Libya peace talks in Geneva abandoned in late February

(February 25)  Events change quickly. Earlier in the day there was a reports that Haftar forces and the GNA had agreed to a ceasefire at UN talks in Geneva. However, the two sides almost immediately scrapped the deal but then abandoned the talks and left Geneva.

Earlier ceasefire report

According to a report the two sides reached a formal agreement on Monday at UN talks in Geneva after a shaky ceasefire. The internationally-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) had walked out of the talks when commander Haftar and his Libyan National Army (LNA) had continued attacks but have been convinced to return to them.

Failure of UN Geneva talks

The two sides suspended participation in the talks even after the UN had insisted that negotiations would go ahead. The talks were aimed at ending more than ten months of fighting between the GNA and Haftar's forces. Haftar has been trying to take Tripoli the capital for some time but so far has not been able to do so. The GNA controls only part of western Libya while the rest is at least nominally controlled by Haftar and allies.

The leader of the Haftar side's Geneva committee, Ahmaida Erouhma, claimed that his group's refusal to participate in the negotiations were due to the fact that the UN approved only 8 of 13 names he put forward for the Haftar delegation.

UN still claims diplomacy is the only solution

Given the suspension of talks it would appear that fighting between Haftar forces and the GNA will continue. Although most western nations give lip support to the GNA only Turkey appears to be providing any substantial military aid. However, several countries have supplied arms to Haftar including Egypt and the UAE and have also provided air support. Russia too supports Haftar and so does France. The UN appears reluctant to brand Haftar the aggressor as he clearly is. Even many who have little respect for the GNA do not want Haftar to become the de facto ruler of Libya,.

Haftar has always been disdainful of diplomacy and UN attempts at peace negotiations. He only engages in negotiations after he feels strong pressure and can use them to consolidate his own territorial advances. Unlike the UN he believes not only that a military solution is possible but is desirable, with him winning of course.

The UN downplays the aggressive behavior of Haftar and UN officials say that talks will continue. The Geneva talks for them were the only track for peace talks and there is no other option for them. The UN will simply remain an impotent bystander pleading with both sides to lay down their arms. There seems no sign of a resolution to the conflict as efforts to stop arms flowing into the region may do little except perhaps disadvantage the GNA as most of their arms come by sea.

In Libya Benghazi Defence Brigades agree to disband

The Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB) has offered to dissolve itself and integrate some members into a legitimate army of the UN-brokered Government of National Accord (GNA). The group claims the move is to save Libya from further bloodshed.

The BDB was formed in June of 2016 to protect the Benghazi Shura Council from the Libyan National Army forces of Khalifa Haftar. Haftar has retaken almost all of Benghazi which at one time was mostly occupied by the Council. The BDB would have liked to retake Benghazi and allow those displaced to return. The Brigades have often clashed with Haftar forces, including in two oil ports that with others they wrested from Haftar's control for a short period. After being ousted they clashed with forces loyal to Haftar in the southern Al-Jufra area. Some BDB members were involved in the GNA offensive against the Islamic State in Sirte. Not long ago, they were headquartered along with GNA-loyal forces at the Al-Jufra air base. However, the entire area is now under control of Haftar forces and both the BDB and the Third Force of the GNA retreated.

The BDB maintains it retreated to avoid further bloodshed and not take the battle to peaceful areas of Libya. More likely the BDB faced another defeat and the GNA seems to have allowed Haftar to advance after the GNA dismissed its defense minister Al-Bargathi subsequent to an unauthorized attack on an air base occupied by Haftar. The attack killed many and was described by some as a war crime. After this, it seems that the GNA gave up the entire Al-Jufra area to Haftar without a fight.

The BDB claimed that it was not a terrorist organization and that it had no ideological or political aim. The group said that a number of BDB members were ready to enlist in the Libyan army (GNA) and help build military institutions. No doubt the members will still be implacable foes of Haftar. The group insisted that its members still had the right to return to the city of Benghazi. The BDB statement said that it was forwarding their intention to dissolve to concerned state authorities for consideration. The BDB was placed on a terror list by Saudi Arabia,. UAE, and Bahrain. The Libyan House of Representatives (HoR) also put out a list that included the head of the High State Council of the GNA as well as the BDB.

In reply to the list, the BDB issued their own. Surprisingly Khalifa Haftar is not on the BDB list but some associated with him are including the president of the HoR Ageela Saleh and the PM of the HoR government Abdullah Thinni. There are eleven names in all.

Former Gadaffi air force chief rumoured to have returned to Libya

Gaddafi's last commander of his air force Ali Sharif Al-Rifi fled Libya in 2011 but is now reported to have returned to his home town of Waddan in the Al-Jufra area.

Al-Rifi fled in 2011 as Tripoli fell. He is thought to have fled over the border into Niger where he met the Tuareg leader and Gaddafi loyalist Ali Kana. Al-Rifi had previously served in the 1986-87 war with Chad, during which Khalifa Hafta,r now commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), was captured. The LNA are the armed forces of the eastern-based House of Representatives (HoR) government. After being captured, Haftar and his mean were abandoned by Gaddafi. At the time, Al-Rifi had been a ground forces commander during the war, organizing logistics and reinforcements from the central desert area of Al-Kufra.

