READ MORE: 'Macron is responsible' for Tripoli battle casualties, says militia commander<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1558679150,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1558694045,"firstPublishedAt":1558694047,"lastPublishedAt":1558695932,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/90\/98\/44\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_13c1d233-473d-5ab9-89af-cde4a7bea6df-3909844.jpg","altText":"Fighters loyal to Libya's U.N.-backed GNA near Tripoli on May 21, 2019","caption":"Fighters loyal to Libya's U.N.-backed GNA near Tripoli on May 21, 2019","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"REUTERS\/Goran Tomasevic","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3500,"height":2450}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":1443,"urlSafeValue":"anelise-borges","title":"Anelise 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LIBYA MAY 23","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"'Macron is responsible' for Tripoli battle casualties, says militia commander ","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"'Macron is responsible' for dead in Tripoli, says militia leader","titleListing2":"'Macron is responsible' for Tripoli battle casualties, says militia commander ","leadin":"\"Anyone who dies here, Macron is responsible,\" the leader of a Libyan militia fighting for the UN-backed Government of National Accord told Euronews.","summary":"\"Anyone who dies here, Macron is responsible,\" the leader of a Libyan militia fighting for the UN-backed Government of National Accord told Euronews.","keySentence":"","url":"macron-is-responsible-for-tripoli-battle-casualties-says-militia-commander","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/05\/23\/macron-is-responsible-for-tripoli-battle-casualties-says-militia-commander","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"French President Emmanuel Macron \"is responsible\" for the casualties in Libya, a fighter loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) told Euronews, condemning the French leader's meeting with rebel general Khalifa Haftar. \n\nMacron received Haftar for a closed-door meeting in Paris on Wednesday as forces loyal to the strongman's Libyan National Army (LNA) continue to wage an offensive to take the North African country's capital, Tripoli, from the GNA. It came two weeks after the French president hosted the GNA's Prime Minister, Fayez al-Serraj. \n\nFor some fighters on the ground, the latest diplomatic overture shows that \"Macron is responsible\" for \"anyone who dies here\". \n\n\"France, but I don\u2019t mean the French people, I mean Macron, is the one who supported Haftar,\" Mohamed Khalil Issa, commander of the Yatrib brigade, fighting for the GNA, told Euronews' Anelise Borges at a field hospital near the Ztarna frontline on the outskirts of Tripoli. \n\nFrance, like the rest of the EU, has officially backed the GNA. However, according to experts , it has also given support to Haftar, whose forces control large swathes of the country, especially in the oil-rich eastern provinces, in an attempt to weaken Islamist militants \u2014 although France has never officially admitted to it. \n\n\"These three Arabian countries \u2014 Egypt, Saudi Arabia and [the United Arab] Emirates \u2014 support Haftar but Macron is the biggest devil of them all. Macron supported Haftar both politically and militarily,\" Issa added. \n\n'Permanent division of the country' \n\nAt least 510 people have died and more than 2,460 people have been injured since the LNA started its advance on Tripoli on April 4, according to to the latest figures from the World Health Organisation. \n\nSome 1.6 million people have been impacted by the seven years of protracted conflict and half of them, including 241,000 children, need humanitarian assistance, according to UNICEF . \n\nThe UN and the EU have repeatedly called on the two sides to agree to a ceasefire and find a political situation to the conflict, which has been ongoing since the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. \n\nREAD MORE: 'They sprayed the room with bullets': migrants in Libyan detention centres living in fear \n\nThe UN envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salam\u00e9 , warned on Tuesday that the country risks \"descending into a civil war which could lead to the permanent division of the country\" if the fighting in Tripoli is not quickly stopped. \n\nBut diplomatic sources in Paris have told Reuters that Haftar informed Macron that the conditions for a ceasefire were not in place. \n\nSerraj also appeared to rule out a ceasefire on Wednesday, telling Euronews that GNA forces \"will continue defending our dreams, our capital, our homes and our people until the attack has been stopped and all the invading troops go back from where they came.\" \n\n'They didn\u2019t fight terrorism' \n\nFor Mohamed Khalil Issa, the Yatrib Brigade commander, the fight against Haftar is also one for legitimacy. \n\nHaftar claims his offensive is in the public interest and that only his forces can bring stability to the country. He has also said that the capital is being held by extremist and terrorist groups. \n\nREAD MORE: Military assault on Tripoli is \"in public's interest', says Libyan rebel group \n\nOriginally from Misrata, a coastal town 200 kms east of Tripoli, the Yatrib Brigade say they were among the forces responsible for the victory in the battle for Sirte, known as the \"last stand\" for the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Libya. \n\n\"Those who are coming with him [Haftar] now, they didn\u2019t fight terrorism. We did. The real war which we fought for 7 or 8 months and which resulted in the martyrdom of more than 700 people and injured 12,000,\" he told Euronews. \n\n\"You say you\u2019re fighting terrorism in Tripoli - and that these are terrorists?! They fought Daesh [another name for IS] with me!,\" he added. \n\nAccording to the UN, extremists and terrorists have infiltrated or lent their support to forces on both sides of the conflict. It also warned that the battle for the capital is creating a power vacuum for Islamist organisations to regroup. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>French President Emmanuel Macron \"is responsible\" for the casualties in Libya, a fighter loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) told Euronews, condemning the French leader's meeting with rebel general Khalifa Haftar.<\/p>\n<p>Macron received Haftar for a closed-door meeting in Paris on Wednesday as forces loyal to the strongman's Libyan National Army (LNA) continue to wage an offensive to take the North African country's capital, Tripoli, from the GNA. It came two weeks after the French president hosted the GNA's Prime Minister, Fayez al-Serraj.<\/p>\n<p>For some fighters on the ground, the latest diplomatic overture shows that \"Macron is responsible\" for \"anyone who dies here\".<\/p>\n<p>\"France, but I don\u2019t mean the French people, I mean Macron, is the one who supported Haftar,\" Mohamed Khalil Issa, commander of the Yatrib brigade, fighting for the GNA, told Euronews' Anelise Borges at a field hospital near the Ztarna frontline on the outskirts of Tripoli.<\/p>\n<p>France, like the rest of the EU, has officially backed the GNA. However, according <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.chathamhouse.org//expert//comment//will-economic-instability-undermine-khalifa-haftar-s-offensive-libya/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">to experts<\/a>, it has also given support to Haftar, whose forces control large swathes of the country, especially in the oil-rich eastern provinces, in an attempt to weaken Islamist militants \u2014 although France has never officially admitted to it.<\/p>\n<p>\"These three Arabian countries \u2014 Egypt, Saudi Arabia and [the United Arab] Emirates \u2014 support Haftar but Macron is the biggest devil of them all. Macron supported Haftar both politically and militarily,\" Issa added.<\/p>\n<h2>'Permanent division of the country'<\/h2>\n<p>At least 510 people have died and more than 2,460 people have been injured since the LNA started its advance on Tripoli on April 4, according to to the latest figures from the World Health Organisation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1130847582597500932\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Some 1.6 million people have been impacted by the seven years of protracted conflict and half of them, including 241,000 children, need humanitarian assistance, according to <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.unicef.org//appeals//files//UNICEF_Libya_Humanitarian_SitRep_March_2019.pdf/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">UNICEF<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The UN and the EU have repeatedly called on the two sides to agree to a ceasefire and find a political situation to the conflict, which has been ongoing since the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2019//05//20//they-sprayed-the-room-with-bullets-migrants-in-libyan-detention-centres-living-in-fear/">READ MORE: 'They sprayed the room with bullets': migrants in Libyan detention centres living in fear<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The UN envoy to Libya, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////news.un.org//en//story//2019//05//1038891/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Ghassan Salam\u00e9<\/a>, warned on Tuesday that the country risks \"descending into a civil war which could lead to the permanent division of the country\" if the fighting in Tripoli is not quickly stopped.<\/p>\n<p>But diplomatic sources in Paris have told Reuters that Haftar informed Macron that the conditions for a ceasefire were not in place.<\/p>\n<p>Serraj also appeared to rule out a ceasefire on Wednesday, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.youtube.com//watch?v=yVFdkPEX3cU\%22 target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">telling Euronews<\/a> that GNA forces \"will continue defending our dreams, our capital, our homes and our people until the attack has been stopped and all the invading troops go back from where they came.\"<\/p>\n<h2>'They didn\u2019t fight terrorism'<\/h2>\n<p>For Mohamed Khalil Issa, the Yatrib Brigade commander, the fight against Haftar is also one for legitimacy.<\/p>\n<p>Haftar claims his offensive is in the public interest and that only his forces can bring stability to the country. He has also said that the capital is being held by extremist and terrorist groups.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2019//04//08//military-assault-on-tripoli-is-in-public-s-interest-says-libyan-rebel-group/">READ MORE: Military assault on Tripoli is \"in public's interest', says Libyan rebel group<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Originally from Misrata, a coastal town 200 kms east of Tripoli, the Yatrib Brigade say they were among the forces responsible for the victory in the battle for Sirte, known as the \"last stand\" for the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Libya.<\/p>\n<p>\"Those who are coming with him [Haftar] now, they didn\u2019t fight terrorism. We did. The real war which we fought for 7 or 8 months and which resulted in the martyrdom of more than 700 people and injured 12,000,\" he told Euronews.<\/p>\n<p>\"You say you\u2019re fighting terrorism in Tripoli - and that these are terrorists?! They fought Daesh [another name for IS] with me!,\" he added.<\/p>\n<p>According to the UN, extremists and terrorists have infiltrated or lent their support to forces on both sides of the conflict. It also warned that the battle for the capital is creating a power vacuum for Islamist organisations to regroup.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-freeform\nwidget--size-fullwidth\nwidget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <iframe src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////wb.messengerpeople.com//?widget_hash=3638143e4a3b4fbd5787ac11bc1b3c6d&lang=en&wn=0\%22 width=\"80%\" height=\"300px\" style=\"border:0;\"><\/iframe> \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1558593206,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1558609494,"firstPublishedAt":1558609497,"lastPublishedAt":1558612949,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/90\/97\/64\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_85bf6b11-05b8-5ca4-ad29-22a75810941e-3909764.jpg","altText":"Libya GNA fighters on the outskirts of Tripoli, Libya May 21, 2019","caption":"Libya GNA fighters on 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Sarraj interview ","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"'Haftar's troops are criminals and thugs,' Libyan PM tells Euronews in exclusive interview ","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"'Haftar's troops are criminals and thugs,' Libyan PM tells Euronews","titleListing2":"'Haftar's troops are criminals and thugs,' Libyan PM tells Euronews in exclusive interview ","leadin":"\"They are criminal gangs, ideological groups, thugs and outlaws,\" al-Serraj told Euronews in exclusive interview","summary":"\"They are criminal gangs, ideological groups, thugs and outlaws,\" al-Serraj told Euronews in exclusive interview","keySentence":"","url":"haftar-s-troops-are-criminals-and-thugs-libyan-pm-tells-euronews-in-exclusive-interview","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/05\/22\/haftar-s-troops-are-criminals-and-thugs-libyan-pm-tells-euronews-in-exclusive-interview","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"As the forces of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar were still trying to capture Libya's capital, Euronews' Anelise Borges spoke to Fayez al-Serraj, the Prime Minister of the UN-backed government. \n\nSpeaking about Haftar's troops, al-Serraj said they were not the organised military outfit they claim to be. \n\n\"They are criminal gangs, ideological groups, thugs and outlaws,\" al-Serraj told Borges. \n\n\"We are defending the dream of all Libyans of establishing a civilian state. We will continue defending our dream, our capital, our homes, our people until this attack has been stopped and all the invading troops go back where they came from,\" al Serraj went on. \n\nHaftar's Libyan National Army, based in the east of the country, began an assault to capture the capital in April. \n\nFighting in the battle for Tripoli has killed at least 510 people, forced 75,000 out of their homes, trapped thousands of migrants in detention centres and flattened some suburbs, according to the United Nations. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>As the forces of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar were still trying to capture Libya's capital, Euronews' Anelise Borges spoke to Fayez al-Serraj, the Prime Minister of the UN-backed government.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking about Haftar's troops, al-Serraj said they were not the organised military outfit they claim to be.<\/p>\n<p>\"They are criminal gangs, ideological groups, thugs and outlaws,\" al-Serraj told Borges.<\/p>\n<p>\"We are defending the dream of all Libyans of establishing a civilian state. We will continue defending our dream, our capital, our homes, our people until this attack has been stopped and all the invading troops go back where they came from,\" al Serraj went on.<\/p>\n<p>Haftar's Libyan National Army, based in the east of the country, began an assault to capture the capital in April.<\/p>\n<p>Fighting in the battle for Tripoli has killed at least 510 people, forced 75,000 out of their homes, trapped thousands of migrants in detention centres and flattened some suburbs, according to the United Nations.<\/p>\n<!-- oovvuu widget is now deprecated -->\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1558508277,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1558511656,"firstPublishedAt":1558511658,"lastPublishedAt":1558525537,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/90\/69\/92\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_acde9e6d-0ab8-574a-b0d0-b393f2c77b77-3906992.jpg","altText":"Screenshot - Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj speaks to Euronews","caption":"Screenshot - 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GME Libya","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"Libya managing migrants is 'like a sick doctor treating patients'","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Libya managing migrants is 'like a sick doctor treating patients'","titleListing2":"Libya managing migrants is 'like a sick doctor treating patients'","leadin":"Putting unstable Libya in charge of managing Europe-seeking migrants is like \"a sick doctor being asked to treat patients\".","summary":"Putting unstable Libya in charge of managing Europe-seeking migrants is like \"a sick doctor being asked to treat patients\".","keySentence":"","url":"libya-is-a-sick-doctor-being-asked-to-treat-patients-says-interior-minister","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/05\/21\/libya-is-a-sick-doctor-being-asked-to-treat-patients-says-interior-minister","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Putting unstable Libya in charge of managing Europe-seeking migrants is like \"a sick doctor being asked to treat patients\". \n\nThat was the claim of the country's interior minister, Fathi Bashagha, during an interview with Euronews' Anelise Borges. \n\n\"Libya has internal problems,\" he said. \"Since the state fell apart Libya has not been able to provide adequate services even for Libyans. \n\n\"The EU demands Libya secures the coast, fights human traffickers, cares and pays for illegal migrants in accordance with international standards... you know Libya has many other problems, service problems, security problems, terrorism problems, economic problems.\" \n\nSliding towards full-scale civil war \n\nIn recent weeks fighting has intensified in Libya, the \"gateway\" for many migrants prepared to risk their lives to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. \n\nHundreds of people have been killed as head of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive to seize Tripoli, the nation's capital. \n\nDuring this time, migration flows through the country are still a major cause for concern. During a lull in the fighting earlier this month, the Libyan coastguard detained more than 100 people attempting to reach Europe. \n\nEU-Libya migration deal \n\nDue to a deal signed between the European Union and Libya in 2017, all migrants caught trying to reach Europe on the Mediterranean Sea are placed in detention centres. \n\nIn December 2018 a damning UN report found that migrants detained in Libya were subject to violence, forced labour, and even gang rape. \n\nRights workers on the ground have confirmed that similar abuses are happening in these detention centres today. \n\nHow did Libya get to this stage? \n\nBashagha told Euronews the task that the EU had given Libya was massive for a country that has known nothing but conflict for the past eight years. \n\nSince the ousting of Gadaffi in 2011, it has seen political fragmentation. The rise of militias grappling for power has rendered sufficient provision for its citizens untenable. \n\nIt is estimated that one-third of the Libyan population live on or below the poverty line. \n\nLibya, says Bashagha, is a \"sick doctor that is being asked to treat patients\". It was not even able to provide services for Libyans, let alone migrants. \n\n\"If Europe is not happy with the work it [Libya] is doing it should take over and do it itself,\" said Euronews' Borges. \n\nWhat's happening at the moment? \n\nCurrently, the UN-backed Government of National Accord, led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, is holding Tripoli. \n\nHaftar's LNA however, is allied to the elected House of Representatives, which is based in the eastern cities of Tobruk and Al-Bayda. \n\nSeveral other militias, however, are active in the south of the country. \n\nThis week marks the seventh week since Haftar's offensive to seize the capital. Rival militias are currently fighting with \"non-stop shelling\" heard from the front line. \n\nA high number of casualties have been reported on both sides. \n\nBoth the UN and EU have called for both parties to initiate an \"immediate ceasefire\". The Government of National Accord, however, has announced that is ready for a \"massive military offensive\" with Haftar calling on government forces to join his LNA. \n\nAs it stands, said Borges, there is \"no end in sight\" for this conflict. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Putting unstable Libya in charge of managing Europe-seeking migrants is like \"a sick doctor being asked to treat patients\".<\/p>\n<p>That was the claim of the country's interior minister, Fathi Bashagha, during an interview with Euronews' Anelise Borges.<\/p>\n<p>\"Libya has internal problems,\" he said. \"Since the state fell apart Libya has not been able to provide adequate services even for Libyans.<\/p>\n<p>\"The EU demands Libya secures the coast, fights human traffickers, cares and pays for illegal migrants in accordance with international standards... you know Libya has many other problems, service problems, security problems, terrorism problems, economic problems.\"<\/p>\n<h2>Sliding towards full-scale civil war<\/h2>\n<p>In recent weeks fighting has intensified in Libya, the \"gateway\" for many migrants prepared to risk their lives to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.<\/p>\n<p>Hundreds of people have been killed as head of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive to seize Tripoli, the nation's capital.<\/p>\n<p>During this time, migration flows through the country are still a major cause for concern. During a lull in the fighting earlier this month, the Libyan coastguard detained more than 100 people attempting to reach Europe.<\/p>\n<h2>EU-Libya migration deal<\/h2>\n<p>Due to a deal signed between the European Union and Libya in 2017, all migrants caught trying to reach Europe on the Mediterranean Sea are placed in detention centres.<\/p>\n<p>In December 2018 a damning <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////unsmil.unmissions.org//sites//default//files//libya-migration-report-18dec2018.pdf/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">UN report<\/a> found that migrants detained in Libya were subject to violence, forced labour, and even gang rape.<\/p>\n<p>Rights workers on the ground have confirmed that similar abuses are happening in these detention centres today.<\/p>\n<h2>How did Libya get to this stage?<\/h2>\n<p>Bashagha told Euronews the task that the EU had given Libya was massive for a country that has known nothing but conflict for the past eight years.<\/p>\n<p>Since the ousting of Gadaffi in 2011, it has seen political fragmentation. The rise of militias grappling for power has rendered sufficient provision for its citizens untenable.<\/p>\n<p>It is estimated that <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////borgenproject.org//causes-of-poverty-in-libya///" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">one-third<\/a> of the Libyan population live on or below the poverty line.<\/p>\n<p>Libya, says Bashagha, is a \"sick doctor that is being asked to treat patients\". It was not even able to provide services for Libyans, let alone migrants.<\/p>\n<p>\"If Europe is not happy with the work it [Libya] is doing it should take over and do it itself,\" said Euronews' Borges.<\/p>\n<h2>What's happening at the moment?<\/h2>\n<p>Currently, the UN-backed Government of National Accord, led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, is holding Tripoli.<\/p>\n<p>Haftar's LNA however, is allied to the elected House of Representatives, which is based in the eastern cities of Tobruk and Al-Bayda.<\/p>\n<p>Several other militias, however, are active in the south of the country.<\/p>\n<p>This week marks the seventh week since Haftar's offensive to seize the capital. Rival militias are currently fighting with \"non-stop shelling\" heard from the front line.<\/p>\n<p>A high number of casualties have been reported on both sides.<\/p>\n<p>Both the UN and EU have called for both parties to initiate an \"immediate ceasefire\". The Government of National Accord, however, has announced that is ready for a \"massive military offensive\" with Haftar calling on government forces to join his LNA.<\/p>\n<p>As it stands, said Borges, there is \"no end in sight\" for this conflict.