Libya’s internationally recognized government on Wednesday announced a new ceasefire deal. It could end a month of fighting between rival militias south of Tripoli that has left more than 100 dead, AFP reports. The deal was signed by representatives of the capital and the town of Tarhuna, southeast of Tripoli, the Interior Ministry said. The agreement ratified by Interior Minister Abdessalem Ashour calls for the rivals to implement a UN-brokered accord, signed on September 4. It envisages the formation of a joint security force of police from Tripoli and Tarhuna to patrol the capital’s southern suburbs. </s> Libya's internationally recognised government Wednesday announced a new ceasefire deal to end a month of fighting between rival militias south of Tripoli that has left more than 100 dead.

The agreement was signed by representatives of the capital and the town of Tarhuna, southeast of Tripoli, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The deal ratified by interior minister Abdessalem Ashour calls for the rivals to implement a UN-brokered accord, signed on September 4, to form a joint security force of police from Tripoli and Tarhuna to patrol the capital's southern suburbs.

The Government of National Accord (GNA), in a statement, welcomed the halt to fighting that already took effect on Tuesday.

The clashes which erupted on the capital's southern outskirts on August 26 have left at least 117 dead and more than 400 injured, according to a fresh casualty toll issued by the GNA.

More than 25,000 people have been displaced by the violence.

The Libyan capital has been at the centre of a battle for influence between armed groups ever since dictator Moamer Kadhafi was ousted and killed in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.

The latest feud has pitted armed groups from Tarhuna and Libya's third city Misrata against militia forces from Tripoli under the nominal control of the GNA. </s> BENGHAZI, LIBYA—A recent bout of heavy fighting in the capital Tripoli has come to a halt after warring militias signed a new ceasefire agreement, Libyan authorities said Wednesday. The UN-backed government said in a statement it welcomed the ceasefire agreement, which was brokered by local representatives and tribal leaders.

Fighting in Tripoli first erupted on Aug. 26 when the 7th Brigade comprised of militias hailing from Tarhouna, a town about 40 miles (60 kilometres) south of Tripoli, attacked southern neighbourhoods of the capital. The Tripoli Revolutionaries’ Brigades and the Nawasi Brigade, militias which support the UN-backed government, came to the city’s defence. Clashes flared up again last week, breaking a previous, U.N.-brokered ceasefire that began earlier this month. At least 117 people, including civilians, have been killed in the fighting and another 404 wounded. Twenty people remain missing since fighting first began there, the Health Ministry said.

In the past two days, 1,700 families have been displaced due to renewed fighting, the U.N. aid agency said Tuesday. A total of 5,000 families have sought refuge with relatives in safer parts of Tripoli and its outskirts since Aug. 26, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. “The clashes have led to a breakdown in basic services such as electricity and water,” U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator Maria Ribeiro said. The fighting underscored the country’s lingering lawlessness more than seven years after the uprising that toppled and later killed longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi. Libya is currently ruled by rival authorities in Tripoli and the east, each backed by an array of militias. </s> A new round of clashes between rival militias in Libya's capital left at least five people dead, the country's health ministry said, without specifying whether the casualties were civilians or fighters.

The Health Ministry’s Injured Persons' Affairs Department said on Wednesday that the number of casualties is expected to increase, as fierce clashes in Tripoli are ongoing, the Libya Observer news website reported.

Hours before the fighting reached its peak, the United Nations' mission in Libya warned against fresh violence in the capital as tensions rose between rival militias despite a September ceasefire deal.

That agreement had provided a brief respite from deadly clashes in Tripoli, where at least 117 people were killed and hundreds more injured in that last round of violence.

"The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) strongly condemns the recent military mobilisation of forces in southern Tripoli and is monitoring the situation closely," the UN said in a statement, warning parties "against any breach of the ceasefire agreement".

UNSMIL strongly condemns the recent military mobilisation of forces in southern #Tripoli & warns parties against any breach of the ceasefire agreement, compromising stability in the capital & endangering lives of civilians & their properties. https://t.co/cUnkY2wctv pic.twitter.com/QFJg6mizUl — UNSMIL (@UNSMILibya) January 16, 2019

Fierce battles between militias from the capital and other areas in the west of the country rocked Tripoli between the end of August and early September, when the UN-brokered truce deal came into effect.

On Wednesday, witnesses reported sporadic shooting and road closures after the Tripoli Protection Force alliance warned on Facebook it would "repel an attack" by a rival group that had failed to withdraw from the capital.

The Seventh Brigade militia, from the town of Tarhuna, about 60km from the capital, has maintained its positions in Tripoli since the ceasefire agreement.

The UN said that "any party initiating a confrontation will be held fully responsible" and said it "will take action as necessary" to halt any violence.

Libya: Another year of bloody crisis caused by Western meddling Dan Glazebrook Read More »

Libya has been torn between rival administrations and a myriad of militias since the overthrow and killing of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The main armed groups in Tripoli say they are loyal to the internationally backed Government of National Accord (GNA), but officials have struggled to exert real control over the fighters.