Al-Rifi later moved to the Niger capital Niamey where he was a close associate of Saadi Gaddafi the third son of Moammar Gaddafi the former Libyan leader. On the the fifth of March of 2014 Saadi was arrested in Niger and extradited to Libya to face murder charges. His lawyer Nick Kaufman protested that it was doubtful if the process was legal as it was not clear that there was any court hearing or if Gaddafi was allowed a lawyer. In August 2015 video appeared that purported to show Saadi being tortured in prison in Libya. It is not known if at the time of Saadi's arrest if Al-Rifi stayed in Niger.

The second son of Gaddafi Saif al-Islam is also apparently free in Libya. He was released from prison in Zintan by the brigade that held him allegedly under an amnesty law passed by the House of Representatives. However, this was over a week ago and there have been no confirmed reports of his whereabouts. Former security chief Abduallah Senussi and other regime figures were also released from Habda prison and are thought to be free in Tripoli.

Back in March, the head of the Libyan National Army’s air force Major-General Saqr Geroushi is reported to have suffered a heart attack and to have been put in intensive care in Marj hospital. Geroushi has been one of Haftar's right hand men since the start of Haftar's Operation Dignity in May of 2014. He has had the heart condition for some time and had been in Jordan for treatment for part of 2016. Now that Al-Rifi is back in Libya he may perhaps take on some of the duties of Geroushi if he is still recovering. Members of the old Gadaffi regime appear to be welcomed back by Haftar and some may play a key role in Libya's future if Haftar has his way.

A recent tweet confirms the return of Al-Rifi showing his return to an airbase in al-Jufra: "Ali Sharif Al-Rifi, Kadhafi’s airforce commander, arriving in Jufrah airbase. He fled in Niger in 2011 then Egypt & came back in east Libya."

Martin Kobler UN envoy to Libya's briefing to Security Council on Libyan situation

(June 8)  Martin Kobler, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General gave an extensive briefing on the Libyan situation to the UN Security Council on June 7. This article is a commentary on some of the contents.

Kobler titled the briefing "Setting the Stage for Peace". Kobler still defends the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) as a key guide towards a future settlement of Libya's divisions although he admits: "In Libya, the transition process has not been fully implemented. Parallel institutions continue to exist. The House of Representatives did not yet recognize the Government of National Accord nor did it adopt the Constitutional amendment." Indeed, the House of Representatives (HoR) last defeated a vote of confidence in the Government of National Accord as required by the LPA last August 22. Kobler claims that the GNA and its presidency council (PC) have changed facts on the ground with oil production rising to 800,000 barrels a day. However. one could argue that it is because Haftar has chosen to cooperate with the National Oil Company (NOC) that production has increased rather than any particular increased power of the GNA. Indeed the GNA is now more at the mercy of Haftar. There does not seem to have that much progress on a solution based on the LPA since the GNA failed to gain the confidence of the HoR last August.

Nonetheless, Kobler first key point is that the LPA will remain that framework of the political process. Kobler realizes that as it stands the LPA is not acceptable at least to the HoR and Haftar. Yet he claims that there is overwhelming national and international support for the LPA. It is questionable whether there is overwhelming national support for the LPA. This may be wishful thinking on Kobler's part. Whereas in earlier periods, Kobler has stressed the difficulty of amending the LPA he now takes a different tune claiming that it is not set in stone. Kobler says:"After months of consultations with Libyan, regional and international stakeholders, we are developing a roadmap to allow limited amendments to the Libyan Political Agreement, through an inclusive Libyan-led and Libyan-owned process." Kobler claims that there are different ideas on the format of the talks. One wonders if the format will be found in agreement with the terms of the LPA. Kobler never refers to where exactly in the LPA the terms for amendment are. Kobler says he sees broad agreements on where amendments are still needed. Note he does not say where exactly these are nor if there is any agreement on what the exact amendments should be. Presumably the size of the PC and the role of the commander in chief of Libyan Armed forces are two areas of concern. It is not clear if there is any agreement as to what the amendments should be. The HoR and Haftar supporters may want a three member PC with Haftar one, head of HoR government another, and Serraj the third member. Haftar would remain commander not as now the PC. There has been no meeting of a group to make amendments and no deadline for presenting results to the HoR to approve the GNA as amended, and also amending the constitutional declaration of 2011.

Amna Amtair one of the members of the GNA High Council of State (HCS) chosen as part of a group to amend the LPA accused Kobler of obstructing long awaited meetings with the rival group from the House of Representatives(HoR). She claimed that Kobler was trying to include other parties as well. According to Amtair Article 12 of the LPA says that "parties deriving their legitimacy from the agreement are to only amend, without involving other parties" A group of foreign ministers from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria also said that the dialogue efforts must speed up.