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1558428462,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1558440618,"firstPublishedAt":1558440623,"lastPublishedAt":1558442406,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/90\/53\/82\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_c5001a3c-2b2f-5918-8a33-b85706c04707-3905382.jpg","altText":"A fighter fires a heavy machine gun during clashes with Haftar's forces","caption":"A fighter fires a heavy machine gun during clashes with Haftar's forces","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"REUTERS\/Goran Tomasevic","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3500,"height":2220}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":1576,"urlSafeValue":"barry","title":"Sinead Barry","twitter":null}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":15810,"slug":"gme","urlSafeValue":"gme","title":"GME","titleRaw":"GME"},{"id":11268,"slug":"from-our-correspondents","urlSafeValue":"from-our-correspondents","title":"From our correspondents","titleRaw":"From our correspondents"}],"widgets":[],"related":[{"id":720596}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"Bi-GiYG0rGM","dailymotionId":"x78xlk2"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/WB\/SU\/19\/05\/21\/en\/190521_WBSU_7823408_7823412_287440_110249_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":287440,"filesizeBytes":28171359,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Anelise Borges ","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_facebook_2021','neg_mobkoi_castrol','castrol_negative_uk','gs_politics','neg_facebook_q4','sm_politics','gv_crime','neg_facebook_neg1','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','neg_saudiaramco','gt_negative','gs_politics_misc','gv_military','gs_health_misc','gt_negative_anger','gv_death_injury','gs_health','gt_negative_fear','gs_society_misc','gs_society','gs_law_misc'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2019\/05\/21\/libya-is-a-sick-doctor-being-asked-to-treat-patients-says-interior-minister","lastModified":1558442406},{"id":763500,"cid":3903564,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"190520_WBSU_7812079","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"WEB LIBYA GME PACKAGE","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"'They sprayed the room with bullets': migrants in Libyan detention centres living in fear","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"'They started to shoot\": NGOs raise alarm on Libyan detention centres","titleListing2":"'They sprayed the room with bullets': migrants in Libyan detention centres living in fear","leadin":"Migrants and refugees caught in the Mediterranean are brought back to Libya and kept in detention centres where they are particularly vulnerable.","summary":"Migrants and refugees caught in the Mediterranean are brought back to Libya and kept in detention centres where they are particularly vulnerable.","keySentence":"","url":"they-sprayed-the-room-with-bullets-migrants-in-libyan-detention-centres-living-in-fear","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/05\/20\/they-sprayed-the-room-with-bullets-migrants-in-libyan-detention-centres-living-in-fear","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Humanitarian organisations are raising the alarm about the dire situation for migrants and refugees stuck in detention centres in and around Tripoli, where heavy clashes have been ongoing for the past six weeks, and demand they be evacuated from Libya as soon as possible. \n\nMigrants and refugees intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea while attempting the illegal crossing to Europe are taken to Libya, as per a deal struck in 2016 between the European Union and the North African country. They are then kept in detention centres to await repatriation or deportation. \n\nAbout 20 such detention centres are thought exist in the country. Tripoli and its surroundings count five of them but they host about half of the 6,000 people detained in such centres across Libya. \n\nOften foreign nationals with nowhere else to go or anyone to turn to, they are particularly exposed to the fighting between the forces loyal to the Tripoli-based UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) and those who support the eastern Libyan National Army (LNA) led by the rebel general Khalifa Haftar \n\nNGOs including Human Rights Watch (HWR) and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have condemned reports of torture, deprivation of food and medical care, extortion and sexual violence at the detention centres and have warned that conditions have grown direr since the LNA launched an offensive in early April to capture Tripoli. \n\nREAD MORE: Military assault on Tripoli is \"in public's interest', says Libyan rebel group \n\n'Sprayed the room with bullets' \n\nDetainees at a centre in Tajoura, an eastern suburb of Tripoli, told HWR that they have been forced to repair military vehicles at a nearby militia facility, and to load, unload, and clean weapons. \n\nThe Qasr Ben Geshir detention centre, about 24 kilometres south of Tripoli, was attacked by armed men on April 23. It remains unclear who carried out the attack and how many were impacted although several people are thought to have died and dozens are believed to have been injured. \n\nMunir, an Eritrean asylum seeker, and his son saw the attack first hand. \n\n\"People with arms came to us and wanted to take our cellphones and our money. We were divided into three groups,\" he recounted to Euronews. \n\n\"In the first room, they took the phones and money. In the second room, where a group of Christians were praying with a priest, the armed men barged in and told them to stop. They said they wouldn't and that's when they started to shoot,\" he carried on. \n\n\"Eighteen or 20 people were injured by bullets. People began screaming. And then the took their machine guns and just sprayed the room with bullets,\" he added. \n\nMunir and his family escaped the facility and were given refuge at a school-turned-shelter in the centre of Tripoli. He hopes to take his family to \"a safe country where my children can get an education.\" \n\n\"My only ambition is to reach a safe country where I can speak freely, and express myself. But if it was my choice, I would go to United States, Canada or England,\" he added. \n\n'Not built to house people' \n\nBetween April 4, when the offensive started, and April 25, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) evacuated four detention centres, including Qasr Ben Geshir, but detainees are taken to other, more secure, detention centres. \n\nMSF is demanding that they are instead evacuated out of the country. \n\n\"Detention centres were not built to house people. They\u2019re often warehouses that have now been used for the storage of people instead of for goods,\" Sam Turner, MSF's head of Mission for Libya, told Euronews. \n\n\"We sometimes call the cells, hangars, due to being a big, long, open rooms where hundreds of people are packed in and locked inside. People are sleeping on concrete floors with sometimes a very thin mattress with very little access to the outside world,\" he detailed. \n\n1.6 million \n\nThe World Health Organisation estimated early last week that at least 454 people had been killed and 2,150 were injured since Haftar launched his offensive on April 4. \n\nThe UN's Support Mission in Libya (USMIL) and the EU once again called for a cease-fire last week, warning the parties involved that \"indiscriminate attacks on civilians & civilian infrastructure may amount war crimes.\" \n\nBut fighting over the weekend claimed the lives of an additional 50 people, local sources told Euronews' Anelise Borges. \n\nAccording to UNICEF , a UN agency for the protection of children, the seven years of protracted conflict have affected 1.6 million people, with half of them, including 241,000 children, needing humanitarian assistance. \n\nREAD MORE: Clashes on outskirts of Libya's capital Tripoli kill 15 \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Humanitarian organisations are raising the alarm about the dire situation for migrants and refugees stuck in detention centres in and around Tripoli, where heavy clashes have been ongoing for the past six weeks, and demand they be evacuated from Libya as soon as possible.<\/p>\n<p>Migrants and refugees intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea while attempting the illegal crossing to Europe are taken to Libya, as per a deal struck in 2016 between the European Union and the North African country. They are then kept in detention centres to await repatriation or deportation.<\/p>\n<p>About 20 such detention centres are thought exist in the country. Tripoli and its surroundings count five of them but they host about half of the 6,000 people detained in such centres across Libya.<\/p>\n<p>Often foreign nationals with nowhere else to go or anyone to turn to, they are particularly exposed to the fighting between the forces loyal to the Tripoli-based UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) and those who support the eastern Libyan National Army (LNA) led by the rebel general Khalifa Haftar<\/p>\n<p>NGOs including Human Rights Watch (HWR) and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have condemned reports of torture, deprivation of food and medical care, extortion and sexual violence at the detention centres and have warned that conditions have grown direr since the LNA launched an offensive in early April to capture Tripoli.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2019//04//08//military-assault-on-tripoli-is-in-public-s-interest-says-libyan-rebel-group/">READ MORE: Military assault on Tripoli is \"in public's interest', says Libyan rebel group<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>'Sprayed the room with bullets'<\/h2>\n<p>Detainees at a centre in Tajoura, an eastern suburb of Tripoli, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.hrw.org//news//2019//04//25//libya-detained-migrants-risk-tripoli-clashes/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">told HWR<\/a> that they have been forced to repair military vehicles at a nearby militia facility, and to load, unload, and clean weapons.<\/p>\n<p>The Qasr Ben Geshir detention centre, about 24 kilometres south of Tripoli, was attacked by armed men on April 23. It remains unclear who carried out the attack and how many were impacted although several people are thought to have died and dozens are believed to have been injured.<\/p>\n<p>Munir, an Eritrean asylum seeker, and his son saw the attack first hand.<\/p>\n<p>\"People with arms came to us and wanted to take our cellphones and our money. We were divided into three groups,\" he recounted to Euronews.<\/p>\n<p>\"In the first room, they took the phones and money. In the second room, where a group of Christians were praying with a priest, the armed men barged in and told them to stop. They said they wouldn't and that's when they started to shoot,\" he carried on.<\/p>\n<p>\"Eighteen or 20 people were injured by bullets. People began screaming. And then the took their machine guns and just sprayed the room with bullets,\" he added.<\/p>\n<p>Munir and his family escaped the facility and were given refuge at a school-turned-shelter in the centre of Tripoli. He hopes to take his family to \"a safe country where my children can get an education.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"My only ambition is to reach a safe country where I can speak freely, and express myself. But if it was my choice, I would go to United States, Canada or England,\" he added.<\/p>\n<h2>'Not built to house people'<\/h2>\n<p>Between April 4, when the offensive started, and April 25, the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.unhcr.org//news//press//2019//4//5cc09a824//unhcr-evacuates-hundreds-detained-refugees-libya-safety.html#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)<\/a> evacuated four detention centres, including Qasr Ben Geshir, but detainees are taken to other, more secure, detention centres.<\/p>\n<p>MSF is demanding that they are instead evacuated out of the country.<\/p>\n<p>\"Detention centres were not built to house people. They\u2019re often warehouses that have now been used for the storage of people instead of for goods,\" Sam Turner, MSF's head of Mission for Libya, told Euronews.<\/p>\n<p>\"We sometimes call the cells, hangars, due to being a big, long, open rooms where hundreds of people are packed in and locked inside. People are sleeping on concrete floors with sometimes a very thin mattress with very little access to the outside world,\" he detailed.<\/p>\n<h2>1.6 million<\/h2>\n<p>The World Health Organisation estimated early last week that at least 454 people had been killed and 2,150 were injured since Haftar launched his offensive on April 4.<\/p>\n<p>The UN's Support Mission in Libya (USMIL) and the EU once again called for a cease-fire last week, warning the parties involved that \"indiscriminate attacks on civilians & civilian infrastructure may amount war crimes.\"<\/p>\n<p>But fighting over the weekend claimed the lives of an additional 50 people, local sources told Euronews' Anelise Borges.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.unicef.org//appeals//files//UNICEF_Libya_Humanitarian_SitRep_March_2019.pdf/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">UNICEF<\/a>, a UN agency for the protection of children, the seven years of protracted conflict have affected 1.6 million people, with half of them, including 241,000 children, needing humanitarian assistance.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2019//05//18//deadly-clashes-on-outskirts-of-libya-s-capital-tripoli/">READ MORE: Clashes on outskirts of Libya's capital Tripoli kill 15<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<!-- oovvuu widget is now deprecated -->\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1558356424,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1558366356,"firstPublishedAt":1558366358,"lastPublishedAt":1558366796,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/90\/35\/64\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_7211fb2a-c829-5a87-86aa-d69bd9d2e7ed-3903564.jpg","altText":"A fighter loyal to Libya's GNA on the outskirts of Tripoli on May 16, 2019.","caption":"A fighter loyal to Libya's GNA on the outskirts of Tripoli on May 16, 2019.","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"REUTERS\/Goran Tomasevic","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3500,"height":2663}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":1443,"urlSafeValue":"anelise-borges","title":"Anelise Borges","twitter":"@AnneliseBorges"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":16833,"slug":"tripoli","urlSafeValue":"tripoli","title":"Tripoli","titleRaw":"Tripoli"},{"id":14820,"slug":"khalifa-haftar","urlSafeValue":"khalifa-haftar","title":"Khalifa Haftar","titleRaw":"Khalifa Haftar"},{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":13190,"slug":"migrants","urlSafeValue":"migrants","title":"Migrants","titleRaw":"Migrants"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"oovvuu","count":"0"}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":0,"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/w8jU3CHydfE","startDate":0,"endDate":0,"ratio":"16x9"}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Alice Tidey","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_facebook_2021','neg_mobkoi_castrol','castrol_negative_uk','neg_facebook','neg_mobkoi_feb2021','neg_nespresso','neg_facebook_q4','neg_saudiaramco','gt_negative','neg_bucherer','neg_facebook_neg1','gv_death_injury','gs_society','gv_crime','gv_arms','gs_law_misc','gs_society_misc','gs_law','gt_negative_fear','gt_negative_anger','gs_society_charity','gv_military','gs_politics','gs_health_misc'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2019\/05\/20\/they-sprayed-the-room-with-bullets-migrants-in-libyan-detention-centres-living-in-fear","lastModified":1558366796},{"id":761946,"cid":3898616,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"190518_NWSU_7794570","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"LIBYA ASLIVE ANNELISE","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"Clashes on outskirts of Libya's capital Tripoli kill 15","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Clashes on outskirts of Libya's capital Tripoli kill 15","titleListing2":"Clashes on outskirts of Libya's capital Tripoli kill 15","leadin":"At least 15 fighters under the command of strongman Khalifa Haftar were killed in clashes with forces linked to the UN-recognised government.","summary":"At least 15 fighters under the command of strongman Khalifa Haftar were killed in clashes with forces linked to the UN-recognised government.","keySentence":"","url":"deadly-clashes-on-outskirts-of-libya-s-capital-tripoli","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/05\/18\/deadly-clashes-on-outskirts-of-libya-s-capital-tripoli","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"At least 15 fighters under the command of strongman Khalifa Haftar were killed in clashes with forces linked to the UN-recognized government in Tripoli, a security source told the Spanish news agency Efe on Saturday. \n\nIf Haftar, who controls eastern Libya, manages to conquer Tripoli, he will gain control of most of Libya. \n\nThe clashes were fought on Friday around the town of Kasr ben Ghashir, one of the axes that lead to the former international airport of Tripoli, of important strategic value. \n\nSimilar battles were also fought in the neighbouring area of \u200b\u200bAl Saba, where fighters from the UN-recognised government of Fayez al-Serraj managed to capture three enemy soldiers, the source added. \n\nIn response, forces under Haftar's command bombed various positions in the neighbourhoods of Ain Zara and Yarmouk, located in the southern outskirts of the capital, next to the airport. \n\nSince 2011 when Libya's dictator Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed, Libya has descended into factional fighting. If Haftar, who controls eastern Libya, manages to conquer Tripoli he will gain control of most of Libya. \n\nOn Friday Euronews spoke to residents of Tripoli who gather each week in the centre of the city and protest against Haftar's offensive. \n\n\"We are protesting the act of conquest of Tripoli on behalf of that war criminal called Haftar,\" one man told Euronews. \n\n\"We don\u2019t want death, we don\u2019t want destruction, we want Libyans to live in peace and prosperity,\" a young woman said. \n\nAnother man said: \"This is the new generation and the future of the country. They shouldn\u2019t be growing up to take up arms. The army\u2019s time in Libya is finished. We need to start a modern civil state.\" \n\n","htmlText":"<p>At least 15 fighters under the command of strongman Khalifa Haftar were killed in clashes with forces linked to the UN-recognized government in Tripoli, a security source told the Spanish news agency Efe on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>If Haftar, who controls eastern Libya, manages to conquer Tripoli, he will gain control of most of Libya.<\/p>\n<p>The clashes were fought on Friday around the town of Kasr ben Ghashir, one of the axes that lead to the former international airport of Tripoli, of important strategic value.<\/p>\n<p>Similar battles were also fought in the neighbouring area of \u200b\u200bAl Saba, where fighters from the UN-recognised government of Fayez al-Serraj managed to capture three enemy soldiers, the source added.<\/p>\n<p>In response, forces under Haftar's command bombed various positions in the neighbourhoods of Ain Zara and Yarmouk, located in the southern outskirts of the capital, next to the airport.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2011 when Libya's dictator Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed, Libya has descended into factional fighting. If Haftar, who controls eastern Libya, manages to conquer Tripoli he will gain control of most of Libya.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1129441177827254272\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>On Friday Euronews spoke to residents of Tripoli who gather each week in the centre of the city and protest against Haftar's offensive.<\/p>\n<p>\"We are protesting the act of conquest of Tripoli on behalf of that war criminal called Haftar,\" one man told Euronews.<\/p>\n<p>\"We don\u2019t want death, we don\u2019t want destruction, we want Libyans to live in peace and prosperity,\" a young woman said.<\/p>\n<p>Another man said: \"This is the new generation and the future of the country. They shouldn\u2019t be growing up to take up arms. The army\u2019s time in Libya is finished. We need to start a modern civil state.\"<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1558169925,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1558181530,"firstPublishedAt":1558181532,"lastPublishedAt":1558181634,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/89\/86\/26\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_ac6eb236-b6af-5eb3-95dd-50a5a7cd3ea1-3898626.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":960,"height":540}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":1074,"urlSafeValue":"bellamy","title":"Daniel Bellamy","twitter":"danbel"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10515,"slug":"libyan-war","urlSafeValue":"libyan-war","title":"Libyan war","titleRaw":"Libyan war"},{"id":10053,"slug":"reports-from-libya","urlSafeValue":"reports-from-libya","title":"Reports from Libya","titleRaw":"Reports from Libya"},{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"twitter","count":1}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"N6OhFI3blNw","dailymotionId":"x78nzs3"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/NW\/SU\/19\/05\/18\/en\/190518_NWSU_7794570_7795017_128000_142007_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":128000,"filesizeBytes":12549209,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"EFE","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":{"id":2182,"urlSafeValue":"tripoli","title":"Tripoli"},"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_facebook_2021','neg_facebook','neg_facebook_q4','castrol_negative_uk','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_facebook_neg1','neg_nespresso','neg_mobkoi_fb-weareonit_fs_28feb2019','neg_saudiaramco','neg_mobkoi_feb2021','gs_society_misc','gs_society','gv_death_injury','gt_negative'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2019\/05\/18\/deadly-clashes-on-outskirts-of-libya-s-capital-tripoli","lastModified":1558181634},{"id":755808,"cid":3884264,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"190511_NWSU_7712923","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"UNSC LIBYA","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"Libya calls for help against rebel offensive","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"","titleListing2":"Libya calls for help against rebel offensive","leadin":"The Libyan government calls for international support to halt the Eastern rebels\u2019 assault on Tripoli.","summary":"The Libyan government calls for international support to halt the Eastern rebels\u2019 assault on Tripoli.","keySentence":"","url":"libya-calls-for-help-against-rebel-offensive","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/05\/11\/libya-calls-for-help-against-rebel-offensive","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Libya\u2019s internationally recognised government has called on the United States to halt the military offensive on Tripoli that is being led by rebel forces in the East. \n\nPrime Minister Fayez Serraj told the Wall Street Journal that Libya did not want to return to a Gaddafi style regime and that Khalifa Haftar is an aspiring dictator. He called on the U.S. to use its influence in the region to stop countries such as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates supporting the offensive. \n\nThe United Nations says mediation is the solution to the conflict. Indonesia's U.N. Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, who is acting president of the Security Council, said after a meeting to discuss the crisis: \"The Security Council calls for all parties rapidly to return to United Nations political mediation and to commit to a ceasefire and de-escalation to help mediation succeed.\" \n\nHundreds of Libyans are believed to have been killed since the latest offensive began in early April. Eastern leader Khaftar claims credit for driving out Islamic State forces from the region. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Libya\u2019s internationally recognised government has called on the United States to halt the military offensive on Tripoli that is being led by rebel forces in the East.<\/p>\n<p>Prime Minister Fayez Serraj told the Wall Street Journal that Libya did not want to return to a Gaddafi style regime and that Khalifa Haftar is an aspiring dictator. He called on the U.S. to use its influence in the region to stop countries such as Egypt and the United Arab Emirates supporting the offensive.<\/p>\n<p>The United Nations says mediation is the solution to the conflict. Indonesia's U.N. Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, who is acting president of the Security Council, said after a meeting to discuss the crisis: \"The Security Council calls for all parties rapidly to return to United Nations political mediation and to commit to a ceasefire and de-escalation to help mediation succeed.\"<\/p>\n<p>Hundreds of Libyans are believed to have been killed since the latest offensive began in early April. Eastern leader Khaftar claims credit for driving out Islamic State forces from the region.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1557525947,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1557554676,"firstPublishedAt":1557554679,"lastPublishedAt":1557563467,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/88\/42\/68\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_fc3db0bb-adfb-5fea-a91d-7f5a31803993-3884268.