Libya

TRIPOLI, Feb 12 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Libyan Coast Guard on Monday rescued 81 migrants off the country’s western coast, the International Organization for Migration in Libya (IOM Libya) said Tuesday.

“Last night, 81 migrants, among them 18 women and 4 children were returned to Tripoli by the Libyan Coast Guard,” the IOM Libya tweeted.

“IOM staff were at the disembarkation point to provide medical screenings and emergency assistance,” the IOM Libya added.

TRIPOLI, Feb 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Libya’s rival parties are keen to maintain truce in and around the capital and expressed this attitude during the first round of talks of the Libyan 5+5 Joint Military Commission in Geneva, said the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), on Saturday.

“UNSMIL takes note of the existing consensus around the importance of maintaining the truce, that had been announced on Jan 12, of the necessity to respect it and refrain from violating it,” UNSMIL said in a statement.

08 Feb 2020; MEMO: Militias loyal to renegade Libyan general Khalifa Haftar targeted the only international airport in the country’s capital Tripoli on Friday, Anadolu reports.

In a statement, the Government of National Accord (GNA) said Mitiga Airport — open to civilian use — was hit by missiles. It was temporarily closed for a short time immediately after the attack, but has now resumed flights.

TRIPOLI, Feb 8 (NNN-Xinhua) — The United Nations Higher Commission of Refugees (UNHCR) said that more than 1,000 illegal immigrants have been rescued by the Libyan Coast Guard so far this year.

As of Feb. 6, some 1,040 refugees and migrants have been registered as rescued or intercepted at sea by the Libyan Coast Guard and have disembarked in Libya, an increase of 121 percent compared to the same period in 2019, the UNHCR said.

06 Feb 2020; MEMO: Libyan Government Forces said on yesterday that militias affiliate with renegade General Khalifa Haftar had struck the University of Tripoli, Anadolu reported.

“In a new and dangerous violation of the ceasefire, an arbitrary projectile landed near the faculties of agriculture and pharmacy in the University of Tripoli,” a statement issued by the media centre of “Operation Volcano of Rage” said.

TRIPOLI, Feb 5 (NNN-Xinhua) — The state-owned Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) said that the country’s daily production of crude oil has dropped from more than 1.2 million barrels to fewer than 200,000 as a result of the closure of oil fields and ports.

“The NOC confirms a drop in production to the current level of 187,337 barrels per day, with losses resulting from illegal blockades amounting to 931,775,672 U.S. dollars,” NOC said in a statement.

TRIPOLI, Jan 30 (NNN-Xinhua) — The suspension of oil exports due to the closure of oil fields and ports has cost more than 500 million U.S. dollars so far, Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said.

“On 28 January 2020, oil production reached 288,181 barrels per day. Total value of losses since the beginning of blockades has reached 562,323,991 U.S. Dollars as of Tuesday 28 January 2020,” the country’s state oil company said.

27 Jan 2020; MEMO: Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said yesterday that the country’s crude oil production has decreased by 76.3 per cent, reaching nearly 284,000 barrels per day, after the forces of the Libyan National Army shut down major oil fields and ports in the east and south of the country.

NOC said in a statement that the average daily production has decreased from the 1.2 million barrels per day reported on 18 January.

TRIPOLI, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Sunday condemned attacks on the capital Tripoli's Mitiga airport, as the armed conflict between the eastern-based army and the UN-backed government continues.

"UNSMIL condemns in the strongest possible terms the attack against Mitiga Airport, by two grad missiles, which resulted in the injury of at least two civilians, and damage to the tarmac and a number of buildings," UNMSIL tweeted.

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Several countries backing rival factions in Libya have violated an arms embargo which they had agreed to uphold a week ago at a summit in Berlin, the United Nations said on Saturday.

Last Sunday, foreign powers backing opposing camps fighting over Libya’s capital Tripoli agreed at a summit hosted by Germany and the United Nations to push the parties to a lasting ceasefire and respect an existing U.N. arm embargo.