The second key issue that Kobler deals with is the military situation. Kobler talks of the vicious attack on the Brak al Shati airbase on the 18th of May. He calls the attack a deliberate attempt to undermine the political process. Kobler makes no mention of Haftar's response to the attacks which was to seize the entire Al Jufra area and even advance towards Bin Walid. He has long threatened to enter Tripoli. Not a word about this in the section on the military situation. He mentions the Tripolii clashes in which militia supporters of the former Salvation government were driven from the city. There is not a word about the entrance of Egypt into the military situation. Complete silence on Derna and Egyptian air attacks in Libya. Things like that do not deserve a mention.

In a section dealing with unifying the security apparatus Kobler mentions that he met with Haftar in Benghazi. Haftar told him he wants to go ahead on the basis of the LPA and supported a political process to amend it. Kobler said|: "I encouraged him to let politics prevail and not to pursue military confrontation." Kobler does not seem to notice that Haftar is pursuing successfully a military path. Kobler recommended a meeting of officers from all parts of the country. However, Kobler does not report what Haftar thought of that idea!

Kobler goes on to discuss weaknesses in the economic situation: "The division of financial institutions, instability and low confidence in the banking sector continue to feed inflation and the lack of liquidity. The Central Bank has to decisively address the fiscal and monetary problems of Libya. Libya is still spending beyond its means and its foreign currency reserve is shrinking constantly." Kobler is no doubt correct but it may be difficult to deal with these problems in the face of the security situation but certainly they need to be addressed as Kobler notes. He does not provide any suggestions as to how this could be done. Kobler also claims that national reconciliation is necessary for a durable peace in Libya. However, it is not clear how in the present climate in Libya such reconciliation is possible.

Kobler suggests that the international community should be more strongly involved in finding a political solution. He notes that there should not be competing parallel processes not involving the UN:"Uncoordinated or parallel efforts risk undermining progress and complicating an already complex situation." Some Libyans may feel that part of the political problem is that many foreign nations have their own agendas, which may not be in the best interests of Libyans. All these international meetings have yet to produce any agreement as to how exactly the LPA is to be amended and the political division in the country resolved. Meanwhile Haftar is marching on with his own military solution and Operation Dignity. You will not find that term anywhere in Kobler's briefing.

Two western Libyan oil terminals under force majeure after pipeline shutdowns

(March 30) Two oil terminals in western Libya Zawiya and Mellitah are under force majeure after a pipeline shutdown prevents them from fulfilling their contracts.

The pipeline from Libya's biggest oil field Sharara has been shut down. A group of militia guarding the field shut down the pipeline due to a delay in the payment of their wages Libyan officials said. The pipeline had been just opened last December after having been closed for two years. Together with production from eastern fields Libya's production was said to reach 700,000 barrels a day but the shutdown of the pipeline and another one to the smaller Wafa field will lessen production by about 250,000 barrels a day. However officials expected that the dispute would be resolved shortly. Repso SA of Spain and ENI SpA of Italy who both have stakes in the two fields did not reply to requests for comment.

The increase in Libya's exports ceased briefly for the short while that two ports, Es Sider and Ras Lanuf were captured from the forces of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar. However, he has recaptured them and already one tanker has been loading oil at Es Sider.

The tanker Sea Vine was to arrive at Zawiya on Wednesday to load 600,000 barrels of crude but the booking has been canceled according to a source who did not want to be identified. However, Bloomberg tanker tracking still shows that the Sea Vine is headed for Zawiyah. Libya's output per day is now around 500,000 the lowest since last September. There has been no official comment by the NOC according to Reuters. Before the uprising against Gaddafi in 2011 output was about 1.6 million barrels per day. The NOC had been hoping to quickly increase production.

The NOC has criticized attempts to sell oil illegally and not through the NOC as is required by law. The Presidency Council of the UN-brokered Government of National Accord recently decided to take upon itself the power of the oil ministry and also deprive the NOC of some of its powers. This did not sit well with the NOC: "The National Oil Corporation (NOC) has come out fighting in a battle with the Presidency Council which yesterday stripped the oil ministry of key powers and assumed many of them itself, while also diminishing NOC’s role." Mustafa Sanalla, chair of the NOC said: “I have asked the Presidency Council to withdraw its recent resolution. It has exceeded its authority. Only the House of Representatives, the legislature, has the power to make these changes”. So as well as a work stoppage threatening NOC production and export, there is also an internal split that could create even more problems.

Fake news report appears in Sputnik about Haftar takeover of Libya

A proposal by Ali Al-Gotrani, a member of the Presidential Council (PC) for a transitional phase of the Libyan government with the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshall, Khalifa Haftar, was reported as reality by the Russian news site Sputnik.

Al-Gotrani is a strong supporter of Haftar who does not recognize the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) or its Presidency Council. The Libya Observer reports that Al-Gotrani told Sputnik that his proposal would end the role of "all institutions in the state except for the House of Representatives, while the army will be the supreme authority in the country". Gotrani said:

“Every city and district in Libya will be ruled by an appointed military governor and the army will then start disarming the civilian people so that it can control all the country’s borders. Once our country is stable, democracy can take place and all parties can take to the ‘safe polls’ as the constitution drafting committee would be then resuming work as well as presidential and parliamentary elections would take place.”Gotrani sees this as happening across the whole country including the area now nominally under the control of the Government of National Accord. A spokesperson for the PC, Ashraf Al-Thaithi said Monday that Al-Gotrani's words speak only for himself and have nothing to do with the PC.