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"REUTERS\/Ayman Al-Sahili","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3500,"height":2334}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10515,"slug":"libyan-war","urlSafeValue":"libyan-war","title":"Libyan war","titleRaw":"Libyan war"},{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":10495,"slug":"libyan-army","urlSafeValue":"libyan-army","title":"Libyan army","titleRaw":"Libyan army"},{"id":10831,"slug":"un","urlSafeValue":"un","title":"UN","titleRaw":"UN"},{"id":5110,"slug":"ceasefire","urlSafeValue":"ceasefire","title":"Ceasefire","titleRaw":"Ceasefire"}],"widgets":[],"related":[{"id":758414}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"UZTeb2k8cbo","dailymotionId":"x780hfs"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/NW\/SU\/19\/05\/11\/en\/190511_NWSU_7712923_7713021_64000_074200_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":64000,"filesizeBytes":6293355,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":null,"additionalReporting":null,"freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'gs_politics','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','gs_politics_misc','sm_politics','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_nespresso','castrol_negative_uk','neg_facebook_q4','neg_facebook_2021','neg_audi_list2','gt_negative','gv_terrorism','gv_death_injury'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2019\/05\/11\/libya-calls-for-help-against-rebel-offensive","lastModified":1557563467},{"id":724102,"cid":3789558,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"190409_NWSU_7325383","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"OIL PRICES RISE LIBYA","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"Oil prices, Libyan tensions and everyday petrol. How is the EU affected?","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Oil prices, Libya and everyday petrol. How is the EU affected?","titleListing2":"Oil prices, Libyan tensions and everyday petrol. How is the EU affected?","leadin":"Euronews spoke to experts to find out if the conflict in Libya will affect oil prices in the future and if the European Union is preparing for such events.","summary":"Euronews spoke to experts to find out if the conflict in Libya will affect oil prices in the future and if the European Union is preparing for such events.","keySentence":"","url":"oil-prices-libyan-tensions-and-everyday-petrol-how-is-the-eu-affected","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/05\/03\/oil-prices-libyan-tensions-and-everyday-petrol-how-is-the-eu-affected","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Oil prices have recently risen to their highest since November 2018, but they're still fluctuating daily. Why? \n\nThe rise is linked to many factors, including U.S. sanctions against Iran and Venezuela, OPEC\u2019s supply cuts and the escalating conflict in Libya, where the Libyan National Army (LNA) is at odds with the internationally recognised Libyan government, and both are at odds with various militias. \n\nBrent futures are still exceeding $70 (62\u20ac) a barrel, increasing the price by 0.5% at the beginning of April. Since then, the price has kept increasing, coming to $70.58 (\u20ac63.27) a barrel today (3 May). \n\nLibya has the largest proven reserves of oil in Africa and in the 70s the country used to produce more than 3 million barrels per day. \n\nIn 2017, its oil represented 0.9% of global productions, with the country producing more than 40 million tonnes of oil, or 817.3 thousand barrels a day. \n\nSince 2011, Libya's political environment has had severe effects on the country's oil production, therefore impacting its price worldwide. \n\nEuronews spoke to experts to find out if the conflict will affect oil prices in the future and if the European Union is preparing for such events. \n\nWhat drives oil prices? \n\nDr. Mamdouh G. Salameh, an international oil economist and one of the world's leading experts on oil, explains there are many different factors that influence oil prices. \n\n\"The major drivers of oil prices are global economic growth, rising global oil demand, China\u2019s accelerating oil demand, technology and geopolitical events affecting production or leading to a disruption of production in one of the major oil-producing nations, or a closure of one of the global oil chokepoints.\" \n\nGeopolitical events often cause issues over oil access and rising tensions in oil-producing countries like Libya threaten oil supplies and can sometimes cause prices to increase. \n\nThis is because access to the country can become difficult, and means of transportation can be disrupted in times of conflict. \n\n\"When the civil war started in Libya in 2011, it impacted very adversely on oil prices because it reduced Libya\u2019s production from 1.6 million barrels a day to less than 300,000 barrels a day, thus depriving the global oil market of some 1.3 million barrels a day\", says Salameh. \n\nEarlier this year, Khalifa Haftar, the head of the Libyan National Army (LNA), took control of the Al-Sharara oilfield situated near Tripoli and stopped its production process. \n\nThe field is one of Libya\u2019s biggest, normally producing 315,000 barrels a day - a third of Libya\u2019s global production. \n\nThe LNA also took the El-Feel oilfield, meaning they now have control over the most important oilfields in Libya. \n\nBellow is an illustration of Libya's oil and gas infrastructure where El-Sharara and El-Feel are represented. \n\nOil shocks \n\nInternational events affecting oil prices is not new. In fact, since the 70s, oil prices have been disturbed by a series of 'oil shocks'. \n\nOne of the most notorious events that caused an oil crisis is the Gulf War, when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. \n\nOil production decreased massively, causing a substantial price rise. The price more than doubled in the space of four months. \n\nAfter the Gulf War, oil prices started to decline, and in 1999, they reached their lowest level since 1973. \n\nAccording to Salameh. the current situation in Libya is unlikely to cause such a shock or affect oil prices that significantly. \n\n\"Currently and for the foreseeable future, Libya\u2019s erratic production will have very limited impact on oil prices since the global oil market has already factored in the possibility of a total collapse of Libya\u2019s production,\" he says. \n\nWhat\u2019s the impact on the EU? \n\nThe EU is heavily dependent on other countries for oil. It is considered to be a net importer of energy products, meaning it imports more products than it exports. \n\nIn 2018, crude oil counted for the highest share of imports of energy products in the EU, with 70% of crude oil imports in the first semester of 2018, according to Eurostat. 28% of oil imports came from Russia, 11% from Norway and 6.7% from the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. \n\nThe EU's dependency on external countries for oil means that any kind of disruption in these countries contains a risk of oil prices to go up. \n\nBut EU officials know their reliance on external sources is as a problem. They have prepared themselves for disruptions by diversify their supply sources. This makes the market more secure and allows the EU to become more independent. It also enables the EU to switch supplies quickly in case of disruptions. \n\n\"It is a very important issue for the EU economically and geopolitically to find itself dependent on Russian natural gas supplies to the tune of 40% and also on oil imports to the tune of 92%\". Dr. Salameh explains. \n\n\"There are no short\u2013term solutions to this. Any solutions like diversification of energy sources and increasing reliance on renewable energy particularly solar energy, wind and geothermal energy are long-term\", he adds. \n\nIs renewable energy the solution? \n\nSalameh says the EU cannot replace our needs in fossil fuels with renewable energy. \n\n\"Unfortunately, renewable energy on its own will never be enough in both the short-term and the long-term to provide the EU with its energy needs. For instance, renewable energy accounted for only 8% of total primary energy that the EU needed in 2018 compared with 37% for oil, 23% for gas, 15% for coal, 10% for nuclear energy and 7% for hydro-electricity.\" \n\nBut EU officials are more optimistic. \n\nMost of the renewable energy the EU uses is produced within Europe. EU officials say that by producing more renewable energy in Europe, we become less dependent on the import of fossil fuel. \n\nThe European Commission's effort to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy is part of the clean energy transition . It's aim is to make European member states more sustainable and less reliant on imported fossil fuels. \n\nIn the long run, the EU wants to produce its energy locally, whilst still encouraging global production, to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Oil prices have recently risen to their highest since November 2018, but they're still fluctuating daily. Why?<\/p>\n<p>The rise is linked to many factors, including U.S. sanctions against Iran and Venezuela, OPEC\u2019s supply cuts and the escalating conflict in Libya, where the Libyan National Army (LNA) is at odds with the internationally recognised Libyan government, and both are at odds with various militias.<\/p>\n<p>Brent futures are still exceeding $70 (62\u20ac) a barrel, increasing the price by 0.5% at the beginning of April. Since then, the price has kept increasing, coming to $70.58 (\u20ac63.27) a barrel today (3 May).<\/p>\n<div data-oembed-url=\"https:\/\/infogram.com\/1pgpwq9q0vj1veb9377l1gpkyjhw0ewkxr9?live\" class=\"widget widget--type-infogram widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <div class=\"infogram-embed\" data-id=\"_\/w9i9aDveBZ6THaHmRVj3\" data-type=\"interactive\" data-title=\"Brent Crude Oil Price \"><\/div><script>!function(e,t,s,i){var n=\"InfogramEmbeds\",o=e.getElementsByTagName(\"script\")[0],d=\/^http:\/.test(e.location)?\"http:\":\"https:\";if(\/^\\\/{2}\/.test(i)&&(i=d+i),window[n]&&window[n].initialized)window[n].process&&window[n].process();else if(!e.getElementById(s)){var r=e.createElement(\"script\");r.async=1,r.id=s,r.src=i,o.parentNode.insertBefore(r,o)}}(document,0,\"infogram-async\",\"https:\/\/e.infogram.com\/js\/dist\/embed-loader-min.js\");<\/script> \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Libya has the largest proven reserves of oil in Africa and in the 70s the country used to produce more than 3 million barrels per day.<\/p>\n<p>In 2017, its oil represented 0.9% of global productions, with the country producing more than 40 million tonnes of oil, or 817.3 thousand barrels a day.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2011, Libya's political environment has had severe effects on the country's oil production, therefore impacting its price worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>Euronews spoke to experts to find out if the conflict will affect oil prices in the future and if the European Union is preparing for such events.<\/p>\n<h2>What drives oil prices?<\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Mamdouh G. Salameh, an international oil economist and one of the world's leading experts on oil, explains there are many different factors that influence oil prices.<\/p>\n<p>\"The major drivers of oil prices are global economic growth, rising global oil demand, China\u2019s accelerating oil demand, technology and geopolitical events affecting production or leading to a disruption of production in one of the major oil-producing nations, or a closure of one of the global oil chokepoints.\"<\/p>\n<p>Geopolitical events often cause issues over oil access and rising tensions in oil-producing countries like Libya threaten oil supplies and can sometimes cause prices to increase.<\/p>\n<p>This is because access to the country can become difficult, and means of transportation can be disrupted in times of conflict.<\/p>\n<p>\"When the civil war started in Libya in 2011, it impacted very adversely on oil prices because it reduced Libya\u2019s production from 1.6 million barrels a day to less than 300,000 barrels a day, thus depriving the global oil market of some 1.3 million barrels a day\", says Salameh.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this year, Khalifa Haftar, the head of the Libyan National Army (LNA), took control of the Al-Sharara oilfield situated near Tripoli and stopped its production process.<\/p>\n<p>The field is one of Libya\u2019s biggest, normally producing 315,000 barrels a day - a third of Libya\u2019s global production.<\/p>\n<p>The LNA also took the El-Feel oilfield, meaning they now have control over the most important oilfields in Libya.<\/p>\n<p>Bellow is an illustration of Libya's oil and gas infrastructure where El-Sharara and El-Feel are represented.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-xlarge widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.7722222222222223\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//03//78//95//58//606x470_cmsv2_7b0170b8-84ac-5a0b-8e0b-39caa73686e8-3789558.jpg/" alt=\"Wikimedia\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/384x297_cmsv2_7b0170b8-84ac-5a0b-8e0b-39caa73686e8-3789558.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/640x494_cmsv2_7b0170b8-84ac-5a0b-8e0b-39caa73686e8-3789558.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/750x579_cmsv2_7b0170b8-84ac-5a0b-8e0b-39caa73686e8-3789558.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/828x639_cmsv2_7b0170b8-84ac-5a0b-8e0b-39caa73686e8-3789558.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/1080x834_cmsv2_7b0170b8-84ac-5a0b-8e0b-39caa73686e8-3789558.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/1200x927_cmsv2_7b0170b8-84ac-5a0b-8e0b-39caa73686e8-3789558.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/1920x1483_cmsv2_7b0170b8-84ac-5a0b-8e0b-39caa73686e8-3789558.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 45vw, 550px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Infrastructure of Libya: oil an gas fields, refineries and pipelines<\/span>\n <a class=\"widget__captionCredit\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.eia.gov//about//copyrights_reuse.php/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wikimedia<\/a>\n <a class=\"widget__sourceLink\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"http:////www.eia.gov//countries//cab.cfm?fips=ly\%22 target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">eia Beta<\/a>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>Oil shocks<\/h2>\n<p>International events affecting oil prices is not new. In fact, since the 70s, oil prices have been disturbed by a series of 'oil shocks'.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most notorious events that caused an oil crisis is the Gulf War, when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.<\/p>\n<p>Oil production decreased massively, causing a substantial price rise. The price more than doubled in the space of four months.<\/p>\n<p>After the Gulf War, oil prices started to decline, and in 1999, they reached their lowest level since 1973.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//03//78//95//58//808x454_cmsv2_5eca5cb9-294f-5802-b9e1-404225762bd6-3789558.jpg/" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/384x216_cmsv2_5eca5cb9-294f-5802-b9e1-404225762bd6-3789558.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/640x360_cmsv2_5eca5cb9-294f-5802-b9e1-404225762bd6-3789558.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/750x422_cmsv2_5eca5cb9-294f-5802-b9e1-404225762bd6-3789558.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/828x466_cmsv2_5eca5cb9-294f-5802-b9e1-404225762bd6-3789558.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/1080x608_cmsv2_5eca5cb9-294f-5802-b9e1-404225762bd6-3789558.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/1200x675_cmsv2_5eca5cb9-294f-5802-b9e1-404225762bd6-3789558.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/1920x1080_cmsv2_5eca5cb9-294f-5802-b9e1-404225762bd6-3789558.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">U.S. Energy Information Administration, Thomson Reuters<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>According to Salameh. the current situation in Libya is unlikely to cause such a shock or affect oil prices that significantly.<\/p>\n<p>\"Currently and for the foreseeable future, Libya\u2019s erratic production will have very limited impact on oil prices since the global oil market has already factored in the possibility of a total collapse of Libya\u2019s production,\" he says.<\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s the impact on the EU?<\/h2>\n<p>The EU is heavily dependent on other countries for oil. It is considered to be a net importer of energy products, meaning it imports more products than it exports.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, crude oil counted for the highest share of imports of energy products in the EU, with 70% of crude oil imports in the first semester of 2018, according to Eurostat. 28% of oil imports came from Russia, 11% from Norway and 6.7% from the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.<\/p>\n<div data-oembed-url=\"https:\/\/infogram.com\/1p62k9pq6n25m0t5jz9dyynk6ru321ldyp2?live\" class=\"widget widget--type-infogram widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <div class=\"infogram-embed\" data-id=\"77129e87-e79b-44f3-9894-f7b90b52da71\" data-type=\"interactive\" data-title=\"\"><\/div><script>!function(e,t,s,i){var n=\"InfogramEmbeds\",o=e.getElementsByTagName(\"script\")[0],d=\/^http:\/.test(e.location)?\"http:\":\"https:\";if(\/^\\\/{2}\/.test(i)&&(i=d+i),window[n]&&window[n].initialized)window[n].process&&window[n].process();else if(!e.getElementById(s)){var r=e.createElement(\"script\");r.async=1,r.id=s,r.src=i,o.parentNode.insertBefore(r,o)}}(document,0,\"infogram-async\",\"https:\/\/e.infogram.com\/js\/dist\/embed-loader-min.js\");<\/script><div style=\"padding:8px 0;font-family:Arial!important;font-size:13px!important;line-height:15px!important;text-align:center;border-top:1px solid #dadada;margin:0 30px\"><br><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////infogram.com/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" style=\"color:#989898!important;text-decoration:none!important;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Infogram<\/a><\/div> \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The EU's dependency on external countries for oil means that any kind of disruption in these countries contains a risk of oil prices to go up.<\/p>\n<p>But EU officials know their reliance on external sources is as a problem. They have prepared themselves for disruptions by diversify their supply sources. This makes the market more secure and allows the EU to become more independent. It also enables the EU to switch supplies quickly in case of disruptions.<\/p>\n<p>\"It is a very important issue for the EU economically and geopolitically to find itself dependent on Russian natural gas supplies to the tune of 40% and also on oil imports to the tune of 92%\". Dr. Salameh explains.<\/p>\n<p>\"There are no short\u2013term solutions to this. Any solutions like diversification of energy sources and increasing reliance on renewable energy particularly solar energy, wind and geothermal energy are long-term\", he adds.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is renewable energy the solution?<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.7009029345372461\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//03//78//95//58//808x565_cmsv2_6143b3a4-bfce-5bf0-97c1-f7d49d9c4051-3789558.jpg/" alt=\"Kenueone Pixabay\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/384x269_cmsv2_6143b3a4-bfce-5bf0-97c1-f7d49d9c4051-3789558.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/640x449_cmsv2_6143b3a4-bfce-5bf0-97c1-f7d49d9c4051-3789558.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/750x526_cmsv2_6143b3a4-bfce-5bf0-97c1-f7d49d9c4051-3789558.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/828x580_cmsv2_6143b3a4-bfce-5bf0-97c1-f7d49d9c4051-3789558.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/1080x757_cmsv2_6143b3a4-bfce-5bf0-97c1-f7d49d9c4051-3789558.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/1200x841_cmsv2_6143b3a4-bfce-5bf0-97c1-f7d49d9c4051-3789558.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/1920x1346_cmsv2_6143b3a4-bfce-5bf0-97c1-f7d49d9c4051-3789558.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Renewable energy<\/span>\n <a class=\"widget__captionCredit\" href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////pixabay.com//photos//electricity-sun-wind-1330214///" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kenueone Pixabay<\/a>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Salameh says the EU cannot replace our needs in fossil fuels with renewable energy.<\/p>\n<p>\"Unfortunately, renewable energy on its own will never be enough in both the short-term and the long-term to provide the EU with its energy needs. For instance, renewable energy accounted for only 8% of total primary energy that the EU needed in 2018 compared with 37% for oil, 23% for gas, 15% for coal, 10% for nuclear energy and 7% for hydro-electricity.\"<\/p>\n<p>But EU officials are more optimistic.<\/p>\n<p>Most of the renewable energy the EU uses is produced within Europe. EU officials say that by producing more renewable energy in Europe, we become less dependent on the import of fossil fuel.<\/p>\n<p>The European Commission's effort to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy is part of the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////ec.europa.eu//energy//en//topics//energy-strategy-and-energy-union//clean-energy-all-europeans/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">clean energy transition<\/a>. It's aim is to make European member states more sustainable and less reliant on imported fossil fuels.<\/p>\n<p>In the long run, the EU wants to produce its energy locally, whilst still encouraging global production, to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1554825734,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1556896606,"firstPublishedAt":1556896609,"lastPublishedAt":1556896609,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/53\/64\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_70d78c88-d4dc-5efd-9c49-bc440b8807fe-3785364.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"REUTERS","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3500,"height":2341},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_6143b3a4-bfce-5bf0-97c1-f7d49d9c4051-3789558.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":886,"height":621},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_5eca5cb9-294f-5802-b9e1-404225762bd6-3789558.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"height":1080},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/95\/58\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_7b0170b8-84ac-5a0b-8e0b-39caa73686e8-3789558.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":900,"height":695}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":1798,"urlSafeValue":"hope","title":"Kate 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News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'gs_business_energy','gs_business','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','neg_facebook_2021','gs_politics','gs_science','sm_politics','gs_politics_misc','custom_investment','neg_nespresso','gs_economy_misc','gt_negative','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_audi_list2','gs_science_environ','gv_military','gs_auto_misc','castrol_negative_uk'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2019\/05\/03\/oil-prices-libyan-tensions-and-everyday-petrol-how-is-the-eu-affected","lastModified":1556896609},{"id":732500,"cid":3811162,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"190419_WBSU_7447844","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"WEB LIBYA GNA FRANCE","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"Libya's UN-backed government suspends cooperation with France, accuses it of backing rebel forces","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Libya's UN-backed government suspends cooperation with France","titleListing2":"Libya's UN-backed government suspends cooperation with France, accuses it of backing rebel forces","leadin":"The GNA's interior ministry said in a statement that it has suspended \"all relations between the ministry and the French side\" because of \"the position of the French government in support of the criminal Haftar.\"","summary":"The GNA's interior ministry said in a statement that it has suspended \"all relations between the ministry and the French side\" because of \"the position of the French government in support of the criminal Haftar.\"","keySentence":"","url":"libya-s-un-backed-government-suspends-cooperation-with-france-accuses-it-of-backing-rebel","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/04\/19\/libya-s-un-backed-government-suspends-cooperation-with-france-accuses-it-of-backing-rebel","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) accused France of backing rebel commander Khalifa Haftar on Thursday and said it would suspend all security cooperation with Paris. \n\nA statement from the Tripoli-based GNA's interior ministry said it had suspended \"all relations between the ministry and the French side\" because of \"the position of the French government in support of the criminal Haftar.\" \n\nFrance supports UN-backed GNA \n\nA French presidential source said in response to the accusation that France supported the internationally recognised government in Tripoli and that Emmanuel Macron's legitimate interlocutor was Fayez al-Sarraj, the GNA's prime minister, with whom he spoke on Monday and reaffirmed that. \n\nFrance has helped train Serraj's presidential guard and in October 2013 signed a deal between a consultancy of the French interior ministry and the Libyan interior ministry to train 1,000 police. \n\nMost recently in February, France provided the Tripoli government with six patrol boats for its coastline. \n\nRead more: France under pressure to condemn Haftar as EU seeks unity on Libya crisis \n\nHowever, Paris has given Haftar support in the past viewing him as the best bet to end the chaos that has reigned since a NATO-backed rebellion set out to end Gaddafi's murderous four-decade rule. \n\nEuronews has reached out to the French Foreign Affairs Ministry. \n\n'For the dignity of Libya' \n\nGeneral Haftar leads the rebel Libyan National Army (LNA) forces, aligned with the House of Representatives, an elected government based in the east of the country. The LNA has fought the GNA for control of the north-African country since the 2011 overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. \n\nOn April 4, Haftar launched a military operation to take Tripoli. LNA spokesman General Ahmed Mismari told Euronews the offensive aimed \"to defend civilians, to defend the Libyan people, to defend our country resources, for the dignity of Libya.\" \n\nRead more: Military assault on Tripoli is \"in public's interest', says Libyan rebel group \n\nSome 205 people have died and more than 900 were wounded so far in the fighting, according to the World Health Organisation . \n\nThe GNA also issued arrest warrants on Thursday against Haftar and six other LNA commanders. \n\nThe EU has officially called for negotiations between the two parties and Germany called on Wednesday for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) accused France of backing rebel commander Khalifa Haftar on Thursday and said it would suspend all security cooperation with Paris.