The GNA announced security reforms in the wake of the bloodshed last year, aimed at curbing the power of militias in the capital.

A second administration in the east of Libya is backed by Khalifa Haftar and his self-styled Libyan National Army.

The UN is pushing for elections to help stabilise Libya, but chronic violence has delayed plans for a vote. </s> TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A ceasefire has been signed between armed factions fighting over the Libyan capital, the United Nations said on Tuesday, after more than a week of violence inside Tripoli.

Dozens of people have been killed in fighting engulfing Tripoli as rival armed groups vie for power and money in the chaos persisting in the oil producer since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

“A ceasefire agreement was reached + signed today to end all hostilities, protect civilians, safeguard public and private property,” the U.N. mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement.

Tripoli’s only functioning airport, Matiga, would also be reopened after being closed since Friday, the United Nations said, without giving any details beyond the text of the agreement.

Commanders of some factions could be seen on pictures published by UNSMIL, while others seemed to have been absent.

It was not clear how the ceasefire would be implemented as militias have ignored previous calls to lay down arms by the U.N.-backed government which is largely powerless.

One armed faction, the 7th brigade from Tarhouna town south of the capital, which had attacked Tripoli with other factions, accepted the ceasefire, spokesman Saad al-Hammali said,

Last week, local officials brokered a ceasefire that did not hold.

There is no police or army or functioning state to enforce peace in a country ruled by armed groups who defy authority and form flexible alliances.

Tripoli is formally controlled by the internationally recognized Government of National Accord, but armed groups working with it act with autonomy. Eastern Libya is controlled by a rival administration.

“Today does not aim to fix all the Libyan capital’s security problems; it seeks to agree on a broader framework on the way to start addressing the issues,” UNSMIL quoted U.N. Special Envoy Ghassan Salame as saying.

The fighting had started because armed groups outside Tripoli had opposed a cartel of four “super militias” controlling access to state funds and foreign currency at huge discount from the central bank.

In a sign of the chaos, hundreds African migrants escaped from a detention center caught in the middle of a shootout, an aid official said.

A video posted on social media purported to show hundreds of Africans, some carrying plastic bags, walking in a long line away from the detention center.

As many as 1,900 migrants had been in the detention center but some were brought by authorities to another facility, a U.N. official said.

Some ended up on a farm. “Five people got shot (there), one got shot when we came here,” said Omar Abdullah, a migrant from Eritrea. “We didn’t have a shower for three, four days.”

Libya is a major departure point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, mainly from other parts of Africa.

Most migrants had been jailed after the Libyan coastguard intercepted their makeshift boats bound for Italy.

Some 400 prisoners also escaped on Sunday from a jail in southern Tripoli.

More than 1,800 families have been displaced from their homes since the start of the fighting, a report by the Tripoli-based ministry for displaced people said. </s> Libya's internationally recognised government Wednesday announced a ceasefire deal between rival militias after a month of clashes that have left more than 100 dead south of Tripoli, the focus of armed groups vying for power since the 2011 fall of Moamer Kadhafi.

The Government of National Accord (GNA) welcomed "the return of calm" after the battle which left at least 117 dead and more than 400 injured since it broke out in the capital's southern suburbs on August 27, according to official figures, and displaced over 25,000 people.

The ceasefire, which already came into effect on Tuesday, allowed the reopening of the capital's only working airport, at a former military base in Mitiga on the capital's eastern outskirts, that had closed several times because of the clashes.

It also allowed many families to return to their homes, although others were delayed by heavy rains on Wednesday that closed off several roads.

The agreement was signed by representatives of the capital and the town of Tarhuna, southeast of Tripoli, the interior ministry said.

The deal ratified by interior minister Abdessalem Ashour calls for the rivals to implement a UN-brokered accord, signed on September 4, to form a joint security force of police from Tripoli and Tarhuna to patrol the capital's southern suburbs.

That accord held for only a few days and political analysts said the new deal could suffer the same fate.

"The problem with the notion of a ceasefire is that, in and of itself, it implies it's only a temporary solution," said Libyan researcher Emadi Badi.

He said the GNA had no real authority over armed groups.

"A successful negotiation would involve terms viewed as win-win where some parties compromise. It does not appear to be the case this time," said Badi.

The capital has been at the centre of a battle for influence between armed groups ever since dictator Kadhafi was ousted and killed in a NATO-backed uprising seven years ago.

The latest feud pitted armed groups from Tarhuna and Libya's third city Misrata against militia forces from Tripoli under the nominal control of the GNA. Forces from Misrata were driven out of the city on Monday night.

Dozens of militiamen were posted at crossroads in the southern suburbs on Wednesday, manning pickup trucks loaded with anti-aircraft guns.

Under the ceasefire deal, militias and their heavy weapons are to be withdrawn from the capital.

The unity government has struggled to exert its control in the face of a multitude of militias and a rival administration based in eastern Libya.

At the United Nations on Monday, France called for stronger UN sanctions on Libyans who stand in the way of a political solution in the conflict-ridden country.

The current situation "forces us to show greater firmness toward those who want to insist on the status quo for their sole benefit," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters in New York.

