missile attacks on residential areas have continued during Tripoli fighting in violation of international humanitarian law: UN

By Sami Zaptia.

Libya Herald, London, 29 April 2019:

Indiscriminate shelling/rocket attacks on residential areas have continued during the Tripoli fighting in violation of international humanitarian law, the latest UN’s Libya Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said. The report comes as aerial attacks continued overnight on suburbs of the capital believed to be launched by the Khalifa Hafter-led Libyan National Army (LNA) and aligned forces.

It reported that over the night of 25-26 April, Grad and mortar shells were reportedly fired on residential areas in Al Hadba, in Abu Sleem and Al Sidra municipalities, with unconfirmed reports of casualties and material damage reported. OCHA said that it had received a report from the Mayor of Abu Sleem that one civilian sustained injuries in the shelling and that there might be unexploded ordnance in populated areas in Abu Sleem resulting from the attack.

On the night of 27-28 April, the OCHA reports said airstrikes were also reported to have impacted in residential areas, including in Ain Zara and Al Twaisha area of Tripoli, with unconfirmed reports of at least one civilian death, as well as damage to civilian buildings and homes.

It said that airstrikes impacting a military base located in the vicinity of the Al-Fallah 1 and 2 Internally Displaced Persons’ camps were also reported, with no civilian casualties reported. Elsewhere, armed clashes, shelling and airstrikes continued along established frontlines. Verified civilian casualty figures remain unchanged as of this reporting, with no new civilian casualties verified since 25 April, the report added.

The says that there have now been 41,000 internally displaced, fleeing the fighting, and that 29,700 people have now received some kind of assistance from international agencies. The report confirmed that since the beginning of the conflict at least 90 civilian casualties, including 21 fatalities have been verified. These casualties include medical personnel, women and children, and at least one foreign national.

The OCHA report said that a total of 655 refugees and migrants (519 men, 108 women and 28 children) were transferred from the frontline Gaser Ben Ghasheer Detention Centre to relatively safe Zawia Detention Centre on 24-25 April. The 12 people that had sustained injuries due to fighters entering the Gaser Ben Ghasheer Detention Centre were also treated.

The report says that Gaser Ben Ghasheer was one of nine Detention Centres located in areas exposed to or at risk of clashes, two of which have now been completely evacuated. It stresses that 3,343 refugees and migrants remain trapped in Detention Centres considered to be exposed to or at risk of armed conflict.

Additionally, the report says that a significant population of urban migrants and refugees are present in conflict affected areas, at risk from armed conflict and subject to a lack of freedom of movement and impaired access to markets/food. 

The report says that about 1,925 new IDPs have been identified in the past 72 hours in a number of areas spread across north western Libya bringing the total to 41,000. It also cites unconfirmed media reports indicating that civilians north of Tarhuna are being asked by authorities to relocate in anticipation of armed conflict in the area. It adds that an unconfirmed number of civilians remain trapped in conflict areas, where electricity cuts and water shortages resulting from damaged infrastructure are common and access to essential items such as food, medicine and fuel is severely disrupted.

Armed clashes, random shelling, roadblocks and explosives placed on roads hamper the ability of humanitarian actors to evacuate civilians and to deliver needed aid, as well as the ability of civilians to move freely to safer areas or access vital goods and services, the report adds. It says that access to food is becoming more difficult throughout Tripoli, with reports that even in areas where markets remain in operation, prices of fresh vegetables and cooking oil have increased, as well as the cost of gas for cooking.

The OCHA report says that there is the need for eased and expedited import and customs procedures in light of the current humanitarian crisis. Timings for custom clearance continue to vary greatly and the lack of predictability and clarity in procedures and requirements continues to hamper humanitarian operations, as delays of up to four months have been reported. Although no specific worsening of the previous customs clearance situation was identified in relation to the current fighting, the increase in humanitarian needs calls for the current procedures to be eased to facilitate the import of humanitarian assistance into the country.

The report says that its humanitarian partner agencies agree that in light of the current increase in the need for humanitarian assistance, there is a strong need for expedited and clear import procedures for humanitarian cargo to be established by authorities and broadly shared. Fast-tracking of humanitarian cargo and the identification of a focal point among the authorities that could be contacted for matters pertaining to the import could help streamline procedures and facilitate the timely delivery of life-saving assistance, the report said.

With regards to food access, the report says access to markets for an unconfirmed number of civilians trapped in conflict-affected areas remains a key concern, particularly in Ain Zara and Tajura. Prices of fresh vegetables and cooking oil have increased, as well as the cost of gas for cooking. Access to food remains a key concern at Detention Centres exposed to or at risk of armed conflict, where 3,343 refugees and migrants are currently detained.

The volatility of the security situation, with shelling and armed clashes, continues to threaten the lives of civilians and first responders, obstructing humanitarian access and emergency response, while also burdening the overloaded and weakened health system with supply chain breaks, the report adds.

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