However, the Russian news outlet Sputnik starts out claiming that Libyan armed forces have declared a state of emergency putting all democratic processes on hold. They speak of Ali Gotrani, for Sputnik Ali Katrani, as head of the PC, which he is not:Ali Katrani, head of the Presidential Council at the Government of National Accord, told Sputnik that the state of emergency imposed by the military heralds the beginning of a transition period that will allow Libya to restore its territorial integrity. The military, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, will take charge of the country during this time; once the country is united once again, the government will then focus its attention on reaching a political consensus within the nation.Katrani claims that the LNA owes its support due to its successes in the fight against the Islamic State (IS). However the LNA fought against IS mostly in Benghazi and is fighting other Islamist groups there as well. It is also besieging the Derna Shura Council of Jihadists who were instrumental in driving the IS out of Derna. The main stronghold of the IS in Sirte was not fought at all by the LNA but by Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous mostly brigades from the city of Misrata, many of whom are opposed to Haftar.

Katrani said that the army does not permanently seek power but once the army had stabilized the country would return to democracy with parliamentary and presidential elections and a new constitution developed. After describing what is in effect a coup, Katrani claims the time for coups is over. In closing he notes that if the people wished to see Haftar as their leader, and he agrees, then he could participate in presidential elections. Egypt's President el-Sisi could have his friend Haftar as president of Libya. The Jamahiriya news agency picks up on the Russian report and republishes it. It remains to be seen if any more mainstream publications get taken in by this totally misleading report that fails to take into account that it is only a proposal by a member of the PC critical of the GNA. It is a proposal that would be roundly rejected by the GNA. The only way it will be implemented is if Haftar by force defeats the militia supporting the GNA.

Al Qaeda leader may have been killed in strike in south Libya

There are conflicting reports on the incident but a resident who lives near Sabha claimed the strike happened a little after eleven last night targeting a house in the village of Gurtha Shati on the outskirts of Sabha a main city in the south of Libya.

A Libyan news agency, LANA, associated with the eastern government of the House of Representative (HoR) based in Tobruk claimed a senior Al-Qaeda leader was killed in the attack described as a drone strike. Although some suggest that it was a western military action, the US has denied any involvement. In past incidents, the US has taken responsibility for attacks on terrorist groups it had made in Libya. A tweet claims that the bombing was by the French: "Update: #French Air Force Armée de l'Air Rafales just bombed house of a Libyan #alqaeda leader near #Sabha, #Libya a couple of hours ago." There is still no certainty as to who was responsible.

A clothing store in the southern Libyan city of Sabha

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LANA said that the Al-Qaeda leader was Abu Talha al-Hassnawi, a key figure in Al-Qaeda's North Africa network. His house was the target of the attack. Hassnawi is said to be close to Mokhtar Belmokhtar a former top Al-Qaeda leader. LANA claimed that Hassnawi fled to Sabha from Sirte where the Islamic State is virtually defeated, as did Belmokhtar. The agency said that the killing of Hassnawi is due to actions associated with the HoR government indicating that permission for the strike was granted by the HoR and no doubt Khalifa Haftar commander of the HoR-associated Libyan National Army (LNA). A local resident said that the attack left seven bodies so charred that it was impossible to identify Hassnawi. A later report in the Libya Herald cites a local official as denying that Hassnawi was killed in the attack.

A Reuters report says that gunmen later seized the remains of the militants from a mosque according to a local official. The same report claims three houses were hit in the strike with two destroyed and one damaged. Another local official claimed that those killed included both Libyans and foreigners and that it was not known if the dead included Hassnawi. He also said that gunmen went to a local hospital at Adri about 35 km or 22 miles from the village and seized the remains of the bodies. The action appears to have been sanctioned by the HoR government rather than the UN-brokered internationally recognized Government of National Accord(GNA) based in Tripoli.

US airstrikes in Sirte appear ended for now

(November 7) Fox News reports that several U.S. officials claim that after three months of strikes on Islamic State positions in Sirte designed to help the offensive by Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous (Solid Structure or BAM) the operation has ended.

Operation Odyssey Lightning began on August 1. When originally announced the operation was only to last for a few weeks. It has been extended every thirty days since then through September and October but there appears to be no extension into November. The Islamic State (IS) is now confined to a small area of Sirte along the Mediterranean and there are very few IS fighters left. However, they continue a fierce resistance. U.S. officials told Fox News that they were consulting with the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) and did not rule out further strikes in the future. One senior defense official said that there were fewer targets available now without the risk of civilian casualties.

Since the operation began Aug. 1, 367 airstrikes have been carried out. A recent tweet shows a graph of the strikes: "Graphs showing 3 months of Odyssey Lightning OP in #Sirte. 737 ISIS fighters, 38 SVBIED, 36 supply vehicles / positions, targeted since Aug1" No airstrikes have taken place since the end of August.