Sanctions should target "militia members who threaten Tripoli", he said.

Le Drian, whose government has been pushing a peace plan that includes elections by the end of the year, also called for stricter control of the cash flow from sales of Libyan oil to prevent funding of hostile groups. </s> Libyan authorities said Wednesday that fighting between rival armed groups in the capital of Tripoli has flared up again, four months after a U.N.-brokered cease-fire.

Malek Merset, spokesman for the Tripoli-based Health Ministry, said at least five people were killed and 20 others wounded Wednesday.

A previous round of fighting, which erupted in August last year, killed at least 96 people, including civilians. The U.N. mission has warned against any breach of the cease-fire, brokered in September.

The fighting between militias allied to the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli and an armed group from a nearby town underscores Libya's lingering lawlessness since the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed Moammar Gadhafi.

Libya is governed by rival authorities in Tripoli and the country's east, each of which is backed by an array of militias. </s> TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A ceasefire has been signed between armed factions fighting over the Libyan capital, the United Nations said on Tuesday, after more than a week of violence inside Tripoli.

Dozens of people have been killed in fighting engulfing Tripoli as rival armed groups vie for power and money in the chaos persisting in the oil producer since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

“A ceasefire agreement was reached + signed today to end all hostilities, protect civilians, safeguard public and private property,” the U.N. mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement.

Tripoli’s only functioning airport, Matiga, would also be reopened after being closed since Friday, the United Nations said, without giving any details beyond the text of the agreement.

Commanders of some factions could be seen on pictures published by UNSMIL, while others seemed to have been absent.

It was not clear how the ceasefire would be implemented as militias have ignored previous calls to lay down arms by the U.N.-backed government which is largely powerless.

One armed faction, the 7th brigade from Tarhouna town south of the capital, which had attacked Tripoli with other factions, accepted the ceasefire, spokesman Saad al-Hammali said,

Last week, local officials brokered a ceasefire that did not hold.

There is no police or army or functioning state to enforce peace in a country ruled by armed groups who defy authority and form flexible alliances.

Tripoli is formally controlled by the internationally recognised Government of National Accord, but armed groups working with it act with autonomy. Eastern Libya is controlled by a rival administration.

“Today does not aim to fix all the Libyan capital’s security problems; it seeks to agree on a broader framework on the way to start addressing the issues,” UNSMIL quoted U.N. Special Envoy Ghassan Salame as saying.

The fighting had started because armed groups outside Tripoli had opposed a cartel of four “super militias” controlling access to state funds and foreign currency at huge discount from the central bank.

In a sign of the chaos, hundreds African migrants escaped from a detention centre caught in the middle of a shootout, an aid official said.

A video posted on social media purported to show hundreds of Africans, some carrying plastic bags, walking in a long line away from the detention centre.

As many as 1,900 migrants had been in the detention centre but some were brought by authorities to another facility, a U.N. official said.

Some ended up on a farm. “Five people got shot (there), one got shot when we came here,” said Omar Abdullah, a migrant from Eritrea. “We didn’t have a shower for three, four days.”

Libya is a major departure point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, mainly from other parts of Africa.

Most migrants had been jailed after the Libyan coastguard intercepted their makeshift boats bound for Italy.

Some 400 prisoners also escaped on Sunday from a jail in southern Tripoli.

More than 1,800 families have been displaced from their homes since the start of the fighting, a report by the Tripoli-based ministry for displaced people said. </s> At least two people have been killed in clashes between rival militias in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

The fighting on Wednesday violated a UN-brokered ceasefire which was signed four months ago.

"The clashes resulted in two killed and 17 wounded from both civilians and fighters," Tripoli health department official Malik Marsit told Reuters news agency.

The groups involved in the clashes are known as the Seventh Brigade, or Kaniyat, and a collection of factions called Tripoli Protection Force.

The Seventh Brigade and some allied groups triggered the August fighting in a bid to challenge the dominance of four "super militias", including the Tripoli Protection Force, in the streets of the capital.

The UN mission in Libya condemned the renewed fighting in an official statement on Twitter, adding that it "warns parties against any breach of the ceasefire agreement, compromising stability in the capital & endangering lives of civilians & their properties".

"The mission stresses that any party initiating a confrontation will be held fully responsible," it added.

The internationally recognised government in Tripoli, backed by the United Nations, has been working on a new security plan since the ceasefire deal but achieved little as Libya, long a major oil producer, lacks a national police force or army.

During the clashes in September, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) described the situation in the north African country as "desperate", with the fighting, collapsed economy and destruction of infrastructure leaving hundreds of thousands of people "increasingly vulnerable".

"Seven years of war in Libya has driven over 500,000 people to flee their homes," the ICRC said in a tweet.

"For Libyans trying to return home, there's not always much to return to. Houses, schools are often destroyed completely."

The group also cited the sabotaging of health facilities, water and electricity supplies, as well as the dangers of unexploded remnants.
A ceasefire has ended heavy fighting in Tripoli that has killed over 100 people in a month from different militias.