<\/p>\n<p>A statement from the Tripoli-based GNA's interior ministry said it had suspended \"all relations between the ministry and the French side\" because of \"the position of the French government in support of the criminal Haftar.\"<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1118904014228393985\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>France supports UN-backed GNA<\/h2>\n<p>A French presidential source said in response to the accusation that France supported the internationally recognised government in Tripoli and that Emmanuel Macron's legitimate interlocutor was Fayez al-Sarraj, the GNA's prime minister, with whom he spoke on Monday and reaffirmed that.<\/p>\n<p>France has helped train Serraj's presidential guard and in October 2013 signed a deal between a consultancy of the French interior ministry and the Libyan interior ministry to train 1,000 police.<\/p>\n<p>Most recently in February, France provided the Tripoli government with six patrol boats for its coastline.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2019//04//08//france-under-pressure-to-condemn-haftar-as-eu-seeks-unity-on-libya-crisis/">Read more: France under pressure to condemn Haftar as EU seeks unity on Libya crisis<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>However, Paris has given Haftar support in the past viewing him as the best bet to end the chaos that has reigned since a NATO-backed rebellion set out to end Gaddafi's murderous four-decade rule.<\/p>\n<p>Euronews has reached out to the French Foreign Affairs Ministry.<\/p>\n<h2>'For the dignity of Libya'<\/h2>\n<p>General Haftar leads the rebel Libyan National Army (LNA) forces, aligned with the House of Representatives, an elected government based in the east of the country. The LNA has fought the GNA for control of the north-African country since the 2011 overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi.<\/p>\n<p>On April 4, Haftar launched a military operation to take Tripoli. LNA spokesman General Ahmed Mismari told Euronews the offensive aimed \"to defend civilians, to defend the Libyan people, to defend our country resources, for the dignity of Libya.\"<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2019//04//08//military-assault-on-tripoli-is-in-public-s-interest-says-libyan-rebel-group/">Read more: Military assault on Tripoli is \"in public's interest', says Libyan rebel group<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Some 205 people have died and more than 900 were wounded so far in the fighting, according to the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//WHOLIBYA//status//1118641397287084032/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">World Health Organisation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The GNA also issued arrest warrants on Thursday against Haftar and six other LNA commanders.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1118896307425488896\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>The EU has officially called for negotiations between the two parties and <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//SCRtweets//status//1118888054603812864/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Germany<\/a> called on Wednesday for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.<\/p>\n<!-- oovvuu widget is now deprecated -->\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-freeform\nwidget--size-fullwidth\nwidget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <iframe src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////wb.messengerpeople.com//?widget_hash=3638143e4a3b4fbd5787ac11bc1b3c6d&lang=en&wn=0\%22 width=\"80%\" height=\"300px\" style=\"border:0;\"><\/iframe> \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1555650855,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1555655540,"firstPublishedAt":1555655542,"lastPublishedAt":1555665992,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/81\/11\/62\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_ff60fe94-4e2d-5a9c-8750-b146f51bbcf7-3811162.jpg","altText":"Members of the Libyan internationally recognised government forces","caption":"Members of the Libyan internationally recognised government forces","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"REUTERS\/Ahmed Jadallah","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3500,"height":2504}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":1356,"urlSafeValue":"tidey","title":"Alice 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- Libya Crisis Meeting","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"Italian Prime Minister calls for immediate cease-fire in Libya","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Italian PM Giuseppi Conte calls for immediate cease-fire in Libya","titleListing2":"Italian Prime Minister calls for immediate cease-fire in Libya","leadin":"Italian Prime Minister has called for an immediate cease-fire in Libya and Qatar\u2019s Foreign Minister has said countries must be stopped from supplying arms to Libya. Yesterday Giuseppe Conte hosted a meeting in Rome between Libya's Deputy Prime Minister and the Qatari Foreign Minister.","summary":"Italian Prime Minister has called for an immediate cease-fire in Libya and Qatar\u2019s Foreign Minister has said countries must be stopped from supplying arms to Libya. Yesterday Giuseppe Conte hosted a meeting in Rome between Libya's Deputy Prime Minister and the Qatari Foreign Minister.","keySentence":"","url":"italian-prime-minister-calls-for-immediate-cease-fire-in-libya","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/04\/16\/italian-prime-minister-calls-for-immediate-cease-fire-in-libya","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has called for an immediate cease-fire in Libya. The fractious North African nation has been in freefall since the overthrow of longtime strongman Moammar Gaddafi, and the Army chief's recent attacks on the capital, Tripoli, have escalated the situation immensely. \n\nYesterday Conte hosted a meeting in Rome between Libya's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Maitig and the Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in trying to find a solution for the continuing fighting. \n\nThere are concerns that Libya could become a \u2018new Syria\u2019 as hundreds of thousands of people could be forced to leave the country and head to Europe. \n\nThe Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj warned that the country is \"facing a war of aggression that will spread its cancer throughout the Mediterranean, Italy and Europe. We need to be united and firm in blocking the war of aggression of Haftar, a man who has betrayed Libya and the international community\". \n\nBut despite the United Nations and some European countries backing Prime Minister al-Sarraj, General Haftar has won the full support from the Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, one of his closest political allies. \n\n\"The president affirmed Egypt\u2019s support in efforts to fight terrorism and extremist militias to achieve security and stability for Libyan citizens throughout the country,\" Sisi\u2019s office said on Sunday. It is believed that Haftar also has the private support of leaders in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. \n\nQatar\u2019s Foreign Minister, however, has said countries must be stopped from supplying arms to Libya. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has called for an immediate cease-fire in Libya. The fractious North African nation has been in freefall since the overthrow of longtime strongman Moammar Gaddafi, and the Army chief's recent attacks on the capital, Tripoli, have escalated the situation immensely.<\/p>\n<p>Yesterday Conte hosted a meeting in Rome between Libya's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Maitig and the Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in trying to find a solution for the continuing fighting.<\/p>\n<p>There are concerns that Libya could become a \u2018new Syria\u2019 as hundreds of thousands of people could be forced to leave the country and head to Europe.<\/p>\n<p>The Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj warned that the country is \"facing a war of aggression that will spread its cancer throughout the Mediterranean, Italy and Europe. We need to be united and firm in blocking the war of aggression of Haftar, a man who has betrayed Libya and the international community\".<\/p>\n<p>But despite the United Nations and some European countries backing Prime Minister al-Sarraj, General Haftar has won the full support from the Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, one of his closest political allies.<\/p>\n<p>\"The president affirmed Egypt\u2019s support in efforts to fight terrorism and extremist militias to achieve security and stability for Libyan citizens throughout the country,\" Sisi\u2019s office said on Sunday. It is believed that Haftar also has the private support of leaders in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n<p>Qatar\u2019s Foreign Minister, however, has said countries must be stopped from supplying arms to Libya.<\/p>\n<!-- oovvuu widget is now deprecated -->\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-freeform\nwidget--size-fullwidth\nwidget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <iframe src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////wb.messengerpeople.com//?widget_hash=3638143e4a3b4fbd5787ac11bc1b3c6d&lang=en&wn=0\%22 width=\"80%\" height=\"300px\" style=\"border:0;\"><\/iframe> \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1555400667,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1555410755,"firstPublishedAt":1555410758,"lastPublishedAt":1555420207,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/80\/28\/06\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_cd7e1c2f-a204-5c02-8c1b-612bb30dfa24-3802806.jpg","altText":"Italian PM Giuseppe Conti hosts a meeting with Libyan Deputy PM Ahmed Maiti","caption":"Italian PM Giuseppe Conti hosts a meeting with Libyan Deputy PM Ahmed Maiti","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"EURONEWS\/Joao Marques","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":"EURONEWS\/Joao Marques","callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":978,"height":553}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":1792,"urlSafeValue":"marques-j","title":"Joao Vitor Da Silva Marques","twitter":null}],"producers":[{"id":1792,"urlSafeValue":"marques-j","title":"Joao Vitor Da Silva Marques","twitter":null}],"videoEditor":[{"id":1792,"urlSafeValue":"marques-j","title":"Joao Vitor Da 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Hafter"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"html","count":1},{"slug":"oovvuu","count":"0"}],"related":[{"id":722778},{"id":732500}],"technicalTags":[{"path":"euronews.replay"},{"path":"euronews"}],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"eBboORfKfSU","dailymotionId":"x75x4q7"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/GM\/WB\/19\/04\/16\/en\/190416_GMWB_7402895_7404675_133880_113349_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":133880,"filesizeBytes":13111767,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":null,"additionalReporting":null,"freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"good-morning-europe","urlSafeValue":"good-morning-europe","title":"Good Morning Europe","online":0,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/good-morning-europe"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},{"id":2,"slug":"my-europe","urlSafeValue":"my-europe","title":"Europe"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"},{"id":"europe-news","urlSafeValue":"europe-news","title":"Europe 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for Tripoli: Clashes continue across Libya\u2019s capital ","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"Battle for Tripoli: Clashes continue across Libya\u2019s capital ","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Battle for Tripoli: Clashes continue across Libya\u2019s capital ","titleListing2":"Battle for Tripoli: Clashes continue across Libya\u2019s capital ","leadin":"Thousands of residents have fled homes in Tripoli as fighters battle on outskirts of the city.","summary":"Thousands of residents have fled homes in Tripoli as fighters battle on outskirts of the city.","keySentence":"","url":"battle-for-tripoli-clashes-continue-across-libya-s-capital","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/04\/10\/battle-for-tripoli-clashes-continue-across-libya-s-capital","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Eastern forces and troops loyal to the government in Tripoli continue to fight on outskirts of Libya's capital as the battle forced thousands of residents to flee their homes. \n\nThe Libyan National Army (LNA) forces of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar had taken up positions in the suburbs about 11 km (7 miles) south of the centre, with steel containers and pickups with mounted machine-guns blocking their way into the city. \n\nResidents reported LNA planes buzzing Tripoli and the sound of clashes in outskirts of the city. \n\nIn central Tripoli, there were no signs of military and security vehicles or personnel on the streets. But shops and cafes have been closing earlier than usual in the evening and residents were apprehensive about the prospect of violence. \n\n\"War is war: I am not afraid of the Libyan National Army, but I am afraid of the destruction that will never be reconstructed,\" said Mohamed Salem al-Sharwe, a taxi driver in Tripoli. \n\nThe United Nations said that at least 4,500 Tripoli residents had been displaced with most moving away from conflict areas to safer districts of the city.\u00a0 \n\nBut many more were trapped, it added. \n\nAdel Karmous, a member of Libya's High Council of State, said the government in Tripoli didn't have the means to fight.\u00a0 \n\n\"Those who defend the capital are forces allied to the Tripoli administration\u00a0\u2014 armed brigades and rebels \u2014, the inhabitants\u00a0\u2014 who are willing to die for it \u2014 and among them, there are army officers. \n\n\"Also, towns like Misrata and Zawia have deployed troops to the capital as part of the counter-offensive, even though they are not under the GNA's direct control. \n\n\"The government of the accord doesn\u2019t have the means to fight, but -as it\u2019s internationally recognised and backed- it gives a legitimate cover for the forces.\" \n\nWith Libya having become the main conduit for African migrants and refugees trying to reach Europe, UN agencies also said they've had to move hundreds of refugees to safety from a detention centre in the south of the capital. \n\n\nSpeaking on the ground, the UNHCR\u2019s Deputy Chief of Mission in Libya, Matthew Brook, said they were rapidly evacuating refugees away from the conflict. \n\n\u201cI can hear there's artillery fire going on, explosions and we're trying to move as quickly as possible,'' he said. \n\nIn an interview with Euronews\u2019 Good Morning Europe, Sabri Malek from the Democratic Party of Libya said he expected Haftar to pull back his forces. \n\n\u201cTripoli is a city of two million people and it\u2019s united against him. He can\u2019t sustain the military operation. I don\u2019t expect the fight to continue much longer,\u201d he said. \n\nHe also said the United Nations and European Union needed to do more to stop the fighting. \n\n\u201cThe problem we have now in Libya is from the international community. Haftar is bombarding the city with heavy artillery and from the air and the international community is doing absolutely nothing. Our party is appealing to President Donald Trump,\u201d he said. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Eastern forces and troops loyal to the government in Tripoli continue to fight on outskirts of Libya's capital as the battle forced thousands of residents to flee their homes.<\/p>\n<p>The Libyan National Army (LNA) forces of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar had taken up positions in the suburbs about 11 km (7 miles) south of the centre, with steel containers and pickups with mounted machine-guns blocking their way into the city.<\/p>\n<p>Residents reported LNA planes buzzing Tripoli and the sound of clashes in outskirts of the city.<\/p>\n<p>In central Tripoli, there were no signs of military and security vehicles or personnel on the streets. But shops and cafes have been closing earlier than usual in the evening and residents were apprehensive about the prospect of violence.<\/p>\n<p>\"War is war: I am not afraid of the Libyan National Army, but I am afraid of the destruction that will never be reconstructed,\" said Mohamed Salem al-Sharwe, a taxi driver in Tripoli.<\/p>\n<p>The United Nations said that at least 4,500 Tripoli residents had been displaced with most moving away from conflict areas to safer districts of the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But many more were trapped, it added.<\/p>\n<p>Adel Karmous, a member of Libya's High Council of State, said the government in Tripoli didn't have the means to fight.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\"Those who defend the capital are forces allied to the Tripoli administration\u00a0\u2014 armed brigades and rebels \u2014, the inhabitants\u00a0\u2014 who are willing to die for it \u2014 and among them, there are army officers.<\/p>\n<p>\"Also, towns like Misrata and Zawia have deployed troops to the capital as part of the counter-offensive, even though they are not under the GNA's direct control.<\/p>\n<p>\"The government of the accord doesn\u2019t have the means to fight, but -as it\u2019s internationally recognised and backed- it gives a legitimate cover for the forces.\"<\/p>\n<p>With Libya having become the main conduit for African migrants and refugees trying to reach Europe, UN agencies also said they've had to move hundreds of refugees to safety from a detention centre in the south of the capital. <\/p>\n<p>Speaking on the ground, the UNHCR\u2019s Deputy Chief of Mission in Libya, Matthew Brook, said they were rapidly evacuating refugees away from the conflict.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can hear there's artillery fire going on, explosions and we're trying to move as quickly as possible,'' he said.<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with Euronews\u2019 Good Morning Europe, Sabri Malek from the Democratic Party of Libya said he expected Haftar to pull back his forces.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTripoli is a city of two million people and it\u2019s united against him. He can\u2019t sustain the military operation. I don\u2019t expect the fight to continue much longer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He also said the United Nations and European Union needed to do more to stop the fighting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe problem we have now in Libya is from the international community. Haftar is bombarding the city with heavy artillery and from the air and the international community is doing absolutely nothing. Our party is appealing to President Donald Trump,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-euronews\nwidget--size-fullwidth\nwidget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"auto widget__ratio widget__ratio--16x9\">\n <iframe type=\"text\/html\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//embed//724556/" width=\"100%\" loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen seamless>\n <\/iframe>\n <\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1554889604,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1554893017,"firstPublishedAt":1554893019,"lastPublishedAt":1554897769,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/79\/05\/08\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_93d173bf-fdc3-5b45-954c-b52c13fee23f-3790508.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3500,"height":2362}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":1800,"urlSafeValue":"murray-t","title":"Trent Murray","twitter":"@trent_murray"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":19494,"slug":"general-hafter","urlSafeValue":"general-hafter","title":"General Hafter","titleRaw":"General Hafter"},{"id":16833,"slug":"tripoli","urlSafeValue":"tripoli","title":"Tripoli","titleRaw":"Tripoli"},{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"euronews","count":1}],"related":[{"id":724556}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"e3Xsf4wqhkQ","dailymotionId":"x75l1uu"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/WB\/SU\/19\/04\/10\/en\/190410_WBSU_7334153_7334422_145480_120505_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":145480,"filesizeBytes":14251570,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"Reuters","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":{"id":2182,"urlSafeValue":"tripoli","title":"Tripoli"},"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_facebook_2021','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_facebook','castrol_negative_uk','gs_politics','sm_politics','neg_saudiaramco','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','gt_negative','neg_facebook_q4','gs_society','gv_military','gs_politics_misc','gs_society_misc','gt_negative_fear','gs_politics_american','gt_negative_anger','gv_death_injury'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2019\/04\/10\/battle-for-tripoli-clashes-continue-across-libya-s-capital","lastModified":1554897769},{"id":724556,"cid":3790336,"versionId":2,"archive":0,"housenumber":"190410_CESU_7331461","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"Libya - refugees tell their story","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"Conditions in Libyan detention camp 'indescribable', says detainee | #TheCube","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Conditions in Libyan detention camp 'indescribable', says detainee","titleListing2":"Conditions in Libyan detention camp 'indescribable', says detainee | #TheCube","leadin":"As political tensions continue to rise outside the Libyan capital, The Cube hears the story of one migrant in a detention centre.","summary":"As political tensions continue to rise outside the Libyan capital, The Cube hears the story of one migrant in a detention centre.","keySentence":"","url":"conditions-in-libyan-detention-camp-indescribable-migrant-says-thecube","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/my-europe\/2019\/04\/10\/conditions-in-libyan-detention-camp-indescribable-migrant-says-thecube","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Libya is still firmly in the headlines as tensions rise around the country's capital, Tripoli, in what could be a major shift for North African politics.\u00a0 \n\nEurope is keeping a close eye on events across the sea with migration a contentious issue running up to the European elections. \n\nBut amid talk of political turbulence, civilians and migrants are getting caught in the crosshairs. The Cube spoke to a migrant in a detention centre on the outskirts of Libya via WhatsApp to hear his story as Haftar's assault on Tripoli intensifies. The identity of this person will not be revealed for his safety. \n\nLife in camp is 'indescribable' \n\n\"This sound can explain our situation right now,\" the man said in a WhatsApp voice note. \"It is not far, maybe 1,000 metres from our centre.\" The sounds of bombs and military arsenal echo in the air surrounding the detention centre in Qasr bin Ghashir, a southern suburb of Tripoli. \n\nWhen asked how he felt being inside the camp, the man called his situation \"indescribable.\" The Cube has been speaking with him since April 8, and tensions have escalated since. By that time, this man had not eaten in three days and showed images of the lack of water in the camp. On April 10, he said that \"if you manage to get a few rice, you are lucky. The majority of people here are hungry now to the indescribable.\" \n\nHe is not alone, however. Hundreds are living at this detention centre including women and children. Videos of those within these centres show people with their arms crossed. \"[It] explains that we are not free. We are detained,\" he said. \"The people have been suffering more than anything. There is not any food. You can see the face of the people. Three days, no food. Nothing in Qasr bin Ghashir detention centre,\" he said on April 8 and has since said that aid has not yet arrived. \n\nMedicine San Frontiers (MSF) have expressed their concern for those living in detention centres. Although the latest assault has been dominating the headlines, this is all but a regular occurrence for occupants of this detention centre, who live in fear of getting caught up in the violence. \"This is the third time in the past 7 months that Tripoli has seen conflict, yet many trapped in detention are there because of EU policies that enable the Libyan Coast Guard to return people to Libya in violation of international law. Libya is clearly not a place of safety,\" MSF Sea said in a statement on Twitter. \n\nThe man in Qasr bin Ghashir reaffirmed this, saying in 2018 that the militia used the camp as a base and \"forced us to do hard work\".\u00a0 \n\nHow did he get to the camp? \n\nHis story is like so many others, starting at the decision to try and make it to Europe. He entered Libya through the desert and stayed with a human smuggler for more than six months, he told The Cube. The smuggler asked for more money for them to cross the sea into Europe. However, in October 2017, the conflict was sparked between the government and smugglers, leaving those attempting to cross the sea to be transported to migrant detention centres. \n\nDivided international response \n\nAs Libya enters a deeper crisis, Europe has yet to present a united front. Although EU foreign policy chief Mogherini said the bloc was united in condemning Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar's assault on Tripoli, France has yet to do the same, instead of calling blame on all sides. \n\nA European-wide foreign policy on immigration since the 2011 crisis has failed to materialise, with countries such as Italy and Malta cracking down in recent years. As policymakers debate, some of those living in detention centres without basic human rights are calling for help. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Libya is still firmly in the headlines as tensions rise around the country's capital, Tripoli, in what could be a major shift for North African politics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Europe is keeping a close eye on events across the sea with migration a contentious issue running up to the European elections.<\/p>\n<p>But amid talk of political turbulence, civilians and migrants are getting caught in the crosshairs. The Cube spoke to a migrant in a detention centre on the outskirts of Libya via WhatsApp to hear his story as Haftar's assault on Tripoli intensifies. The identity of this person will not be revealed for his safety.<\/p>\n<h2>Life in camp is 'indescribable'<\/h2>\n<p>\"This sound can explain our situation right now,\" the man said in a WhatsApp voice note. \"It is not far, maybe 1,000 metres from our centre.\" The sounds of bombs and military arsenal echo in the air surrounding the detention centre in Qasr bin Ghashir, a southern suburb of Tripoli.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1115903337759694849\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>When asked how he felt being inside the camp, the man called his situation \"indescribable.\" The Cube has been speaking with him since April 8, and tensions have escalated since. By that time, this man had not eaten in three days and showed images of the lack of water in the camp. On April 10, he said that \"if you manage to get a few rice, you are lucky. The majority of people here are hungry now to the indescribable.\"<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1115875714337837056\"><\/div>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">The sound of violence close to the detention center.<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>He is not alone, however. Hundreds are living at this detention centre including women and children. Videos of those within these centres show people with their arms crossed. \"[It] explains that we are not free. We are detained,\" he said. \"The people have been suffering more than anything. There is not any food. You can see the face of the people. Three days, no food. Nothing in Qasr bin Ghashir detention centre,\" he said on April 8 and has since said that aid has not yet arrived.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1115876914550530053\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Medicine San Frontiers (MSF) have expressed their concern for those living in detention centres. Although the latest assault has been dominating the headlines, this is all but a regular occurrence for occupants of this detention centre, who live in fear of getting caught up in the violence. \"This is the third time in the past 7 months that Tripoli has seen conflict, yet many trapped in detention are there because of EU policies that enable the Libyan Coast Guard to return people to Libya in violation of international law. Libya is clearly not a place of safety,\" MSF Sea said in a statement on Twitter.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1115264514612768768\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>The man in Qasr bin Ghashir reaffirmed this, saying in 2018 that the militia used the camp as a base and \"forced us to do hard work\".\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>How did he get to the camp?<\/h2>\n<p>His story is like so many others, starting at the decision to try and make it to Europe. He entered Libya through the desert and stayed with a human smuggler for more than six months, he told The Cube. The smuggler asked for more money for them to cross the sea into Europe. However, in October 2017, the conflict was sparked between the government and smugglers, leaving those attempting to cross the sea to be transported to migrant detention centres.<\/p>\n<h2>Divided international response<\/h2>\n<p>As Libya enters a deeper crisis, Europe has yet to present a united front. Although EU foreign policy chief Mogherini said the bloc was united in condemning Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar's assault on Tripoli, France has yet to do the same, instead of calling blame on all sides.<\/p>\n<p>A European-wide foreign policy on immigration since the 2011 crisis has failed to materialise, with countries such as Italy and Malta cracking down in recent years. As policymakers debate, some of those living in detention centres without basic human rights are calling for help.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1554883222,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1554891997,"firstPublishedAt":1554892000,"lastPublishedAt":1554892082,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/79\/03\/36\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_77e2e835-4f6f-5134-9373-6cb24128a3e0-3790336.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":1578,"urlSafeValue":"davis-s","title":"Seana Davis","twitter":null}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":13190,"slug":"migrants","urlSafeValue":"migrants","title":"Migrants","titleRaw":"Migrants"},{"id":12102,"slug":"migrant-crisis","urlSafeValue":"migrant-crisis","title":"Migrant Crisis","titleRaw":"Migrant Crisis"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"twitter","count":4}],"related":[{"id":724662},{"id":837804}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"Pb3Xirud2kQ","dailymotionId":"x75l156"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/CE\/SU\/19\/04\/10\/en\/190410_CESU_7331461_7331465_119240_113838_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":119240,"filesizeBytes":11966622,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Rosie Wright","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"the-cube","urlSafeValue":"the-cube","title":"The Cube","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/my-europe\/europe-decoded\/the-cube"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"my-europe","verticals":[{"id":2,"slug":"my-europe","urlSafeValue":"my-europe","title":"Europe"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":2,"slug":"my-europe","urlSafeValue":"my-europe","title":"Europe"},"themes":[{"id":"europe-decoded","urlSafeValue":"europe-decoded","title":"Europe Decoded","url":"\/my-europe\/europe-decoded"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":58,"urlSafeValue":"europe-decoded","title":"Europe Decoded"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_facebook_2021','neg_facebook','gs_law_misc','gs_law','neg_mobkoi_castrol','gs_politics','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','gs_politics_misc','sm_politics','neg_facebook_q4','neg_saudiaramco','gt_negative','castrol_negative_uk','gv_safe'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/my-europe\/2019\/04\/10\/conditions-in-libyan-detention-camp-indescribable-migrant-says-thecube","lastModified":1554892082},{"id":722702,"cid":3786362,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"190408_WBSU_7306980","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"WEB ITW LIBYA HAFTAR","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"Military assault on Tripoli is \"in public's interest', says Libyan rebel group","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Assault on Tripoli is 'in public's interest', says Libyan rebel group","titleListing2":"Military assault on Tripoli is 'in public's interest', says Libyan rebel group","leadin":"\"European countries fear for civilians' safety but I can assure that our first concern is the civilians,\" a spokesman for the Libyan National Army told Euronews after the rebel group launched a military offensive to take Tripoli from the UN-recognised government.","summary":"\"European countries fear for civilians' safety but I can assure that our first concern is the civilians,\" a spokesman for the Libyan National Army told Euronews after the rebel group launched a military offensive to take Tripoli from the UN-recognised government.","keySentence":"","url":"military-assault-on-tripoli-is-in-public-s-interest-says-libyan-rebel-group","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/04\/08\/military-assault-on-tripoli-is-in-public-s-interest-says-libyan-rebel-group","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"The Libyan National Army (LNA) on Sunday conducted airstrikes as part of its deadly military offensive towards Tripoli which aims to bring the country \"back to the international community\" despite western condemnation, a spokesman for the rebel group told Euronews. \n\nThe eastern Libyan forces, led by Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar, launched a military offensive on April 4 to take the country's capital, Tripoli, held by the United Nations-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). The House of Representatives, based in the east have fought the GNA for control of the north-African country since the 2011 overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The eastern government are an elected entity and the LNA support them. \n\n\"Our troops' advance is going well, as we strengthened our quick and successful military gains,\" Haftar military spokesman, General Ahmed Mismari, told Euronews in an exclusive interview on Sunday. \n\n\"Our forces launched the first airstrikes on three positions. Two of them were aimed at supporting the advance of land forces. The third airstrike targeted artillery positions some 60 km west of El Azizia (about 40 km southwest of Tripoli),\" he added. \n\nHe argued that the battle for Tripoli \"was specifically launched to defend civilians, to defend the Libyan people, to defend our country resources, for the dignity of Libya.\" \n\nTemporary humanitarian truce \n\nThe GNA's Health Ministry said on Monday that at least 25 people have so far died in the fighting. One of the dead is believed to be a member of the Red Crescent's medical staff. \n\nAccording to the UN, the escalation of violence has also caused the displacement of more than 2,800 people. The organisation renewed its call for a temporary humanitarian truce on Monday to \"allow for the provision of emergency services and the voluntary passage of civilians, including those wounded, from areas of conflict.\" \n\nA call for a two-hour truce on Sunday went ignored. \n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that Washington has \"made clear that we oppose the military offensive by Khalifa Haftar's forces and urge the immediate halt to these military operations against the Libyan Capital.\" \n\nBritain's Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt said there was \"no justification for LNA move on Tripoli\" while the European Union's top diplomat, Federica Mogherini , described the situation as \"increasingly worrying\" upon arriving at a meeting of the EU's Foreign Affairs Council on Monday. \n\n\"I believe the challenge is now for different Libyan factions and leaders to overcome personal interests and serve the Libyan people that want to turn the page, and find a compromise and a solution,\" she added. \n\nREAD MORE: France under pressure to condemn Haftar strike \n\n'It is in the public interest' \n\nBut Mismari rejected such criticism, telling Euronews that this \"campaign is aimed at bringing Libya back to the international community.\" \n\n\"It is in the public interest so that Libya enjoys its natural position and becomes a good and positive country instead of being a land that exports terror to all countries.\" \n\n\"European countries fear for civilians safety but I can assure you that our first concern is the civilians and humanitarian considerations,\" he argued. \n\nA UN-backed National Conference , gathering members from the GNA and LNA, to discuss ways to break the political impasse and draw up a road map for elections had been scheduled for April 14-16. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>The Libyan National Army (LNA) on Sunday conducted airstrikes as part of its deadly military offensive towards Tripoli which aims to bring the country \"back to the international community\" despite western condemnation, a spokesman for the rebel group told Euronews.<\/p>\n<p>The eastern Libyan forces, led by Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar, launched a military offensive on April 4 to take the country's capital, Tripoli, held by the United Nations-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). The House of Representatives, based in the east have fought the GNA for control of the north-African country since the 2011 overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The eastern government are an elected entity and the LNA support them.<\/p>\n<p>\"Our troops' advance is going well, as we strengthened our quick and successful military gains,\" Haftar military spokesman, General Ahmed Mismari, told Euronews in an exclusive interview on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>\"Our forces launched the first airstrikes on three positions. Two of them were aimed at supporting the advance of land forces. The third airstrike targeted artillery positions some 60 km west of El Azizia (about 40 km southwest of Tripoli),\" he added.<\/p>\n<p>He argued that the battle for Tripoli \"was specifically launched to defend civilians, to defend the Libyan people, to defend our country resources, for the dignity of Libya.\"<\/p>\n<h2>Temporary humanitarian truce<\/h2>\n<p>The GNA's Health Ministry said on Monday that at least 25 people have so far died in the fighting. One of the dead is believed to be a member of the Red Crescent's medical staff.<\/p>\n<p>According to the UN, the escalation of violence has also caused the displacement of more than 2,800 people. The organisation renewed its call for a temporary humanitarian truce <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////reliefweb.int//report//libya//statement-humanitarian-coordinator-libya-maria-ribeiro-humanitarian-situation-and/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">on Monday<\/a> to \"allow for the provision of emergency services and the voluntary passage of civilians, including those wounded, from areas of conflict.\"<\/p>\n<p>A call for a two-hour truce on Sunday went ignored.<\/p>\n<p>US Secretary of State <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.state.gov//secretary//remarks//2019//04//290949.htm/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Mike Pompeo said<\/a> on Sunday that Washington has \"made clear that we oppose the military offensive by Khalifa Haftar's forces and urge the immediate halt to these military operations against the Libyan Capital.\"<\/p>\n<p>Britain's Foreign Minister <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//Jeremy_Hunt//status//1114929469041590273/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Jeremy Hunt said<\/a> there was \"no justification for LNA move on Tripoli\" while the European Union's top diplomat, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////eeas.europa.eu//headquarters//headquarters-homepage//60727//remarks-high-representativevice-president-federica-mogherini-upon-arrival-foreign-affairs_en/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Federica Mogherini<\/a>, described the situation as \"increasingly worrying\" upon arriving at a meeting of the EU's Foreign Affairs Council on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>\"I believe the challenge is now for different Libyan factions and leaders to overcome personal interests and serve the Libyan people that want to turn the page, and find a compromise and a solution,\" she added.<\/p>\n<p><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2019//04//08//france-under-pressure-to-condemn-haftar-as-eu-seeks-unity-on-libya-crisis/">READ MORE: France under pressure to condemn Haftar strike<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>'It is in the public interest'<\/h2>\n<p>But Mismari rejected such criticism, telling Euronews that this \"campaign is aimed at bringing Libya back to the international community.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"It is in the public interest so that Libya enjoys its natural position and becomes a good and positive country instead of being a land that exports terror to all countries.\"<\/p>\n<p>\"European countries fear for civilians safety but I can assure you that our first concern is the civilians and humanitarian considerations,\" he argued.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////unsmil.unmissions.org//libyan-national-conference/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">UN-backed National Conference<\/a>, gathering members from the GNA and LNA, to discuss ways to break the political impasse and draw up a road map for elections had been scheduled for April 14-16.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1554723730,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1554737217,"firstPublishedAt":1554737222,"lastPublishedAt":1554737222,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/64\/74\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_c4415a54-7a6b-5705-aabf-cc8ea09c6929-3786474.jpg","altText":"Misrata forces, under the protection of Tripoli's forces, on April 8","caption":"Misrata forces, under the protection of Tripoli's forces, on April 8","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"REUTERS\/Hani Amara","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3500,"height":2352}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":10515,"slug":"libyan-war","urlSafeValue":"libyan-war","title":"Libyan war","titleRaw":"Libyan war"},{"id":12034,"slug":"diplomacy","urlSafeValue":"diplomacy","title":"Diplomacy","titleRaw":"Diplomacy"},{"id":7898,"slug":"armed-conflicts","urlSafeValue":"armed-conflicts","title":"Armed conflicts","titleRaw":"Armed conflicts"}],"widgets":[],"related":[{"id":720596},{"id":713670},{"id":724102}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"lqgJZsOeQAQ","dailymotionId":"x75h5zp"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/WB\/SU\/19\/04\/08\/en\/190408_WBSU_7306980_7306985_73120_171652_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":73120,"filesizeBytes":6910003,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"Reuters","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Samia Mekki, Alice Tidey","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_facebook_2021','castrol_negative_uk','gs_politics','sm_politics','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','neg_facebook','neg_facebook_q4','gs_politics_misc','gt_negative','neg_saudiaramco','gv_military','gv_death_injury','gs_society','gs_society_misc','gt_negative_dislike'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2019\/04\/08\/military-assault-on-tripoli-is-in-public-s-interest-says-libyan-rebel-group","lastModified":1554737222},{"id":722778,"cid":3786490,"versionId":4,"archive":0,"housenumber":"190408_WBSU_7307638","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"EU divided over Libya ","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"France under pressure to condemn Haftar as EU seeks unity on Libya crisis ","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"EU Foreign Ministers seek unity on Libya crisis ","titleListing2":"France under pressure to condemn Haftar as EU seeks unity on Libya crisis ","leadin":"France under pressure to condemn Haftar's assault on Tripoli as EU seeks unity on Libya crisis.","summary":"France under pressure to condemn Haftar's assault on Tripoli as EU seeks unity on Libya crisis.","keySentence":"","url":"france-under-pressure-to-condemn-haftar-as-eu-seeks-unity-on-libya-crisis","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/04\/08\/france-under-pressure-to-condemn-haftar-as-eu-seeks-unity-on-libya-crisis","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"As EU Foreign Ministers discussed the future of Libya in a meeting on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the bloc was united on echoing the G7's call for eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar to halt his advance on Tripoli. \n\nShe called for a truce and a return to political negotiations in the war-torn country. \n\nYet the positions of EU Member States on the Libya civil war have so far been everything but aligned. \n\nFrance pressed to condemn Haftar \n\nFrance is under growing pressure to condemn Haftar's advance on the capital Tripoli -- rather than blame all sides of the conflict, like in the G7 Foreign Ministers statement issued last week. \n\n\"We urge all involved parties to immediately halt all military activity and movements toward Tripoli,\" the statement said. \n\nIt was German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas who clarified that Haftar was more specifically targeted by the G7 statement, while French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian emphasised the need for a 'political solution' in Libya. \n\n\"Officially, France is on the side of the 'internationally recognised government' of Fayez Sarraj,\" said Barah Mikail, director of Stractegia Consulting and Associate Professor at Saint Louis University in Madrid. \"But the French discomfort seems obvious: France, and in particular Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian, has considered for a long time that Khalifa Haftar is a man to support in order not to lose him,\" Mikail continued. \n\n\"Khalifa Haftar's offensive is not really a surprise. There have been signs of preparations for months, but the timing is bad, just when the UN was planning a national conference. And this can only embarrass France before its European counterparts and the United States,\" Mikail told Euronews. \n\nA French diplomatic source said on Monday that France had no prior warning of Haftar's advance on the capital and was not trying to clandestinely undermine the country's peace process. \n\n\"The immediate need in Libya is to protect the civilian population, put an end to the fighting, and get all the key Libyan players back around the table,\" the diplomat said. France had \"no hidden agenda\", the official added. \n\nOn Monday, British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt singled out Haftar for criticism ahead of the EU Foreign Ministers Council. According to The Guardian newspaper, he will press France to condemn Haftar specifically. \n\nMikail said that even if France blamed anti-Sarraj forces in a statement, it would likely do so in an indirect manner in order not to upset Haftar and see him distance himself from Paris. \n\nMogherini plays down divisions \n\nIn a press conference following the EU Foreign Ministers meeting, Mogherini played down the bloc's divisions. \n\n\"There have been different perspectives\", Mogherini told reporters, \"but member states realise the need for a united European voice.\" \n\nMikail said European countries were in no way united when it came to Libya, if only because they are economic competitors in the North African country. \n\n\"I think Federica Mogherini was referring to a unanimous European condemnation of Khalifa Haftar's current strategy behind closed doors, but we are still waiting for an official declaration to this effect.\" \n\nNo formal written conclusions were adopted by EU Ministers, Mogherini said Monday. \n\nMeanwhile, intense fighting continued on the ground between Haftar's forces and the internationally recognised government in Tripoli. \n\nA spokesman for the Tripoli-based Health Ministry said on Monday fighting in the south of the capital had killed at least 25 people, including fighters and civilians, and wounded 80. \n\nThe LNA say 19 of its soldiers had died in recent days. \n\nThe United Nations said 2,800 people had been displaced by clashes and many more could flee. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>As EU Foreign Ministers discussed the future of Libya in a meeting on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the bloc was united on echoing the G7's call for eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar to halt his advance on Tripoli.<\/p>\n<p>She called for a truce and a return to political negotiations in the war-torn country.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1115185399041753088\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Yet the positions of EU Member States on the Libya civil war have so far been everything but aligned.<\/p>\n<h2>France pressed to condemn Haftar<\/h2>\n<p>France is under growing pressure to condemn Haftar's advance on the capital Tripoli -- rather than blame all sides of the conflict, like in the G7 Foreign Ministers statement issued last week.<\/p>\n<p>\"We urge all involved parties to immediately halt all military activity and movements toward Tripoli,\" the statement said.<\/p>\n<p>It was German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas who clarified that Haftar was more specifically targeted by the G7 statement, while French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian emphasised the need for a 'political solution' in Libya.<\/p>\n<p>\"Officially, France is on the side of the 'internationally recognised government' of Fayez Sarraj,\" said Barah Mikail, director of Stractegia Consulting and Associate Professor at Saint Louis University in Madrid. \"But the French discomfort seems obvious: France, and in particular Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian, has considered for a long time that Khalifa Haftar is a man to support in order not to lose him,\" Mikail continued.<\/p>\n<p>\"Khalifa Haftar's offensive is not really a surprise. There have been signs of preparations for months, but the timing is bad, just when the UN was planning a national conference. And this can only embarrass France before its European counterparts and the United States,\" Mikail told Euronews.