Apparently new orders from U.S. Africa Command on November 1 are to "end offensive and self-defense strikes" against the IS in Sirte. However, a U.S. official claimed that President Obama can authorize additional strikes going forward on targets of interest. The Sirte Operation has been carried out unilaterally but at the request of the GNA. The U.S. has carried out two other separate airstrikes in Libya since 2015.

While the USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship, conducted operations involving Harrier Jets and Cobra attack helicopters a majority of the strikes were actually by drones from bases in the region. The Wasp was replaced by the USS San Antonio recently which cannot launch Harrier jets. The U.S. also has a few special forces on the ground helping out in the offensive against Sirte along with some from the U.K.

Meanwhile, ground operations by BAM continue against the IS remnants now confined to just one small district. As they advance they have been able to free some civilians from the IS. On Sunday BAM forces freed 14 civilians from the small Ghiza Bahriya area where IS continues to resist. The forces are advancing slowly and cautiously in an effort to limit civilian casualties. Several groups of civilians have been able to escape or been rescued lately. Some are migrant women and children kidnapped by the IS as they tried to make their way to Europe. Rida Issa, a spokesperson for the BAM forces, mostly from the city of Misrata, said there was no advance on Sunday but on Saturday there were small gains after heavy tank and artillery fire against IS positions.

On Saturday the Misrata Central Hospital reported two BAM fighters were killed and 22 more wounded in clashes with IS fighters. Only ten of those injured needed to stay in the hospital.

UPDATE: According to an article in the Military TImes the operation has been extended. There has been no official announcement and no news as to how long and when extension was authorized. Up until now there have been no further attacks.

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Arab League, African Union and UN Support Mission joint statement on Libya

On the 25th of October the League of Arab States, African Union and the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) held a meeting to discuss the situation in Libya.

The meeting also talked of ways for the three organizations to cooperate to "advance the political process and assist Libya in its democratic transition". It could be argued that there has been no democratic transition but a UN-supported Government of National Accord that has been manufactured by external forces as much as by Libyans and forced upon the Libyans. The government is not able to satisfy basic needs and has been unable to unify with the east which is becoming more and more under military control led by Field Marshal Haftar.

The statement consists of 15 separate points and the entire document can be found here. The meeting was with Ahmed Gheit, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, Jakaya Kikwete of African Union representative for Libya and Martin Kobler, Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) and head of UNSMIL.

In the third point the parties "reiterated their rejection of any foreign intervention in Libya". Presumably, the three do not object to foreign intervention that is requested. The problem is that foreign military intervention may be requested by one government such as the UN-supported GNA while rejected by their rival government of the House of Representatives (HoR). While the GNA welcomes and asked for US bombing support of the Sirte offensive, the HoR regards the bombing as unwarranted foreign intervention. There is already intervention of special forces from the U.K., U.S. and France, and Jordan and perhaps others. There is also intervention by Egypt and the UAE and support for Haftar that often violates the UN weapons ban on Libya.

The statement notes that a Troika of representatives from the three organizations would be set up to held enhance cooperation on Libya by the three bodies to help facilitate the Libyan Political Agreement. The envoys of the three organizations are to "conduct joint missions" that would encourage key Libyan stakeholders to advance the political process.

The document condemns the recent coup attempt saying the action hindered the political process. They called for swift de-escalation of the process and consolidation of security and rule of law in Tripoli. No recommendations are made as to how this can be done. There is no mention of the defection of the Presidential Guards, who are supposed to defend the GNA, to those attempting the coup.

There is no change from the long existing plan to have the HoR vote confidence in the GNA:The parties expressed their support for the PC and urged it to continue to assume its responsibilities, in an inclusive manner, as mandated by the LPA, and to present a revised cabinet of the Government of National Accord. They also expressed their support for the House of Representatives, as the legislative authority of the State, and urged it to continue to fulfill its responsibilities towards the LPA.

So far the HoR has exercised its responsibility twice by rejecting the GNA, the last time on August 22. The GNA had ten days to present a new cabinet, that is over two months ago. The HoR is functioning as a legislature but of the rival HoR government in Tobruk not that of the UN-recognized GNA.

The parties emphasize the need for cohesive and professional Libyan military and security forces "operating under a unified chain of command as mandated by the LPA". They do not mention that this makes the PC commander in chief for now. There is no mention of Haftar and the demand of him and his supporters that the LPA section on this issue, article 8, be deleted. Support was expressed for the fight against terrorism in Sirte but also in Benghazi and other areas. No specific mention is made of Derna which is under siege by Haftar.

The parties welcome efforts to restore oil production. No mention is made of Haftar's seizure of the oil ports. They support a unified oil company. They do not mention the unification agreement that has the headquarters moving to Benghazi and has the NOC reporting to the HoR. They stress as well the importance of a unified Central Bank to oversee funds collected. The group said they were ready to provide technical support to assist the PC in dealing with the Central Bank on issues of public financing and expenditures. The group wants to help mobilize and coordinate international support for Libya. There is a high-level meeting on Libya to be held in London soon. The final point of the communique is that the group is committed to having further meetings.

