War-shattered Libya tomorrow marks one year of its latest bloody conflict that is plunging it ever deeper into chaos.
Russia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and others have fueled the fighting in the oil-rich, but poverty-stricken North African nation where hundreds have been killed and more than 150,000 displaced.
Militias in the south of the capital, Tripoli, have been firing bullets, mortars and grenades at each other, the explosions echoing across the city.
Photo: AFP
Libya has been gripped by chaos for almost a decade, since former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi was brought down and killed in a 2011 uprising backed by several Western powers.
It is now split between the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and forces loyal to Libyan National Army Commander Khalifa Haftar, who launched an offensive to try to capture the capital on April 4 last year.
One year on, and several failed ceasefires later, “we are simply witnessing the decimation of a nation,” said analyst Jalel Harchaoui of the Clingendael Institute in The Hague, the Netherlands.
UN Ambassador to Libya Ghassan Salame threw in the towel in early last month following the repeated failure of efforts to restore order, although he said his resignation was for health reasons.
A Berlin summit in late January saw Moscow, Ankara and other foreign players engaged in Libya pledge to respect an arms embargo and support a truce, but barely 10 days later, Salame was denouncing violations and a continuous influx of foreign arms and mercenaries.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has openly sent military equipment and fighters to the GNA.
Russia, Egypt and the UAE have supported what Haftar claims is a campaign against jihadist “terrorists” and “criminals.”
As Haftar’s offensive has so far failed to take Tripoli, Erdogan’s government has been able “to increase its presence and influence in the Libyan capital,” Harchaoui said.
In the past few months, Erdogan sent hundreds of pro-Turkish Syrian fighters to battle the pro-Haftar forces, who are supported by Russian mercenaries that Moscow denies having sent.
Armed groups from western Libya are fighting Haftar forces “in an existential battle,” said Wolfram Lacher of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. “Haftar’s forces are notorious for looting and summary executions, and they include groups that are motivated by a thirst for revenge against entire communities.”
“The fear of war crimes, of collective punishment, of marginalization under dictatorial rule means that the forces fighting against Haftar won’t give up easily,” Lacher said.
Fighting has intensified in the past few days, despite the latest pledges by both sides to accept UN and international calls for a humanitarian truce to help contain the spread of COVID-19.
The international community’s “distraction linked to COVID-19 has accelerated and exacerbated this escalation which, in any case, was inevitable,” Harchaoui said.
A few days ago, the GNA even announced a counteroffensive named “peace storm.”
Fighting is still concentrated south of Tripoli and east of the coastal city of Misrata, after pro-Haftar forces in early January captured Sirte, about 250km away.
Fears of war and disease have piled on misery for displaced people such as Fatma Khairi, who has taken refuge in a school building in the working class district of Abu Slim in the south of Tripoli.
“I have a lot of trouble with the communal toilets where often there is no water or soap,” Khairi told reporters. “My family and I live in dramatic conditions that I can hardly describe to you. The situation has become unbearable.”
FEROCIOUS FISH-EATER Scientists have found a new species of dinosaur from the Cretaceous Period, a ‘hell heron’ that stalked the rivers, deep in the Saharan desert At a remote Sahara desert site in Niger, scientists have unearthed fossils of a new species of Spinosaurus, among the biggest of the meat-eating dinosaurs, notable for its large blade-shaped head crest and jaws bearing interlocking teeth for snaring fish. It prowled a forested inland environment and strode into rivers to catch sizable fish like a modern-day wading bird — a “hell heron,” as one of the researchers put it, considering it was about 12 meters long and weighed 5-7 tons. The dinosaur presented a striking profile on the Cretaceous Period landscape of Africa some 95 million years ago as it hunted
Heavy rain and strong winds yesterday disrupted flights, trains and ferries, forcing the closure of roads across large parts of New Zealand’s North Island, while snapping power links to tens of thousands. Domestic media reported a few flights had resumed operating by afternoon from the airport in Wellington, the capital, although cancelations were still widespread after airport authorities said most morning flights were disrupted. Air New Zealand said it hoped to resume services when conditions ease later yesterday, after it paused operations at Wellington, Napier and Palmerston North airports. Online images showed flooded semi-rural neighborhoods, inundated homes, trees fallen on vehicles and collapsed
‘COST OF DEFECTION’: Duterte’s announcement could be an effort to keep allies in line with the promise of a return to power amid political uncertainty, an analyst said Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte yesterday announced she would run for president of the Southeast Asian nation of 116 million in 2028. Duterte, who is embroiled in a bitter feud with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, was impeached last year only to see the country’s Supreme Court throw the case out over procedural issues. Her announcement comes just days before her father, former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, begins a pretrial hearing at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands over crimes against humanity allegedly committed as part of a brutal crackdown on drugs. “I offer my life, my strength and my future
NOT YET THERE: While the show was impressive, it failed to demonstrate their ability to move in unstructured environments, such as a factory floor, an expert said Dancing humanoid robots on Monday took center stage during the annual China Media Group’s Spring Festival Gala, China’s most-watched official television broadcast. They lunged and backflipped (landing on their knees), they spun around and jumped. Not one fell over. The display was impressive, but if robots can now dance and perform martial arts, what else can they do? Experts have mixed opinions, with some saying the robots had limitations and that the display should be viewed through a lens of state propaganda. Developed by several Chinese robotics firms, the robots performed a range of intricate stunts, including martial arts, comedy sketches and choreographed
RSS