Conflict in Libya, especially in the capital city of Tripoli, has been emerging as a new hot spot, threatening peace and security in the region. Since the Libyan National Army (LNA), loyal to General Khalifa Haftar, launched a military campaign aimed at Tripoli, Libya has been engulfed in bloody violence. According to the World Health Organisation, conflict has killed 454 people, left more than 2,154 dead, and forced nearly 60,000 others to flee their homes for refuge. More worrisome, the North African media recently reported that there was new evidence of the involvement of foreign mercenaries in the forces of the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). The news was released in the context of the LNA’s increasingly fierce attacks to claim control of the capital, where the GNA is headquartered. The pro-GNA forces are also thought to consist of many rebel groups, criminals and extremists. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation around Tripoli has been getting … [Read more...] about Libyan crisis now a trans-Mediterranean concern
Libya water shortage
500,000 children face ‘immediate danger’ in Libya capital: UN
Clashes that broke out between rival militias in late August had killed at least 115 people and wounded nearly 400 by Saturday night, according to Libya's health ministry. UNICEF said more than 1,200 families were displaced in the past 48 hours as the clashes intensified in southern Tripoli before pausing on Monday. That put the total number of people displaced by the recent fighting at over 25,000, half of whom were children, it said. The U.N. agency's Middle East and North Africa director, Geert Cappelaere, said children were paying a "heavy toll" and were increasingly being recruited by armed groups. "We see children being prevented from going to school, we see children not having the vaccination that they urgently need," he said. Those whose parents came to Libya with the hope of migrating to Europe by sea suffered doubly, said Cappelaere. "They are already facing dire living conditions, many of them are held in detention," a situation made worse by "the violence that is happening … [Read more...] about 500,000 children face ‘immediate danger’ in Libya capital: UN