The group stick with the long-standing policy of regarding the LPA as the only way forward even though so far any attempt to pass it through the HoR has failed. There is no discussion of the problem of Haftar or any reason provided to think that a new cabinet will result in a vote of confidence in the GNA by the HoR. Given the length of time since the GNA was voted down there is not even any good reason to believe the PC can ever agree to a new cabinet. No deadlines are set. That is probably a better approach than setting a deadline and then breaching it continually.

Geneva meeting on Libya political crisis produces no significant results

Meetings at the ministerial level of a number of different countries in Paris to find solutions for the Libyan political crisis apparently failed to make any political progress.

Libya remains divided with two governments. The internationally-recognized UN-supported Government of National Accord(GNA) is based in Tripoli while the rival House of Representatives government (HOR) is based in the east in Tobruk. Neither the HoR nor the commanders of its armed forces Marshal Haftar recognize the GNA.

On August 22, the HoR met and decisively defeated a vote of confidence in the GNA. The GNA is supposed to have come up with a new government with just 8 ministers some time ago but that has not happened yet. There have been many meetings that have attempted to find a role in a new GNA that Haftar will accept. He seems to have little interest in unifying with the GNA and has been quite critical of attempts by the UN envoy Martin Kobler to create a mechanism by which he could be accomodated. Haftar has complained that Kobler is meddling unhelpfully in Libyan affairs. Haftar also has a quite negative attitude to the GNA, especially many of the militia which support it. He is quite unwilling to serve in armed forces with the Presidential Council (PC) of the GNA as commander in chief.

The Paris meeting was hosted by the French government. There were representatives from Egypt, Germany, Italy, Quatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, UAE, UK and the USA. Martin Kobler UN Special Envoy, and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini were also present. However, the Arab League protested that it had not been invited. The Egyptians sent only a low-level delegation to the meeting. No Libyans were invited in spite of the fact the meeting was all about Libya.

French officials claim that the failure to invite Libyans was in part a result of the rapid organization of the event but also because the aim was to draw outside support for the PC and the GNA. French Foreign Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, said: “I took this initiative on behalf of France because we want the government of national accord of Mr Sarraj to succeed."

The assembled group did agree that any future GNA should give a role to Khalifa Haftar. The Egyptian delegation called for the international arms embargo to be lifted. The Egyptians want Haftar to be provided with arms legally by foreign supporters such as Egypt, the UAE, and perhaps Russia. There appears to have been no statement released at the end of the meetings or at least it has not been published as yet. Given the purpose of the meeting, one would think that there would be a statement issued expressing support for the GNA and its attempt to move forward with the Libyan Political Agreement as well as supporting the UN resolutions on the GNA and the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA)

Tweets seem to be uniformly negative about the meeting. One said: "Paris meeting about libya finished interestless after an disagreements btwn The involved countries in the libyan affairs @UNSMILibya". Another was just as negative: "Paris meeting on #Libya crisis today a damp squib by all accounts. Few high-level figures. Some key meddlers only sent ambs resident in FR" Another said that a new GNA was being worked out at a meeting in Jordan: "Paris meeting failed Alghwil & altinni now in jordan to form new Gov , & dissolve GNA." This seems highly improbable.

General Khalifa Haftar criticizes UN envoy Martin Kobler

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) , Martin Kobler, has been criticized by Khalifa Haftar and Ageela Saleh president of the House of Representatives (HoR) and rival government to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).

The two said that Kobler also chief of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, was a failure and should be fired. Haftar told the Egyptian news source Al Ahram that Kobler was "meddling in very sensitive issues." Haftar has repeatedly refused requests by Kobler to meet with him. Nevertheless Kobler has gone ahead arranging meetings to try and accommodate Haftar and have him approve the GNA. Haftar said that he respected the UN and secretary-general Ban Ki-moon.

In the east especially, there have been demonstrations supporting the seizure of four Oil Crescent oil ports by Haftar and his Libyan National Army. The demonstrators were particularly angered that some EU states and the U.S. had condemned the seizure. There was a recent counter-attack that was repelled and Haftar has advanced east towards Sirte defeating forces of the Petroleum Facilities Guard.

In an interview with Russia Today TV, Saleh, who is subject to sanctions, said that Kobler was acting as if he were the ruler of Libya. Saleh claimed Kobler had deepened divisions within Libya rather than bringing people together. Just last week, Kobler had met Saleh in Cairo in an attempt to forge an agreement for a new GNA with Haftar on board. Kobler said that there had been "an open and frank exchange of views," but clearly there was no agreement. Saleh said that he was preparing a letter to the UN asking that Kobler be replaced. There is speculation that Norwegian Espen Eide has already been chosen to take over from Kobler.

Sputnik also reports on Saleh's criticism of Kobler. Saleh told Sputnik that Kobler is unable to do good for Libya and should be replaced if he does not change his ways. He said that a letter was being drafted to be sent to the UN asking that he be replaced if he did not change his approach saying: "This man intervenes in everything, but he will be incapable to do any good for Libya."

