Khalifa Haftar, commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), announced yesterday that his forces captured the country’s Sharara oil field from Libya’s National Oil Corporation. Clashes resumed today in the area between the LNA and troops that support the rival Tripoli-based, UN-backed government (Bloomberg)
Six Killed in Libya by Islamic State Militants
The UN mission to Libya said that Islamic State militants killed six people that were captured during an attack on a town on October 28 (Associated Press)
Four Killed in Attack in Central Libya
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack on the town of al-Foqha yesterday, during which four people were killed and ten were kidnapped (Reuters)
One Hundred Fifteen People Killed in Libya’s Tripoli
Libya’s health ministry reported that 115 people have been killed since late August in clashes between opposing factions in Tripoli (Reuters)
Rockets Fired at Libya’s Tripoli Airport
The Tripoli Youth Movement claimed responsibility for firing rockets at Tripoli’s only functioning airport yesterday. There were no reported casualties (Al Jazeera)
Gunmen Attack Libya’s National Oil Corporation
Armed men attacked the headquarters of Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) in Tripoli yesterday. Two gunmen were killed and at least ten NOC staff were wounded. In a statement, the interior ministry indicated the gunmen belonged to the Islamic State (Reuters)
Hundreds Escape Tripoli Jail
Some four hundred prisoners fled a Tripoli prison as clashes between militias in the Libyan capital entered their ninth day. The UN-backed government declared a state of emergency in response to the fighting (Guardian)
Ceasefire Reached in Libya’s Tripoli
A ceasefire is in force in Libya’s capital Tripoli after three days of fighting between rival armed groups left at least five people dead and homes, markets, and mosques destroyed (Al Jazeera)
Clashes Erupt Between Rival Factions in Libya’s Tripoli
Clashes broke out between rival armed groups over control of Libya’s capital Tripoli yesterday. At least four people have been killed and seven others wounded (Al Jazeera)
Libyan Court Hands Down Death Penalty
A Tripoli court sentenced to death forty-five men accused of firing on demonstrators in the capital during 2011 Arab Spring protests as a show of loyalty to dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi (Libya Herald)
Militias Evict Nearly Two Thousand People in Libya’s Tripoli
Militias evicted nineteen hundred internally displaced persons from Triq Al Matar settlement in Tripoli, according to the UN (UNHCR)
Libya Reopens Oil Export Terminals
Armed factions in the east returned control of four oil terminals to the Tripoli-based National Oil Corporation after a weeks-long takeover, ending what amounted to a blockade and enabling the resumption of oil exports (Reuters)
Libyan National Army Captures Derna
The self-styled Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Haftar, declared victory yesterday over local militias and Islamist militants in the eastern city of Derna (Reuters)
Libyan Oil Corporation Warns of Damage to Facility
The National Oil Corporation said a militia attack at the Ras Lanuf terminal has halved its oil storage capacity at the port (Financial Times)
The self-styled Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Haftar, announced an offensive yesterday against the militia (Al Jazeera)
Rival Libyan Factions Agree to Election Timetable
At an international conference in Paris yesterday, rival Libyan political leaders agreed to hold parliamentary and presidential elections in December, though no envoys from either Libyan side have yet signed the agreement (New York Times)
Attack on Libyan Electoral Commission Kills Twelve
Militants assaulted the electoral commission in Tripoli today, in an attack involving suicide bombers that killed at least twelve and wounded seven others (Associated Press)
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it sent the fighters to target “apostate ballot stations” (Washington Post)
Libyan Military Leader in Hospital, France Says
France’s foreign minister confirmed that Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who opposes the UN-backed government in Tripoli, is receiving treatment at a Paris hospital. An unnamed European diplomat told media that Haftar had suffered irreversible brain damage (Al Jazeera)
U.S. Strikes Al-Qaeda Target in Southern Libya
The U.S. military carried out its first drone strikes against al-Qaeda militants in southern Libya, killing two militants, U.S. Africa Command said (New York Times)
Libya Unable to Hold Free Elections, HRW Says
The human rights group said Libya “couldn’t be farther away” from respect for the rule of law and that political rights of Libyans should be guaranteed before the country holds general elections (Human Rights Watch)
The UN’s top official in Libya said holding elections in 2018 is “vital” (Voice of America)
Gaddafi’s Son Announces Candidacy in Libya
A spokesperson for the Libyan Popular Front party said Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, whose location remains unknown, will run for president in the next Libyan election. The son of deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi is wanted by the International Criminal Court and was sentenced to death in absentia by a Tripoli court in 2015 (Middle East Eye)
Bombing of Benghazi Mosque Kills Two and Wounds Fifty-Five
A twin bombing inside a mosque in Libyan National Army–controlled Benghazi killed two and wounded at least fifty-five during Friday prayers (Reuters)
Attack in Benghazi Kills More than Thirty
A double car bombing late yesterday evening outside of a mosque in the eastern Libyan city killed at least thirty-five people and wounded dozens more (Reuters)
Greece Seizes Ship Carrying Explosives to Libya
The Greek coast guard intercepted a Tanzania-flagged cargo ship that was heading from Turkey to Libya and was carrying twenty-nine containers of explosives and detonators. The ship’s bill of lading said it was destined for Oman and Djibouti but the captain claims the owner ordered him to take the ship to Libya, which has been under an international arms embargo since 2011 (Kathimerini)
France Calls for Sanctions on Libya Traffickers
At a UN Security Council meeting yesterday, France called for imposing targeted sanctions on human traffickers in Libya and referring them to the International Criminal Court after the council reviewed media footage showing apparent slave auctions of stranded African migrants there. A Libyan envoy said local authorities are investigating the charges (Voice of America)
Civilians Killed in Strike on Libya’s Derna
Seventeen people were reported killed and more than thirty wounded in an air strike in the city of Derna, according to local media. It was not yet clear which country carried out the strike (Al Jazeera)