<\/p>\n<p>A French diplomatic source said on Monday that France had no prior warning of Haftar's advance on the capital and was not trying to clandestinely undermine the country's peace process.<\/p>\n<p>\"The immediate need in Libya is to protect the civilian population, put an end to the fighting, and get all the key Libyan players back around the table,\" the diplomat said. France had \"no hidden agenda\", the official added.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt singled out Haftar for criticism ahead of the EU Foreign Ministers Council. According to The Guardian newspaper, he will press France to condemn Haftar specifically.<\/p>\n<p>Mikail said that even if France blamed anti-Sarraj forces in a statement, it would likely do so in an indirect manner in order not to upset Haftar and see him distance himself from Paris.<\/p>\n<h2>Mogherini plays down divisions<\/h2>\n<p>In a press conference following the EU Foreign Ministers meeting, Mogherini played down the bloc's divisions.<\/p>\n<p>\"There have been different perspectives\", Mogherini told reporters, \"but member states realise the need for a united European voice.\"<\/p>\n<p>Mikail said European countries were in no way united when it came to Libya, if only because they are economic competitors in the North African country.<\/p>\n<p>\"I think Federica Mogherini was referring to a unanimous European condemnation of Khalifa Haftar's current strategy behind closed doors, but we are still waiting for an official declaration to this effect.\"<\/p>\n<p>No formal written conclusions were adopted by EU Ministers, Mogherini said Monday.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, intense fighting continued on the ground between Haftar's forces and the internationally recognised government in Tripoli.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesman for the Tripoli-based Health Ministry said on Monday fighting in the south of the capital had killed at least 25 people, including fighters and civilians, and wounded 80.<\/p>\n<p>The LNA say 19 of its soldiers had died in recent days.<\/p>\n<p>The United Nations said 2,800 people had been displaced by clashes and many more could flee.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-freeform\nwidget--size-fullwidth\nwidget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <iframe src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////wb.messengerpeople.com//?widget_hash=3638143e4a3b4fbd5787ac11bc1b3c6d&lang=en&wn=0\%22 width=\"80%\" height=\"300px\" style=\"border:0;\"><\/iframe> \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1554727512,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1554737042,"firstPublishedAt":1554737046,"lastPublishedAt":1554824518,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/64\/90\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_3dbcff30-7f7e-588f-be05-7b02b58eadb0-3786490.jpg","altText":"Members of Misrata forces prepare for combat, April 8, 2019","caption":"Members of Misrata forces prepare for combat, April 8, 2019","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"REUTERS ","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3500,"height":2334}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":1708,"urlSafeValue":"amiel","title":"Sandrine Amiel","twitter":null}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":94,"slug":"eu-foreign-policy","urlSafeValue":"eu-foreign-policy","title":"EU Foreign Policy","titleRaw":"EU Foreign Policy"},{"id":11846,"slug":"federica-mogherini","urlSafeValue":"federica-mogherini","title":"Federica Mogherini","titleRaw":"Federica Mogherini"},{"id":14820,"slug":"khalifa-haftar","urlSafeValue":"khalifa-haftar","title":"Khalifa Haftar","titleRaw":"Khalifa Haftar"},{"id":117,"slug":"france","urlSafeValue":"france","title":"France","titleRaw":"France"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"twitter","count":1},{"slug":"html","count":1}],"related":[{"id":729416},{"id":994616},{"id":1638248}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"fhHguTV93ns","dailymotionId":"x75h5zo"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/WB\/SU\/19\/04\/08\/en\/190408_WBSU_7307638_7312200_30600_191301_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":30600,"filesizeBytes":3088365,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"Reuters ","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'gt_negative','gs_politics','sm_politics','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','neg_facebook_2021','gs_politics_misc','neg_facebook','neg_facebook_q4','gt_negative_anger','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_facebook_neg1','gv_military','castrol_negative_uk','gv_death_injury','gt_negative_fear','gt_negative_dislike'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2019\/04\/08\/france-under-pressure-to-condemn-haftar-as-eu-seeks-unity-on-libya-crisis","lastModified":1554824518},{"id":721884,"cid":3785228,"versionId":1,"archive":0,"housenumber":"190407_NWSU_7296687","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"LIBYA SUNDAY UPDATE","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"Libya crisis: over 20 killed in fighting near Tripoli","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Fierce clashes with rebels around Libyan capital","titleListing2":"Libya crisis: over 20 killed in fighting near Tripoli","leadin":"The UN-backed Libyan government says at least 21 have died in clashes between government forces and the rebel Libyan National Army","summary":"The UN-backed Libyan government says at least 21 have died in clashes between government forces and the rebel Libyan National Army","keySentence":"","url":"libya-crisis-over-20-killed-in-fighting-near-tripoli","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/04\/07\/libya-crisis-over-20-killed-in-fighting-near-tripoli","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Video posted on social media purports to show rebel Libyan National Army forces preparing for an assault on Tripoli airport. \n\nThe UN-backed government says 21 people have been killed and 27 injured in fighting around the capital. \n\nLibya has suffered instability and violence since the downfall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. \n\nLNA forces under the command of General Khalifa Haftar have been steadily advancing from the east with the aim of taking control of the capital. \n\nThe country's prime minister Fayez al-Serraj has accused Haftar of planning a coup. Government troops were reported to be moving towards the LNA lines on Saturday to counter their advance \n\n\"I mean I don't see any lack of intent (from Haftar's troops),\" said Kamran Bokhari, director of the\u00a0 Center for Global Policy. \"I'm more concerned about capability, and that's where I'm not sure whether his (Haftar's) forces are up to the task. I mean he was able to take over much of the southwest, I mean easily. Tripoli, he's going to face a lot of resistance. So we're looking at a long, protracted conflict.\" \n\nOther footage on social media appeared to show an American vessel leaving a site near Tripoli. The US said the move was due to security conditions on the ground. A small contingent of American troops has been in Libya to help combat Islamic militant groups. \n\n\n","htmlText":"<p>Video posted on social media purports to show rebel Libyan National Army forces preparing for an assault on Tripoli airport. <\/p>\n<p>The UN-backed government says <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2019//04//06//battle-for-power-in-libya-reaches-the-capital-tripoli/">21 people have been killed and 27 injured in fighting around the capital.<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Libya has suffered instability and violence since the downfall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.<\/p>\n<p>LNA forces under the command of General Khalifa Haftar have been steadily advancing from the east with the aim of taking control of the capital. <\/p>\n<p>The country's prime minister Fayez al-Serraj has accused Haftar of planning a coup. Government troops were reported to be moving towards the LNA lines on Saturday to counter their advance<\/p>\n<p>\"I mean I don't see any lack of intent (from Haftar's troops),\" said Kamran Bokhari, director of the\u00a0 <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.cgpolicy.org///" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Center for Global Policy.<\/a> \"I'm more concerned about capability, and that's where I'm not sure whether his (Haftar's) forces are up to the task. I mean he was able to take over much of the southwest, I mean easily. Tripoli, he's going to face a lot of resistance. So we're looking at a long, protracted conflict.\"<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1114606338884157441\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Other footage on social media appeared to show an American vessel leaving a site near Tripoli. The US said the move was due to security conditions on the ground. A small contingent of American troops has been in Libya to help combat Islamic militant groups.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1554657650,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1554663664,"firstPublishedAt":1554663667,"lastPublishedAt":1554663667,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/52\/28\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_5359e854-4d3c-5312-8b34-9c574036e728-3785228.jpg","altText":"Libyan government forces","caption":"Libyan government forces","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1920,"height":1080}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":976,"urlSafeValue":"armstrong","title":"Mark Armstrong","twitter":null}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":16833,"slug":"tripoli","urlSafeValue":"tripoli","title":"Tripoli","titleRaw":"Tripoli"},{"id":12398,"slug":"fighting","urlSafeValue":"fighting","title":"Fighting","titleRaw":"Fighting"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"twitter","count":1}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"J5u-dza1LV4","dailymotionId":"x75fg28"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/NW\/SU\/19\/04\/07\/en\/190407_NWSU_7296687_7298694_85000_203249_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":85000,"filesizeBytes":8320643,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":null,"additionalReporting":null,"freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":{"id":2182,"urlSafeValue":"tripoli","title":"Tripoli"},"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_facebook_2021','neg_mobkoi_castrol','castrol_negative_uk','neg_nespresso','neg_facebook','neg_mobkoi_fb-weareonit_fs_28feb2019','neg_saudiaramco','neg_facebook_neg1','neg_facebook_q4','gs_politics','neg_mobkoi_feb2021','gs_politics_misc','gv_death_injury','gv_terrorism','gt_negative','gt_negative_anger'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2019\/04\/07\/libya-crisis-over-20-killed-in-fighting-near-tripoli","lastModified":1554663667},{"id":721332,"cid":3783352,"versionId":7,"archive":0,"housenumber":"190406_NWSU_7289199","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"LIBYA UPDATE","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"UN calls for truce as battle for power in Libya reaches the capital Tripoli","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Battle for power in Libya reaches the capital Tripoli","titleListing2":"Battle for power in Libya reaches the capital Tripoli","leadin":"Fighting has been reported near the former international airport, which the Libyan National Army claims now to control.","summary":"Fighting has been reported near the former international airport, which the Libyan National Army claims now to control.","keySentence":"","url":"battle-for-power-in-libya-reaches-the-capital-tripoli","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/04\/06\/battle-for-power-in-libya-reaches-the-capital-tripoli","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"The United Nations has urged forces fighting in Libya to undertake a two hour truce to evacuate civilians as US troops left the Libyan capital on Sunday.\u00a0 \n\nThe Libyan National Army says it has advanced into the outskirts of Tripoli as it continues its thrust against the internationally recognised government. \n\nFighting over the weekend is reported to have resulted in seven deaths and 55 being wounded in clashes near Tripoli's former international airport, which the LNA claims now to control, and suburbs south of the city. \n\nThe secretary general of the United Nations held talks with offensive leader Khalifa Haftar on Friday, but left the country without achieving a breakthrough. \n\n\"I'm leaving Libya with deep concern and with a heavy heart,\u201d said Antionio Guterres. \u201cI still hope that it would be possible to avoid bloody confrontation in and around Tripoli and the United Nation will remain available to facilitate any political solution able to unify the Libyan institutions.\" \n\nThe Prime Minister of Libya Fayez al-Serra was filmed preparing the defence of the city. The LNA controls the East of Libya, running a parallel administration to that of the Tripoli government. \n\nRead more: Libya, a country divided: From Gaddafi to Haftar, how did they get here? \n\nCalling for immediate de-escalation, the governments of the US, UAE, France, Italy and UK issued a statement expressing their deep concern about the possibility of conflict. \n\n\u201cAt this sensitive moment in Libya\u2019s transition, military posturing and threats of unilateral action only risk propelling Libya back toward chaos,\u201d they said in a joint statement released in Washington by the State Department. \u201cWe strongly believe that there is no military solution to the Libya conflict.\u201d \n\nAs Haftar's forces advanced on Friday, G7 foreign ministers said that they were strongly opposed to military action in Libya and implicitly warned the easter Libyan commander against continuing his advance on the capital. \n\n\"We firmly believe that there is no military solution to the Libyan conflict,\" the foreign ministers from France, Britain, Germany, United States, Italy, Japan and Canada said in a statement. \n\nKhalifa Haftar must listen to warnings from the international community and halt his advance on Tripoli, Italy's foreign minister said on Saturday, on the second day of G7 talks in France. \n\n\"We have stated quite clearly what our position is,\" Enzo Milanesi said. \"We very much hope that he will take it into consideration. If this does not happen, we will see what can be done.\" \n\n","htmlText":"<p>The United Nations has urged forces fighting in Libya to undertake a two hour truce to evacuate civilians as US troops left the Libyan capital on Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Libyan National Army says it has advanced into the outskirts of Tripoli as it continues its thrust against the internationally recognised government.<\/p>\n<p>Fighting over the weekend is reported to have resulted in seven deaths and 55 being wounded in clashes near Tripoli's former international airport, which the LNA claims now to control, and suburbs south of the city.<\/p>\n<p>The secretary general of the United Nations held talks with offensive leader Khalifa Haftar on Friday, but left the country without achieving a breakthrough.<\/p>\n<p>\"I'm leaving Libya with deep concern and with a heavy heart,\u201d said Antionio Guterres. \u201cI still hope that it would be possible to avoid bloody confrontation in and around Tripoli and the United Nation will remain available to facilitate any political solution able to unify the Libyan institutions.\"<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1114187435460767744\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>The Prime Minister of Libya Fayez al-Serra was filmed preparing the defence of the city. The LNA controls the East of Libya, running a parallel administration to that of the Tripoli government.<\/p>\n<p><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//2019//04//05//libya-a-country-divided-from-gaddafi-to-haftar-how-did-they-get-here/">Read more: Libya, a country divided: From Gaddafi to Haftar, how did they get here?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Calling for immediate de-escalation, the governments of the US, UAE, France, Italy and UK issued a statement expressing their deep concern about the possibility of conflict.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt this sensitive moment in Libya\u2019s transition, military posturing and threats of unilateral action only risk propelling Libya back toward chaos,\u201d they said in a joint statement released in Washington by the State Department. \u201cWe strongly believe that there is no military solution to the Libya conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As Haftar's forces advanced on Friday, G7 foreign ministers said that they were strongly opposed to military action in Libya and implicitly warned the easter Libyan commander against continuing his advance on the capital.<\/p>\n<p>\"We firmly believe that there is no military solution to the Libyan conflict,\" the foreign ministers from France, Britain, Germany, United States, Italy, Japan and Canada said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Khalifa Haftar must listen to warnings from the international community and halt his advance on Tripoli, Italy's foreign minister said on Saturday, on the second day of G7 talks in France.<\/p>\n<p>\"We have stated quite clearly what our position is,\" Enzo Milanesi said. \"We very much hope that he will take it into consideration. If this does not happen, we will see what can be done.\"<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1554506155,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1554537663,"firstPublishedAt":1554537666,"lastPublishedAt":1554649259,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/33\/60\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_88af0673-9755-53f1-be19-90e423383121-3783360.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"REUTERS\/Isamil Zitouny","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3500,"height":2437}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":10515,"slug":"libyan-war","urlSafeValue":"libyan-war","title":"Libyan war","titleRaw":"Libyan war"},{"id":10831,"slug":"un","urlSafeValue":"un","title":"UN","titleRaw":"UN"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"twitter","count":1}],"related":[{"id":713670}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"b952JxhGKsE","dailymotionId":"x75cx4n"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/NW\/SU\/19\/04\/06\/en\/190406_NWSU_7289199_7289277_75000_093359_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":75000,"filesizeBytes":7386904,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":null,"additionalReporting":null,"freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":{"id":4252,"urlSafeValue":"tripoli","title":"Tripoli"},"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'gs_politics','sm_politics','gt_negative','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','gs_politics_misc','neg_facebook_2021','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_facebook','castrol_negative_uk','neg_facebook_q4','gt_negative_fear','neg_facebook_neg4','gt_negative_anger','gv_safe'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2019\/04\/06\/battle-for-power-in-libya-reaches-the-capital-tripoli","lastModified":1554649259},{"id":720596,"cid":3780940,"versionId":4,"archive":0,"housenumber":"190405_WBSU_7279476","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"WEB Libya explainer","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"Libya, a country divided: From Gaddafi to Haftar, how did they get here?","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Rumbles in Libya: From Gaddafi to Haftar, how did they get here?","titleListing2":"Libya, a country divided: From Gaddafi to Haftar, how did they get here?","leadin":"Libyan military strongman orders march on Tripoli; UN and other countries call for restraint","summary":"Libyan military strongman orders march on Tripoli; UN and other countries call for restraint","keySentence":"","url":"libya-a-country-divided-from-gaddafi-to-haftar-how-did-they-get-here","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/04\/05\/libya-a-country-divided-from-gaddafi-to-haftar-how-did-they-get-here","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"'We are coming' \n\n\"We are coming Tripoli, we are coming,\" Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the military strongman who heads the Libyan National Army (NLA), said in an audio recording posted on the army's Facebook page on Thursday. Haftar ordered his forces to march towards Tripoli, after they took over Gharyan, a town 100 km south of the city. \n\nThis has led to a real danger of a major face-off between rival militias and the UN-backed government in Tripoli, headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj. \n\nThe LNA by now has obtained control of two-thirds of Libya, including almost the entire southern region, known as Fezzan, complete with its oil fields and major population centres. \n\nHaftar's order calling for a march on the capital city came a day after United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Libya to broker a political process leading to peace. Things took a turn and, fearing escalation, Guterres called on Libyan forces to show restraint. \n\nGuterres said on Twitter on Friday morning that he was flying east from Tripoli to Tobruk and Benghazi. \"My aim remains the same: avoid a military confrontation. I reiterate that there is no military solution for the Libyan crisis, only a political one,\" he tweeted. \n\nWatch the video player above to see Guterres' plea for military moves to stop. \n\nGuterres said later on Friday he was leaving Libya with a \"heavy heart\" and was deeply concerned after he held a meeting with Haftar. \n\n\"I still hope it is possible to avoid a bloody confrontation in and around Tripoli,\" Guterres tweeted. \n\nCalling for immediate de-escalation, the governments of the US, UAE, France, Italy and UK issued a statement expressing their deep concern about the possibility of conflict. \n\n\u201cAt this sensitive moment in Libya\u2019s transition, military posturing and threats of unilateral action only risk propelling Libya back toward chaos,\u201d they said in a joint statement released in Washington by the State Department. \u201cWe strongly believe that there is no military solution to the Libya conflict.\u201d \n\nOn Friday night, Eastern Libyan forces seized the former Tripoli International Airport on the southern outskirts of the capital, a spokesman said. \n\nG7 \"strongly opposes any military action\" \n\nAs Haftar's forces advanced on Friday, G7 foreign ministers said that they were strongly opposed to military action in Libya and implicitly warned the easter Libyan commander against continuing his advance on the capital. \n\n\"We firmly believe that there is no military solution to the Libyan conflict,\" the foreign ministers from France, Britain, Germany, United States, Italy, Japan and Canada said in a statement. \n\n\"We strongly oppose any military action in Libya. Any Libyan actor or faction that precipitates further civil conflict are harming innocent people and standing in the way of the peace that Libyans deserve.\" \n\nThe U.N. special envoy to Libya said on Saturday he was determined to hold Libya's national conference on time despite the ongoing fighting. \n\nThe United Nations is planning to hold a conference in the southwestern town of Ghadames from April 14 to 16 to discuss elections as a way out of the country's eight-year-long conflict. \n\nHow did Libya get here? \n\nLibya's institutions, divisions and power structures are incredibly nuanced, but here is a broad view of the situation. \n\nAfter the Arab Spring uprisings and the subsequent fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya was forced into a power vacuum and instability. It has since been ravaged by turmoil and strife, splintered across political, military and power lines. \n\nThe fractures in the north African state allowed space for a militant uprising. \n\nHaftar saw a campaign through against this rise of Islamist militias in and around Benghazi. It took more than three years to complete and left parts of Libya\u2019s second city in ruins. \n\nAffiliates of the self-styled Islamic State group were expelled from Gaddafi's home town of Sirte in 2016 by local forces supported by U.S. air strikes. Oil production partially recovered as blockaders were sidelined, and migrant smuggling networks were curbed under strong Italian pressure. \n\nBut while power remains split between two main factions, these victories cannot truly come to fruition. \n\nElected vs UN-backed \n\nCurrently, the country has two rival governments: \n\nIn the east is the House of Representatives, based in the cities of Tobruk and Al-Bayda. This government is the only one with an electoral mandate and, perhaps more importantly right now, it is backed by the LNA, who are making moves towards Tripoli in a potential power seizure. \n\nIn the west is the Government of National Accord, based in the capital, Tripoli. This government, headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, is recognised by the UN. \n\nThese two administrations are not the only ones vying for power and control in this oil-rich country. Several militias, mostly in the south, wield considerable influence; many have tribal alliances. \n\nAlso in the south, minority groups such as the Tubu and Arab tribes fight for control of cross-border smuggling routes. The region is riven with human traffickers from Africa. \n\nEast v West not just governmental \n\nOver three-quarters of the nation's oil is produced in the east of the country. Oil is, of course, the main source of revenue in Libya so there is resentment as those in the east believe they receive fewer resources than those in the west despite their area being hugely more profitable. \n\nWhat has the UN done recently? \n\nSpecial Representative of the Secretary-General, Ghassan Salam\u00e9, and the United Nations Support Mission for Libya (UNSMIL) have most recently stepped up efforts to ensure credible and peaceful elections. \n\nSalam\u00e9 announced a fortnight ago that the National Conference will take place from 14 to 16 April 2019 in Ghadames, Libya. \n\nHowever, Haftar's latest move may throw that into doubt. \n\n","htmlText":"<h2>'We are coming'<\/h2>\n<p>\"We are coming Tripoli, we are coming,\" Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the military strongman who heads the Libyan National Army (NLA), said in an audio recording posted on the army's Facebook page on Thursday. Haftar ordered his forces to march towards Tripoli, after they took over Gharyan, a town 100 km south of the city.