Africa: Libya

Public buses are returning to the streets of the Libyan capital for the first time in three decades. By Mahmud TURKIA (AFP)

Public buses return to Tripoli after 30 years

Oct 15, 2019

Parked in a hangar in downtown Tripoli, some 35 buses awaited this week's launch of a new urban public transport scheme ...

Across Libya's capitol Tripoli, tonnes of waste overflows from bins and piles up on roadsides. By Mahmud TURKIA (AFP)

As Libya's war drags on, Tripoli drowns in waste

Oct 3, 2019

Faraj al-Doukali hastened to unload the dozens of rubbish bags from his van onto a sidewalk dump in Siyahiya, a resident ...

Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj waits to speak at the General Assembly on September 25 in New York. By Johannes EISELE (AFP)

Haftar ready for 'dialogue' as UN pressures Libya'...

Sep 27, 2019

Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar whose forces have been battling to capture the seat of the UN-recognized government in T ...

Rwanda first offered to take in Africans stuck in Libya back in November 2017, the same month a CNN report showed what appeared to be a slave market there. By Cyril NDEGEYA (Rwanda's Ministry of Emergency Management (MINEMA)/AFP)

Rwanda welcomes first group of African refugees fr...

Sep 27, 2019

A group of 66 African refugees and asylum-seekers arrived in Kigali late Thursday, the UN said, the first of what could ...

Strongman Khalifa Haftar, field marshal of the self-styled Libyan National Army, has rejected repeated calls by the United Nations for resumed peace talks. By Abdullah DOMA (AFP/File)

Libyan strongman Haftar says open to dialogue

Sep 26, 2019

Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, whose forces have been battling to capture the seat of the UN-recognised government in ...

The UN and aid groups have warned that forcing intercepted migrants back to Libya means they risk rampant human rights abuses in both official and illegal detention centres. By ANDREAS SOLARO (AFP)

Italy arrests 'torturers' after migrants denounce ...

Sep 16, 2019

Italian police arrested three people Monday accused of the kidnap, torture and trafficking of migrants hoping to set sai ...

Italian authorities identified and carried out medical checks on the African migrants after they disembarked overnight on southern island Lampedusa after more than six days at sea. By Alessandro SERRANO (AFP)

Ocean Viking set to return to Libya rescues

Sep 15, 2019

Charity rescue vessel Ocean Viking was on Sunday preparing to return to rescuing shipwreck survivors off Libya after dis ...

Journalists in Libya are increasingly exposed to risks, caught in the crossfire between battle fronts and partisan employers. By Mahmud TURKIA (AFP/File)

Libya journalists caught in the crossfire

Sep 15, 2019

In a country splintered by conflict and propaganda wars, Libya's journalists are caught in the crossfire between battle ...

Mitiga airport has been hit multiple times by rockets and air strikes. By Mahmud TURKIA (AFP)

Libya airport hit by drone, rocket fire: unity gov...

Sep 14, 2019

An airport near the Libyan capital was hit by a new round of rocket fire and air strikes, the UN-recognised government s ...

Thousands of migrants are stranded in Libya. By Mahmud TURKIA (AFP)

Refugee crisis in Libya and Niger making slow head...

Sep 13, 2019

Countries are only slowly making headway in meeting promises to relocate stranded refugees and asylum-seekers in Libya ...

A fighter loyal to Libya's Government of National Accord opens fire on September 7, 2019 -- the UN mission has renewed its mandate and backed struggling ceasefire efforts. By Mahmud TURKIA (AFP)

UN renews Libya mission, pledges to support a ceas...

Sep 12, 2019

The UN Security Council on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution renewing its mission in Libya for another year and ...

Five months since Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar launched an assault to seize Tripoli from the UN-recognised government fighters from both sides have been locked in a stalemate in the capital's outskirts. By Mahmud TURKIA (AFP)

Libya unity government slams UAE over 'hostile pos...

Sep 8, 2019

Libya's UN-recognised government Sunday slammed the UAE for hosting an officer of forces loyal to strongman Khalifa Haft ...

General Ahmed al-Mesmari, spokesman of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar, rules out dialogue to end battle for Tripoli. By Abdullah DOMA (AFP)

Haftar forces rule out dialogue to end Libya confl...

Sep 7, 2019

Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar's forces on Saturday ruled out a UN call to return to the negotiating table, with his sp ...

UN special envoy for Libya Ghassan Salame has often complained that the Security Council is not united on the Libyan conflict. By Alberto PIZZOLI (AFP/File)

UN envoy on Libya warns conflict could trigger cha...

Sep 4, 2019

The UN special envoy to Libya warned Wednesday that without action by the Security Council, the country's war could esca ...

The Libyan capital's sole functioning airport at Mitiga has been repeatedly caught in fighting between loyalist forces and fighters of strongman Khalifa Haftar who launched an offensive in April to seize Tripoli. By Mahmud TURKIA (AFP/File)

Four wounded in rocket fire on Libyan capital's ai...

Sep 1, 2019

Rocket fire by forces loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar against the Libyan capital's sole functioning airport wounded fo ...

A French ally, President Idriss Deby Itno has faced threats before. By BRAHIM ADJI (AFP)

Chad jails 243 rebels over February incursion from...

Aug 27, 2019

Chad has handed down jail terms to 243 rebels who crossed into the country from Libya in February before their incursion ...

Located east of Tripoli, Mitiga is a former military airbase that has been used by civilian traffic since Tripoli international airport suffered severe damage during fighting in 2014. By Mahmud TURKIA (AFP/File)

Flights suspended at Libya airport after rocket fi...

Aug 24, 2019

Flights were temporarily suspended Saturday at the Libyan capital's sole functioning airport after it was hit by a rocke ...