Kobler was named UN special envoy to Libya in November of 2014, replacing former envoy Bernardino Leon, who took a position in the UAE immediately after leaving.

The GNA presidency council (PC) was to have come up with a new reduced cabinet of eight ministers after a vote of confidence in the GNA was defeated in the House of Representatives on August 22nd. The deadline for submitting the new list has long passed but there is as yet no sign that the list has been prepared and no date has been set for an HoR meeting on the issue. Until the HoR votes confidence in the GNA, the GNA is without a legislature. Apparently, the State High Council of the GNA has decided that it can serve the function of a legislature for now. A recent tweet says: "#Libya: High Council of State will exercise full legislative powers in accordance with #LPA's articles 16, 17 & 18." Critics claim this is illegal.

Nine children killed in bombing by unidentified aircraft in southwestern Libya

At least nine civilians including children and women were killed and twenty wounded in an air strike by unidentified war planes near an oasis town in central Libya according to a hospital doctor and local officials.

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The strikes were near the town of Houn or Hun. the capital of the Jufra district of southwest Libya. The town is 240 km south of Sirte, and 272 km north of Sabha. In the area armed groups from forces loyal to the Government of National Accord (GNA) but also from General Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) loyal to the eastern HoR government both operate.

A spokesperson for the LNA said that the planes were from the western city of Misrata loyal to the GNA who meant to target an LNA brigade that had recently been in the area. But a spokesperson for the Misrata air force denied the claim saying that planes only carried out reconnaissance in the coastal area.

An eyewitness from Houn said residents heard war planes overhead before learning that civilians had been hit as the were visiting thermal springs south of the city. Many of the victims came from the nearby town of Al Shgega.

The Libyan Gazette gave a casualty figure of eight with twenty wounded.. The local hospital in Houn was said to be in a chaotic state.

Another report quotes Ahmed al-Mesmari, the spokesperson for forces loyal to Haftar as saying that fighter jets from Misrata carried out the raids while targeting Haftar's forces. He said no fighters were killed. Reda Eissa, a media official with the Misrata forces denied that they had carried out any raids in the area on Tuesday.

There were numerous twitters about the incident. Many seem to have been planted by one side or the other. Some were not verified and turned out to be false. Here is one blaming the GNA forces: " Airstrikes on #LNA position near #Jufrah by Libyan Dawn AF (GNA). They also hit a farm and killed 5 women. Via al Jufrah now" Another claims it resulted from a recent meeting of military officials loyal to the GNA: "Officers loyal to GNA met yesterday at Misrata airbase, resulting in today' airstrikes targeting LNA in Jufra #Libya". Another tweet mentions the specific brigade that was the alleged target of the attacks: "LNA 12th Bridage (led by Mohamed Bin Nael): No members wounded in air strike on Nina agricultural project in Jufrah " The actual place is called an agricultural project. Other reports speak of a farm and another of hot springs.

Whatever happened it was a tragedy that should not have happened. A tweet observes: "7 killed + a child lost her mother after airstrikes in #Jufra Only civilians will pay the price if civil war continues in #Libya #PRT "

National Reconciliation Conference suffers from divisions

A National Reconciliation Conference was held in the city of Nalut in western Libya near the Tunisian border. The conference was sponsored by the Nalut City Council.

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The conference attracted about one thousand delegates from throughout Libya. According to Wikipedia: "Nalut is the capital of the Nalut District[4] in Libya. Nalut lies approximately halfway between Tripoli and Ghadames, at the western end of the Nafusa Mountains coastal range, in the Tripolitania region." It is a Berber community.

The conference got off to a rocky start on Friday when a number of delegates objected that the national anthem was not played or the Libyan flag displayed. Organizers explained that the opening was held in a mosque where it was thought to be inappropriate to display the national flag and sing the national anthem. The solution was to break up into smaller meetings in the homes of their hosts. According to a tweet: "2/4 Objections by supporters of former regime to start conference w/ National Anthem & display National Flag delayed the start."

The official opening took place on Saturday. Delegates were from such diverse groups as pro-Gadaffi supporters, the Benghazi Shura Council, and federalists from Barqa (Cyrenaica). There were no forums held but there was a five point closing statement issued:1-The communique underscored the assurance of the integrity of the unity of Libya’s territory. 2-It rejected external interference in Libya’s internal affairs. 3-It rejected any meeting regarding Libya being held outside Libya and supported the Libya-Libya dialogue. 4-It supported state institutions in the form of the army, police and judiciary under the legitimacy of the state. 5-It announced comprehensive de-escalation measures and the formation of committees to draw up a roadmap for national reconciliation.

A tweet from the Fezzan Libyan Group said: "Southern tribes have withdrawn from the #Nalut tribal dialogue. One representative said it was just chaos and a waste of time. #Libya"

Another incident marred the gathering. A speech by the Tobruk parliament's envoy Abu Al-Ghazali began by fulsome praise of the Libyan National Army commanded by Haftar. The speech was interrupted a number of times and many participants simply walked out as a protest. An organizer rebuked Al-Ghazali saying: "Did you come here to spoil the conference or speak about the army? We are here to reconcile, we are all against terrorism, you divide us because of a person (Haftar).” A tweet noted: "3/4 Today, speech by #HoR member from #Sirte el-Ghazali angered the rest of delegations, prompting #Mayor of #Nalut to stop him." The conference ended shortly after with the statement quoted earlier.