<\/p>\n<p>This has led to a real danger of a major face-off between rival militias and the UN-backed government in Tripoli, headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.<\/p>\n<p>The LNA by now has obtained control of two-thirds of Libya, including almost the entire southern region, known as Fezzan, complete with its oil fields and major population centres.<\/p>\n<p>Haftar's order calling for a march on the capital city came a day after United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Libya to broker a political process leading to peace. Things took a turn and, fearing escalation, Guterres called on Libyan forces to show restraint.<\/p>\n<p>Guterres said on Twitter on Friday morning that he was flying east from Tripoli to Tobruk and Benghazi. \"My aim remains the same: avoid a military confrontation. I reiterate that there is no military solution for the Libyan crisis, only a political one,\" he tweeted.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Watch the video player above to see Guterres' plea for military moves to stop.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Guterres said later on Friday he was leaving Libya with a \"heavy heart\" and was deeply concerned after he held a meeting with Haftar.<\/p>\n<p>\"I still hope it is possible to avoid a bloody confrontation in and around Tripoli,\" Guterres tweeted.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1114187435460767744\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Calling for immediate de-escalation, the governments of the US, UAE, France, Italy and UK issued a statement expressing their deep concern about the possibility of conflict.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt this sensitive moment in Libya\u2019s transition, military posturing and threats of unilateral action only risk propelling Libya back toward chaos,\u201d they said in a joint statement released in Washington by the State Department. \u201cWe strongly believe that there is no military solution to the Libya conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Friday night, Eastern Libyan forces seized the former Tripoli International Airport on the southern outskirts of the capital, a spokesman said.<\/p>\n<h2>G7 \"strongly opposes any military action\"<\/h2>\n<p>As Haftar's forces advanced on Friday, G7 foreign ministers said that they were strongly opposed to military action in Libya and implicitly warned the easter Libyan commander against continuing his advance on the capital.<\/p>\n<p>\"We firmly believe that there is no military solution to the Libyan conflict,\" the foreign ministers from France, Britain, Germany, United States, Italy, Japan and Canada said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>\"We strongly oppose any military action in Libya. Any Libyan actor or faction that precipitates further civil conflict are harming innocent people and standing in the way of the peace that Libyans deserve.\"<\/p>\n<p>The U.N. special envoy to Libya said on Saturday he was determined to hold Libya's national conference on time despite the ongoing fighting.<\/p>\n<p>The United Nations is planning to hold a conference in the southwestern town of Ghadames from April 14 to 16 to discuss elections as a way out of the country's eight-year-long conflict.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How did Libya get here?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Libya's institutions, divisions and power structures are incredibly nuanced, but here is a broad view of the situation.<\/p>\n<p>After the Arab Spring uprisings and the subsequent fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya was forced into a power vacuum and instability. It has since been ravaged by turmoil and strife, splintered across political, military and power lines.<\/p>\n<p>The fractures in the north African state allowed space for a militant uprising.<\/p>\n<p>Haftar saw a campaign through against this rise of Islamist militias in and around Benghazi. It took more than three years to complete and left parts of Libya\u2019s second city in ruins.<\/p>\n<p>Affiliates of the self-styled Islamic State group were expelled from Gaddafi's home town of Sirte in 2016 by local forces supported by U.S. air strikes. Oil production partially recovered as blockaders were sidelined, and migrant smuggling networks were curbed under strong Italian pressure.<\/p>\n<p>But while power remains split between two main factions, these victories cannot truly come to fruition.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-euronews\nwidget--size-fullwidth\nwidget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"auto widget__ratio widget__ratio--16x9\">\n <iframe type=\"text\/html\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.euronews.com//embed//719906/" width=\"100%\" loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen seamless>\n <\/iframe>\n <\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>Elected vs UN-backed<\/h2>\n<p>Currently, the country has two rival governments:<\/p>\n<p>In the east is the House of Representatives, based in the cities of Tobruk and Al-Bayda. This government is the only one with an electoral mandate and, perhaps more importantly right now, it is backed by the LNA, who are making moves towards Tripoli in a potential power seizure.<\/p>\n<p>In the west is the Government of National Accord, based in the capital, Tripoli. This government, headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, is recognised by the UN.<\/p>\n<p>These two administrations are not the only ones vying for power and control in this oil-rich country. Several militias, mostly in the south, wield considerable influence; many have tribal alliances.<\/p>\n<p>Also in the south, minority groups such as the Tubu and Arab tribes fight for control of cross-border smuggling routes. The region is riven with human traffickers from Africa.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-fullwidth widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-center\" data-ratio=\"0.6754285714285714\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//03//78//09//40//808x546_cmsv2_226bee56-5dc3-563e-b85a-8be775228fd6-3780940.jpg/" alt=\"REUTERS\/Philippe Wojazer\/File Photo\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/09\/40\/384x259_cmsv2_226bee56-5dc3-563e-b85a-8be775228fd6-3780940.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/09\/40\/640x432_cmsv2_226bee56-5dc3-563e-b85a-8be775228fd6-3780940.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/09\/40\/750x507_cmsv2_226bee56-5dc3-563e-b85a-8be775228fd6-3780940.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/09\/40\/828x559_cmsv2_226bee56-5dc3-563e-b85a-8be775228fd6-3780940.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/09\/40\/1080x729_cmsv2_226bee56-5dc3-563e-b85a-8be775228fd6-3780940.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/09\/40\/1200x811_cmsv2_226bee56-5dc3-563e-b85a-8be775228fd6-3780940.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/09\/40\/1920x1297_cmsv2_226bee56-5dc3-563e-b85a-8be775228fd6-3780940.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 55vw, 728px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">French President Emmanuel Macron stands between Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj (L), and General Khalifa Haftar (R) after talks over a political deal to help end Libya\u2019s crisis in July 2017<\/span>\n <span class=\"widget__captionCredit\">REUTERS\/Philippe Wojazer\/File Photo<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>East v West not just governmental<\/h2>\n<p>Over three-quarters of the nation's oil is produced in the east of the country. Oil is, of course, the main source of revenue in Libya so there is resentment as those in the east believe they receive fewer resources than those in the west despite their area being hugely more profitable.<\/p>\n<h2>What has the UN done recently?<\/h2>\n<p>Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ghassan Salam\u00e9, and the United Nations Support Mission for Libya (UNSMIL) have most recently stepped up efforts to ensure credible and peaceful elections.<\/p>\n<p>Salam\u00e9 announced a fortnight ago that the National Conference will take place from 14 to 16 April 2019 in Ghadames, Libya.<\/p>\n<p>However, Haftar's latest move may throw that into doubt.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1554455947,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1554481154,"firstPublishedAt":1554481156,"lastPublishedAt":1554553399,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/09\/40\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_e33e46c7-7f19-57fe-997e-72082f5173bf-3780940.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionUrl":"https:\/\/www.reutersconnect.com\/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2019%3Anewsml_RC15685EE870%3A403667633&search=all%3Ahaftar","captionCredit":"Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj arrives at a check point: REUTERS\/Hani Amara","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3500,"height":2454},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/78\/09\/40\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_226bee56-5dc3-563e-b85a-8be775228fd6-3780940.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3500,"height":2364}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":1604,"urlSafeValue":"fielder","title":"Jez Fielder","twitter":"@jezmerelda"}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":10495,"slug":"libyan-army","urlSafeValue":"libyan-army","title":"Libyan army","titleRaw":"Libyan army"},{"id":14820,"slug":"khalifa-haftar","urlSafeValue":"khalifa-haftar","title":"Khalifa Haftar","titleRaw":"Khalifa Haftar"},{"id":8011,"slug":"muammar-gaddafi","urlSafeValue":"muammar-gaddafi","title":"Muammar Gaddafi","titleRaw":"Muammar Gaddafi"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"image","count":1},{"slug":"twitter","count":1},{"slug":"euronews","count":1}],"related":[{"id":722702},{"id":764368},{"id":994616}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"L1XorM45uek","dailymotionId":"x75butx"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/WB\/SU\/19\/04\/05\/en\/190405_WBSU_7279476_7279495_109440_142812_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":109440,"filesizeBytes":10759306,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"Reuters","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World 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Libya Tensions","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"Tensions flare in Libya as eastern Libyan commander orders forces to move on Tripoli","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Tensions flare in Libya as commander orders forces to move on Tripoli","titleListing2":"Tensions flare in Libya as eastern Libyan commander orders forces to move on Tripoli","leadin":"Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar ordered his troops to march on the capital Tripoli as the UN tries to push for a peace deal.","summary":"Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar ordered his troops to march on the capital Tripoli as the UN tries to push for a peace deal.","keySentence":"","url":"tensions-flare-in-libya-as-eastern-libyan-commander-orders-forces-to-move-on-tripoli","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/04\/04\/tensions-flare-in-libya-as-eastern-libyan-commander-orders-forces-to-move-on-tripoli","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Heavily armed forces loyal to a Libyan commander have been filmed advancing towards Tripoli, ratcheting up tensions ahead of a UN-backed peace conference. \n\nEastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar ordered his troops to march on the capital in a video posted online, hours after he said his forces took full control of Gharyan, a town about 100 km south of the capital. \n\n\u201cTo our army which is stationed at the outskirts of Tripoli. Today we complete our march ... We are going to start shortly,\u201d he said in the video titled \u2018Operation to liberate Tripoli\u2019. There was no independent confirmation that any advance had started. \n\nThe tensions come as the UN is preparing to hold a conference later this month in the southwestern city of Ghadames to discuss a political solution to prepare the country for long-delayed elections. \n\nUN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who was in Tripoli promoting the peace talks, expressed grave concern over \u201cthe military movement taking place.\" He tweeted a warning against the \u201crisk of confrontation\u201d, and called for calm and dialogue. \n\nSince the fall of Gaddafi in 2011, the country has been divided between various disparate factions. Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj leads the Western-backed government, which currently sits in Tripoli. However, the vast majority of the country's east is under the control of Khalifa Haftar, commander of the 'Libyan National Army'. \n\nThe Tripoli government announced a high state of military alert in response to the advance by Haftar's forces. \n\nMigration crisis \n\nLibya is a major departure point for migrants and refugees travelling across the Sahara in the hopes of reaching Europe and any unrest could impact Tripoli's ability to manage the flow of migrants trying to reach Italy. \n\nWith EU backing, Italy made a deal two years ago to spend tens of millions of euros funding the Libyan coastguard, \n\nThe deal which is backed by the government in Tripoli, intercepts boats heading for Italy and returns refugees and migrants to Libya. Much outrage against European migration policies have been caused by the criminalisation of search-and-rescue operations in the Mediterranean, the deadliest sea route in the world. \n\nHowever, there are reports of refugees and migrants dying in horrific conditions after being sent back to Libya as a direct result of EU policy. \n\nThe EU Delegation to Libya said in a statement that it was \"deeply concerned by the military buildup underway in Libya\" and urged \"all parties to seize the opportunity of the visit of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to engage in a spirit of compromise in order to avoid further bloodshed and build a better future for all Libyans.\" \n\nInternational response \n\nThe US, UK, France, and Italy have issued a joint statement calling for calm in the country. \n\n\"At this sensitive moment in Libya's transition, military posturing and threats of unilateral action only risk propelling Libya back toward chaos,\" they said in a joint statement issued by the US state department. \n\n\"We strongly believe that there is no military solution to the Libya conflict,\" they added. \n\n","htmlText":"<p>Heavily armed forces loyal to a Libyan commander have been filmed advancing towards Tripoli, ratcheting up tensions ahead of a UN-backed peace conference.<\/p>\n<p>Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar ordered his troops to march on the capital in a video posted online, hours after he said his forces took full control of Gharyan, a town about 100 km south of the capital.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo our army which is stationed at the outskirts of Tripoli. Today we complete our march ... We are going to start shortly,\u201d he said in the video titled \u2018Operation to liberate Tripoli\u2019. There was no independent confirmation that any advance had started.<\/p>\n<p>The tensions come as the UN is preparing to hold a conference later this month in the southwestern city of Ghadames to discuss a political solution to prepare the country for long-delayed elections.<\/p>\n<p>UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who was in Tripoli promoting the peace talks, expressed grave concern over \u201cthe military movement taking place.\" He tweeted a warning against the \u201crisk of confrontation\u201d, and called for calm and dialogue.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1113703749355225088\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Since the fall of Gaddafi in 2011, the country has been divided between various disparate factions. Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj leads the Western-backed government, which currently sits in Tripoli. However, the vast majority of the country's east is under the control of Khalifa Haftar, commander of the 'Libyan National Army'.<\/p>\n<p>The Tripoli government announced a high state of military alert in response to the advance by Haftar's forces.<\/p>\n<h2>Migration crisis<\/h2>\n<p>Libya is a major departure point for migrants and refugees travelling across the Sahara in the hopes of reaching Europe and any unrest could impact Tripoli's ability to manage the flow of migrants trying to reach Italy.<\/p>\n<p>With EU backing, Italy made a deal two years ago to spend tens of millions of euros funding the Libyan coastguard,<\/p>\n<p>The deal which is backed by the government in Tripoli, intercepts boats heading for Italy and returns refugees and migrants to Libya. Much outrage against European migration policies have been caused by the criminalisation of search-and-rescue operations in the Mediterranean, the deadliest sea route in the world.<\/p>\n<p>However, there are reports of refugees and migrants dying in horrific conditions after being sent back to Libya as a direct result of EU policy.<\/p>\n<p>The EU Delegation to Libya said in a statement that it was \"deeply concerned by the military buildup underway in Libya\" and urged \"all parties to seize the opportunity of the visit of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to engage in a spirit of compromise in order to avoid further bloodshed and build a better future for all Libyans.\"<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1113759853598642177\"><\/div>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">@EUDELtoLibya<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>International response<\/h2>\n<p>The US, UK, France, and Italy have issued a joint statement calling for calm in the country.<\/p>\n<p>\"At this sensitive moment in Libya's transition, military posturing and threats of unilateral action only risk propelling Libya back toward chaos,\" they said in a joint statement issued by the US state department.<\/p>\n<p>\"We strongly believe that there is no military solution to the Libya conflict,\" they added.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-freeform\nwidget--size-fullwidth\nwidget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <iframe src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////wb.messengerpeople.com//?widget_hash=3638143e4a3b4fbd5787ac11bc1b3c6d&lang=en&wn=0\%22 width=\"80%\" height=\"300px\" style=\"border:0;\"><\/iframe> \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1554401420,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1554409897,"firstPublishedAt":1554409899,"lastPublishedAt":1554471116,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/77\/83\/48\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_27e99af1-d9c2-5c5c-8614-0f8c06404525-3778348.jpg","altText":"Reuters TV via REUTERS","caption":"Reuters TV via REUTERS","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3500,"height":1970}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":1542,"urlSafeValue":"morgan","title":"Alexander Morgan","twitter":null}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":14820,"slug":"khalifa-haftar","urlSafeValue":"khalifa-haftar","title":"Khalifa Haftar","titleRaw":"Khalifa Haftar"},{"id":292,"slug":"united-nations","urlSafeValue":"united-nations","title":"United Nations","titleRaw":"United Nations"},{"id":10515,"slug":"libyan-war","urlSafeValue":"libyan-war","title":"Libyan war","titleRaw":"Libyan war"},{"id":16833,"slug":"tripoli","urlSafeValue":"tripoli","title":"Tripoli","titleRaw":"Tripoli"},{"id":13450,"slug":"migration","urlSafeValue":"migration","title":"migration","titleRaw":"migration"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"twitter","count":2},{"slug":"html","count":1}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":{"youtubeId":"IXBTmjns-kk","dailymotionId":"x75a9pp"},"hasExternalVideo":1,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/WB\/SU\/19\/04\/04\/en\/190404_WBSU_7271454_7272629_189000_222124_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":189000,"filesizeBytes":19634716,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"Reuters","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Matthew Holroyd","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World 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LIBYA FORCES","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"Eastern Libya forces move west, clash with rivals south of Tripoli","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Eastern Libya forces clash with rivals south of Tripoli","titleListing2":"Eastern Libya forces clash with rivals south of Tripoli","leadin":"The advance took diplomats and analysts by surprise, exploiting their focus on neighbouring Algeria where President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned on Tuesday after protests","summary":"The advance took diplomats and analysts by surprise, exploiting their focus on neighbouring Algeria where President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned on Tuesday after protests","keySentence":"","url":"eastern-libya-forces-move-west-clash-with-rivals-south-of-tripoli","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/04\/04\/eastern-libya-forces-move-west-clash-with-rivals-south-of-tripoli","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"BENGHAZI, Libya\/TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Eastern Libyan military forces have moved to western Libya and are clashing with rival forces south of the capital Tripoli, a spokesman for the eastern force said on Wednesday, in an escalation between rival camps in the troubled oil producer. \n\n\nThe advance took diplomats and analysts by surprise, exploiting their focus on neighbouring Algeria where President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned on Tuesday after protests, to the relieve of Western countries valuing stability there. \n\nLibya -- in trouble since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 -- is divided between the internationally recognised government in Tripoli and a parallel administration allied to Khalifa Haftar. \n\nHis forces control the east and recently expanded to southern Libya. \n\nNow in a new escalation Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) moved in the past days discreetly forces west with the LNA media office publishing on Wednesday videos of troops travelling on a coastal road from Benghazi, the main eastern city. \n\nIn the evening the first clashes were reported near Gharyan, a town south of Tripoli between the LNA and forces allied to Tripoli Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, who relied on patches of armed groups with flexible loyalties. \n\n\"Right now they are clashes south of Tripoli...in Gharyan,\" LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari told al-Arabiya channel. \n\nThere was no immediate comment from the Tripoli government, which had issued earlier a general alert for its forces in response to the eastern advance. \n\nThe confrontation is a major setback for the U.N and Western countries which have been trying to mediate between Serraj and Haftar. Both men had met in Abu Dhabi last month to discuss a power sharing deal and a national conference is set to follow this month to agree on a road map for elections. \n\nHaftar has turned into major player in the North African country, enjoying the backing of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates which see him as bulwark against Islamists. His opponents see in him a new Gaddafi. \n\nSome of Haftar's supporters have called the U.N. efforts a waste of time, urging him to carry out a military solution to establish himself as national army commander. \n\nDuring the day the LNA had turned up pressure on Tripoli, warning of a military campaign to \"liberate the homeland from terrorism\". \n\n\"We expect the women of Tripoli to welcome the Libyan army like the women of Benghazi and Derna did,\" said Mismari, referring to two eastern cities which the LNA took by force. \n\nCONFERENCE \n\nThe announcements coincided with the arrival in Tripoli of U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres who is on a regional tour seeking to help avoid a confrontation between the rival Libyan camps. \n\nGuterres plans to help prepare a national conference in two weeks to stabilize the oil-producing country, a U.N. spokesman said. \n\nMismari also called on young people in Tripoli to focus on the battle between LNA and Daesh, or Islamic State, in another hint that military action might be looming. \n\nIn January, the LNA, which is loyal to Haftar, started a campaign to take control of the south and its oilfields with a similar rhetoric. \n\nA resident in Ras Lanuf, an oil town located on the coastal road, said tanks and military convoys were seen heading westwards in the direction of Sirte. \n\nSirte is in central Libya controlled by a force from the western city of Mistrata allied to the Tripoli administration. \n\nMisrata, a port east of Tripoli, is home to powerful armed groups, which could match at least partly the firepower of LNA ground troops, analysts say. \n\nHaftar's forces enjoy air superiority and control the country's oilfields and most oil export ports. \n\n(Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli and Ahmed Elumami; Writing by Ulf Laessing, Editing by William Maclean, James Dalgleish and Lisa Shumaker) \n\n","htmlText":"<p>BENGHAZI, Libya\/TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Eastern Libyan military forces have moved to western Libya and are clashing with rival forces south of the capital Tripoli, a spokesman for the eastern force said on Wednesday, in an escalation between rival camps in the troubled oil producer. <\/p>\n<p>The advance took diplomats and analysts by surprise, exploiting their focus on neighbouring Algeria where President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned on Tuesday after protests, to the relieve of Western countries valuing stability there.