At least 29 killed after explosion in town near Tripoli Libya

After armed men stormed an arms depot in the town of Garabulli, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) east of Tripoli, an explosion occurred that killed at least 29 and wounded dozens more according to security and medical officials.

An official said that the exact cause of the blast was not known but said that the depot could have been rigged. A medical source said the total killed could rise and that there were "body parts" at the depot.

Another report claims at least 25 were killed and dozens injured at the arms depot. It claims that the Misrata militia had already left after clashing earlier with residents of the town. The explosion happened as residents entered the depot but it was not clear what set off the blast. The report said the town was just 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Tripoli. A local official Mohamed Assayed said: "The number of casualties is rising and we are working hard to transfer them to nearest hospitals." He said about 30 people were injured. A resident of the town said that clashes between the militia began after a member of the militia group would not pay for goods in a local shop.

An Al Jazeera report claims more than 20 were killed. It speaks of the town being in the "restive east" when in fact it is in the west near Tripoli. The report also claims that a resident said that the clashes erupted after a dispute in a local shop when a member of the militia was refusing to pay. A tweet summed it up: Garabulli #Libya: Late night dispute at store escalated. Locals turned out against Misrata katibas. Clashes & fires. Quiet now. Road blocked." Another tweet describes the road being blocked: "Garabouli main road (East of #Tripoli) blocked due to clashes b/w Misrata armed groups & Local armed groups #Libya." Another report is similar to that of Al Jazeera. Locals decided to block the main road along the coast at Garabulli that connects Misrata to Tripoli. Misrata is about 140 kilometers east of Garabulli. One tweet claimed that the militia had gone back to the store and burnt it down but this had not been confirmed: "3. Garabouli Res. says militia "went back to store & burnt it down+ nearby family home of owner"this cld not b independently verified #Libya."

Amnesty International claims 12 released prisoners in Libya who were murdered had been killed in jail

Amnesty International claims Ali Al-Saadi, the head of the Ruwaimi prison in Tripoli, lied when he reported last week that 12 former Gadaffi-era soldiers had been released to their families' care and had left the prison with them.

Although, the Amnesty statement did not mention Al-Saadi by name, they claimed the prisoners were never handed over to their families. There are competing narratives about what happened, with an earlier article in the Libya Observer reporting that the soldiers were handed over to their families and the bodies were found in various locations the following day. Descriptions of the bodies vary as well with some saying that there were marks of torture but more recent reports denying this. Even the head of the Investigations Bureau of the General Prosecutor's office claimed that those murdered had been released and their bodies found the next day:

The Head of Investigations Bureau at the General Prosecutor’s office, Al-Saddiq Al-Soor, confirmed that 12 inmates were murdered on Friday dawn after being released Thursday from Al-Ruwaimi prison, which is located in Ain Zara in the suburbs of the capital, Tripoli.

.After the announcement of the release of the prisoners, the families were contacted and advised to produce the passport of the detained relatives so as to process their release. This was noted also in earlier reports, however according to Amnesty International one family member alleged that the detaining authorities opposed their release, saying the authorities were not happy with the decision and so made sure the prisoners did not leave the prison alive.

In contrast to earlier accounts, the Amnesty report said that the bodies were riddled with bullets but there was no verifiable signs of torture or that the men's feet and hands had been tied. Earlier reports also indicated that they all had been shot, but some of the family members said that there were sign of torture. It is a bit strange that Amnesty cites only one family member as saying that the prisoners were not released to the families. Amnesty suggests that the prisoners were not restrained at the time they were shot and perhaps were unaware of what was to happen. Amnesty noted that it had documented torture and ill-treatment in several centers under the control of militia and this included the Ruwaimi prison.

Amnesty pointed out that no meaningful prosecutions had been carried out leading to prosecution into any alleged crimes with successive governments in Libya or since the end of the revolution. Amnesty admitted that it still was not possible to know exactly what happened but that Ruwaimi prison authorities and the interior ministry had "gravely failed in their obligation of due diligence to protect the right to life and physical integrity of the detainees". The response to these murders will be a test for the UN-brokered Government of National Accord which appears unable to control the many militias and upon which it depends so far for its own security.

The UN-back government immediately condemned the murders as indicated in this tweet: "UN-backed gov condemns the murder of Gaddafi officials who were released last week from al-Ruwaimi prison." Martin Kobler, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) immediately called for an investigation into the murders of the 12 men. Kobler said that he was "utterly shocked by the vile crime". Not only does there seem to be little security provided by the new GNA but there are severe power outages in Tripoli. There still is a cash shortage and Tripoli is now experiencing a water shortage as well. The situation is even worse in cities such as Sebha in the south where there are violent demonstrations. Many electrical pylons have been sabotaged so there is no electricity at all..