<\/p>\n<p>Libya -- in trouble since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 -- is divided between the internationally recognised government in Tripoli and a parallel administration allied to Khalifa Haftar.<\/p>\n<p>His forces control the east and recently expanded to southern Libya.<\/p>\n<p>Now in a new escalation Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) moved in the past days discreetly forces west with the LNA media office publishing on Wednesday videos of troops travelling on a coastal road from Benghazi, the main eastern city.<\/p>\n<p>In the evening the first clashes were reported near Gharyan, a town south of Tripoli between the LNA and forces allied to Tripoli Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, who relied on patches of armed groups with flexible loyalties.<\/p>\n<p>\"Right now they are clashes south of Tripoli...in Gharyan,\" LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari told al-Arabiya channel.<\/p>\n<p>There was no immediate comment from the Tripoli government, which had issued earlier a general alert for its forces in response to the eastern advance.<\/p>\n<p>The confrontation is a major setback for the U.N and Western countries which have been trying to mediate between Serraj and Haftar. Both men had met in Abu Dhabi last month to discuss a power sharing deal and a national conference is set to follow this month to agree on a road map for elections.<\/p>\n<p>Haftar has turned into major player in the North African country, enjoying the backing of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates which see him as bulwark against Islamists. His opponents see in him a new Gaddafi.<\/p>\n<p>Some of Haftar's supporters have called the U.N. efforts a waste of time, urging him to carry out a military solution to establish himself as national army commander.<\/p>\n<p>During the day the LNA had turned up pressure on Tripoli, warning of a military campaign to \"liberate the homeland from terrorism\".<\/p>\n<p>\"We expect the women of Tripoli to welcome the Libyan army like the women of Benghazi and Derna did,\" said Mismari, referring to two eastern cities which the LNA took by force.<\/p>\n<!-- oovvuu widget is now deprecated -->\n<h2>CONFERENCE<\/h2>\n<p>The announcements coincided with the arrival in Tripoli of U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres who is on a regional tour seeking to help avoid a confrontation between the rival Libyan camps.<\/p>\n<p>Guterres plans to help prepare a national conference in two weeks to stabilize the oil-producing country, a U.N. spokesman said.<\/p>\n<p>Mismari also called on young people in Tripoli to focus on the battle between LNA and Daesh, or Islamic State, in another hint that military action might be looming.<\/p>\n<p>In January, the LNA, which is loyal to Haftar, started a campaign to take control of the south and its oilfields with a similar rhetoric.<\/p>\n<p>A resident in Ras Lanuf, an oil town located on the coastal road, said tanks and military convoys were seen heading westwards in the direction of Sirte.<\/p>\n<p>Sirte is in central Libya controlled by a force from the western city of Mistrata allied to the Tripoli administration.<\/p>\n<p>Misrata, a port east of Tripoli, is home to powerful armed groups, which could match at least partly the firepower of LNA ground troops, analysts say.<\/p>\n<p>Haftar's forces enjoy air superiority and control the country's oilfields and most oil export ports.<\/p>\n<p>(Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli and Ahmed Elumami; Writing by Ulf Laessing, Editing by William Maclean, James Dalgleish and Lisa Shumaker)<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1554353032,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1554353229,"firstPublishedAt":1554353232,"lastPublishedAt":1554353232,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/wires\/04\/80\/67\/58\/{{w}}x{{h}}_eastern-libya-forces-move-west-clash-with-rivals-south-of-tripoli.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":800,"height":800}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":3,"slug":"africa","urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa","titleRaw":"Africa"},{"id":9979,"slug":"politics","urlSafeValue":"politics","title":"Politics","titleRaw":"Politics"},{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"oovvuu","count":"0"}],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":0,"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":2,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Reuters","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":{"id":2182,"urlSafeValue":"tripoli","title":"Tripoli"},"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_facebook_2021','castrol_negative_uk','neg_mobkoi_castrol','neg_facebook','gs_politics','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','gs_politics_misc','neg_nespresso','sm_politics','neg_citi_campaign','gv_military','gt_negative','gv_terrorism'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2019\/04\/04\/eastern-libya-forces-move-west-clash-with-rivals-south-of-tripoli","lastModified":1554353232},{"id":713156,"cid":3759920,"versionId":9,"archive":0,"housenumber":"190328_WBSU_7179189","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"View Operation Sophia","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"The EU must unite to save lives in the Mediterranean and stabilise Libya \u01c0 View","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"","titleListing2":"EU must unite to save lives in the Mediterranean and stabilise Libya \u01c0 View","leadin":"The EU must look at Libya beyond the lens of curbing migration. This approach has exacerbated conflict in the country and fuelled violence and human rights abuses.","summary":"The EU must look at Libya beyond the lens of curbing migration. This approach has exacerbated conflict in the country and fuelled violence and human rights abuses.","keySentence":"","url":"eu-must-unite-to-saves-lives-in-the-mediterranean-and-stabilise-libya-view","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/03\/28\/eu-must-unite-to-saves-lives-in-the-mediterranean-and-stabilise-libya-view","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"On March 26, EU governments agreed to extend the mandate of Operation Sophia - formally the European Union Naval Force Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR Med) - for six months. The EU anti-smuggling mission in the Mediterranean will be scaled down with the retrieval of its naval assets. \n\nThe technical prolongation option was chosen after Italy, who was leading the mission, refused to continue the operation unless other EU countries to open their ports for disembarkation. \n\nThe decision fails to address the lack of capacity to rescue people in distress and shows the unwillingness to have a sustainable common EU action in the Central Mediterranean. \n\nOperation Sophia\u2019s mandate did not include saving lives at sea and stopped rescuing people in 2018, after 49,000 people were saved since 2015. \n\nA recent leak confirmed EU officials knew the operation was underperforming in disrupting smuggling networks and had a substantial human cost, making the crossing of the Mediterranean more perilous for people. If arrivals to European soil dropped , the chances of dying at sea remained high . \n\nEuropean governments have multiplied legal and bureaucratic hurdles to stop NGOs operations to save human lives at sea. It is high time for the EU to put in place a collective, predictable lifesaving system in the Mediterranean. \n\nEU action in the Central Mediterranean cannot be separated from its policies in Europe\u2019s southern shores. In Libya, the EU must intensify its efforts for a unified and legitimate government in Tripoli, or there will be neither lasting stability in the country nor improvement of migrants\u2019 conditions. \n\nIn overcrowded facilities, at least 5,000 migrants and refugees suffer abuses and live in inhumane conditions as regularly denounced by countless reports , including the latest report by the Women\u2019s Refugee Commission on routine sexual abuses of women in detention centres. Outside confinement, migrant workers have increasingly become vulnerable to extortion , kidnapping and abduction. \n\nThe United Nations will organise the national conference on 14-16 April, a national reconciliation summit that will focus on stabilising Libya. It will be an opportunity for EU countries to unite their efforts to support of the process of reconciliation and revise their migration-related support to Libya. \n\nThe country is as close to a fully blown civil war as it is to a National Conference and a lasting peace and stability. EU migration management in Libya is an important part of the picture. \n\nThrough the EU Trust Fund , EU assistance and training in Libya meant de facto paying of militias to stop smuggling migrants and refugees and crack down on those that continue to do so. \n\nThe \u201creconversion\u201d of smugglers reduced arrivals but it also meant that the militias involved shifted to other illegal activities, such as fuel smuggling. \n\nIn Libyan coastal towns facing Sicily, funding coming from Europe sparked conflict between militias that received funding and those that did not. This is how the Libyan war economy works, according to the Chatham House report . \n\nWith EU financial support, the Libyan Coast Guard is intercepting people at sea and bringing them back to detention centres in Libya. Bilaterally, EU governments are also beefing up the Libyan Coastguard. After Italy signed a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding in 2018 for increased assistance and support, France recently announced six vessels will be given to intercept people at sea. \n\nIn 2018, around 15,000 people were rescued and brought back; in 2019 at least 1,000 people left the Libyan coasts in the first two months of 2019. \n\nThe UN and the EU recognised migrants rescued in international waters should not be sent back to Libya to detention centres. Alarm Phone documented how Italy and Malta are abdicating their responsibility for coordination of rescue operations and the Libyan coastguards that bring people back to unsafe ports in Libya. \n\nEU financial support to the Libyan Coastguard and the Tripoli government should be conditional on the end of arbitrary detention and the start of effective monitoring and accountability mechanisms for the Libyan Coastguard, State authorities and non-state actors. \n\nIn the longer run, EU money should address structural dysfunctionalities of the Libyan state and reforming its justice system, including on asylum. \n\nThe EU must look at Libya beyond the lens of curbing migration. This approach has exacerbated conflict in the country and fuelled violence and human rights abuses. Last month, France, Italy and the UK decided in a joint statement to put their weight behind the UN\u2019s efforts towards the elections in the country. \n\nNow, ahead of the National Conference in April, efforts must be made to have a concerted action by EU member states to support the reconciliation process, rethink the engagement on migration and develop a fully coordinated Common Foreign and Security Policy in Libya. \n\nSrdjan Cvijic is a senior policy analyst on EU foreign policy in OSEPI leading the advocacy on enlargement and southern neighbourhood \n\nAlessia Mora is a policy analyst on EU migration and asylum policies at the Open Society European Policy Institute \n\n\n","htmlText":"<p>On March 26, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.reuters.com//article//us-europe-migrants-sophia//eu-to-end-ship-patrols-in-scaled-down-migrant-rescue-operation-diplomats-idUSKCN1R716I/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">EU governments agreed<\/a> to extend the mandate of Operation Sophia - formally the European Union Naval Force Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR Med) - for six months. The EU anti-smuggling mission in the Mediterranean will be scaled down with the retrieval of its naval assets.<\/p>\n<p>The technical prolongation option was chosen after Italy, who was leading the mission, refused to continue the operation unless other EU countries to open their ports for disembarkation.<\/p>\n<p>The decision fails to address the lack of capacity to rescue people in distress and shows the unwillingness to have a sustainable common EU action in the Central Mediterranean.<\/p>\n<p>Operation Sophia\u2019s mandate did not include saving lives at sea and stopped rescuing people in 2018, after 49,000 people were saved since 2015.<\/p>\n<p><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.politico.eu//article//europe-deadly-migration-strategy-leaked-documents///" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">A recent leak confirmed<\/a> EU officials knew the operation was underperforming in disrupting smuggling networks and had a substantial human cost, making the crossing of the Mediterranean more perilous for people. If <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////frontex.europa.eu//media-centre//news-release//frontex-publishes-risk-analysis-for-2019-Dh6Wkf/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">arrivals to European soil dropped<\/a>, the chances of dying at sea <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.unhcr.org//news//press//2018//9//5b8935964//mediterranean-crossings-deadlier-new-unhcr-report-shows.html/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">remained high<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>European governments have multiplied legal and bureaucratic hurdles to stop NGOs operations to save human lives at sea. It is high time for the EU to put in place a collective, predictable <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.hrw.org//sites//default//files//supporting_resources//action_plan_mediterranean_0.pdf/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">lifesaving system<\/a> in the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n<p>EU action in the Central Mediterranean cannot be separated from its policies in Europe\u2019s southern shores. In Libya, the EU must intensify its efforts for a unified and legitimate government in Tripoli, or there will be neither lasting stability in the country nor improvement of migrants\u2019 conditions.<\/p>\n<p>In overcrowded facilities, at least 5,000 migrants and refugees suffer abuses and live in inhumane conditions as regularly denounced by <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.ohchr.org//Documents//Countries//LY//LibyaMigrationReport.pdf/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">countless reports<\/a>, including the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.theguardian.com//world//2019//mar//25//refugees-face-routine-sexual-violence-in-libyan-detention-centres-report/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">latest report<\/a> by the Women\u2019s Refugee Commission on routine sexual abuses of women in detention centres. Outside confinement, migrant workers <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.thenewhumanitarian.org//news-feature//2019//02//18//libya-hard-economic-times-force-migrant-workers-look-elsewhere/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">have increasingly become vulnerable to extortion<\/a>, kidnapping and abduction.<\/p>\n<p>The United Nations will organise the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.theguardian.com//world//2019//mar//21//un-libya-envoy-hopes-reconciliation-talks-will-bring-stability/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">national conference<\/a> on 14-16 April, a national reconciliation summit that will focus on stabilising Libya. It will be an opportunity for EU countries to unite their efforts to support of the process of reconciliation and revise their migration-related support to Libya.<\/p>\n<p>The country is as close to a fully blown civil war as it is to a National Conference and a lasting peace and stability. EU migration management in Libya is an important part of the picture.<\/p>\n<p>Through the <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////ec.europa.eu//neighbourhood-enlargement//sites//near//files//eutf-noa-libya.pdf/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">EU Trust Fund<\/a>, EU assistance and training in Libya meant de facto paying of militias to stop smuggling migrants and refugees and crack down on those that continue to do so.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201creconversion\u201d of smugglers reduced arrivals but it also meant that the militias involved shifted to other illegal activities, such as fuel smuggling.<\/p>\n<p>In Libyan coastal towns facing Sicily, funding coming from Europe sparked conflict between militias that received funding and those that did not. This is how the Libyan war economy works, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.chathamhouse.org//sites//default//files//publications//research//2018-04-12-libyas-war-economy-eaton-final.pdf/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">according to the Chatham House report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>With EU financial support, the Libyan Coast Guard is intercepting people at sea and bringing them back to detention centres in Libya. Bilaterally, EU governments are also beefing up the Libyan Coastguard. After Italy signed a bilateral [Memorandum of Understanding](C:\\Users\\siemienski\\Desktop\\\u2022 https:\\eumigrationlawblog.eu\\wp-content\\uploads\\2017\\10\\MEMORANDUM_translation_finalversion.doc.pdf) in 2018 for increased assistance and support, [France recently announced](C:\\Users\\siemienski\\Desktop\\\u2022 https:\\www.lemonde.fr\\international\\article\\2019\\02\\22\\paris-livre-des-bateaux-a-tripoli-pour-contrer-les-migrants_5426590_3210.html) six vessels will be given to intercept people at sea.<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.msf.org//migrants-and-refugees-returned-overcrowded-libyan-detention-centres-libya/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">around 15,000 people<\/a> were rescued and brought back; in 2019 at least 1,000 people left the Libyan coasts in the first two months of 2019.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.ecre.org//unhcr-declares-libya-unsafe-for-returns-amid-increased-violence-in-the-capital///" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">UN<\/a> and the EU recognised migrants rescued in international waters should not be sent back to Libya to detention centres. <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////alarmphone.org//en//2019//03//20//the-european-refoulement-industry-at-sea-alarm-phone//#_ftn4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Alarm Phone documented<\/a> how Italy and Malta are abdicating their responsibility for coordination of rescue operations and the Libyan coastguards that bring people back to unsafe ports in Libya.<\/p>\n<p>EU financial support to the Libyan Coastguard and the Tripoli government should be conditional on the end of arbitrary detention and the start of effective monitoring and accountability mechanisms for the Libyan Coastguard, State authorities and non-state actors.<\/p>\n<p>In the longer run, EU money should address structural dysfunctionalities of the Libyan state and reforming its justice system, including on asylum.<\/p>\n<p>The EU must look at Libya beyond the lens of curbing migration. This approach has exacerbated conflict in the country and fuelled violence and human rights abuses. Last month, France, Italy and the UK decided in a [joint statement](C:\\Users\\siemienski\\Desktop\\\u2022 https:\\www.diplomatie.gouv.fr\\fr\\dossiers-pays\\libye\\evenements\\article\\libye-declaration-conjointe-de-la-france-de-l-italie-du-royaume-uni-et-des) to put their weight behind the UN\u2019s efforts towards the elections in the country.<\/p>\n<p>Now, ahead of the National Conference in April, efforts must be made to have a concerted action by EU member states to support the reconciliation process, rethink the engagement on migration and develop a fully coordinated Common Foreign and Security Policy in Libya.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-image widget--size-small widget--animation-fade-in widget--align-left\" data-ratio=\"0.5\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio--auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <img class=\"widgetImage__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////static.euronews.com//articles//stories//03//75//99//20//266x133_cmsv2_54a70546-ce49-589a-a9ff-888ba42bb1aa-3759920.jpg/" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/75\/99\/20\/384x192_cmsv2_54a70546-ce49-589a-a9ff-888ba42bb1aa-3759920.jpg 384w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/75\/99\/20\/640x320_cmsv2_54a70546-ce49-589a-a9ff-888ba42bb1aa-3759920.jpg 640w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/75\/99\/20\/750x375_cmsv2_54a70546-ce49-589a-a9ff-888ba42bb1aa-3759920.jpg 750w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/75\/99\/20\/828x414_cmsv2_54a70546-ce49-589a-a9ff-888ba42bb1aa-3759920.jpg 828w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/75\/99\/20\/1080x540_cmsv2_54a70546-ce49-589a-a9ff-888ba42bb1aa-3759920.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/75\/99\/20\/1200x600_cmsv2_54a70546-ce49-589a-a9ff-888ba42bb1aa-3759920.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/75\/99\/20\/1920x960_cmsv2_54a70546-ce49-589a-a9ff-888ba42bb1aa-3759920.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 95vw, (max-width: 1024px) 80vw, (max-width: 1280px) 20vw, 250px\"\/>\n <figcaption class=\"widget__caption\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionWrap\">\n <span class=\"widget__captionText\">Alessia Mora, Srdjan Cvijic<\/span>\n <\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><em><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////twitter.com//srdjancvijic/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Srdjan Cvijic<\/a> is a senior policy analyst on EU foreign policy in OSEPI leading the advocacy on enlargement and southern neighbourhood<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=https://www.euronews.com/"http:////www.twitter.com//alessia_mrb/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">Alessia Mora<\/a> is a policy analyst on EU migration and asylum policies at the Open Society European Policy Institute<\/em><\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1553791860,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1553793847,"firstPublishedAt":1553793849,"lastPublishedAt":1553887009,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/75\/99\/20\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_a17666c1-bb9b-57a5-91a7-70ff8dd05c3c-3759920.jpg","altText":"A boat used by migrants is seen near the western town of Sabratha","caption":"A boat used by migrants is seen near the western town of Sabratha","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"REUTERS\/ISMAIL ZITOUNY","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":1600,"height":900},{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/75\/99\/20\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_54a70546-ce49-589a-a9ff-888ba42bb1aa-3759920.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":800,"height":400}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":13190,"slug":"migrants","urlSafeValue":"migrants","title":"Migrants","titleRaw":"Migrants"},{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":9239,"slug":"europe","urlSafeValue":"europe","title":"Europe","titleRaw":"Europe"},{"id":13414,"slug":"mediterranean-sea","urlSafeValue":"mediterranean-sea","title":"Mediterranean Sea","titleRaw":"Mediterranean Sea"},{"id":17506,"slug":"open-society-foundations","urlSafeValue":"open-society-foundations","title":"Open Society Foundations","titleRaw":"Open Society Foundations"},{"id":13472,"slug":"coast-guard","urlSafeValue":"coast-guard","title":"Coast Guard","titleRaw":"Coast Guard"},{"id":22480,"slug":"euroviews","urlSafeValue":"euroviews","title":"Euroviews","titleRaw":"Euroviews"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"image","count":1}],"related":[{"id":712206},{"id":711760},{"id":664422}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":0,"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"Srdjan Cvijic and Alessia Mora","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_mobkoi_castrol','castrol_negative_uk','neg_facebook_2021','neg_facebook_q4','gv_crime','gs_politics','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','gs_politics_misc','sm_politics','gt_negative','neg_bucherer','gs_society_misc','gs_society','neg_saudiaramco','gs_law_misc','gs_law','gv_military'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":1,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2019\/03\/28\/eu-must-unite-to-saves-lives-in-the-mediterranean-and-stabilise-libya-view","lastModified":1553887009},{"id":710940,"cid":3754452,"versionId":3,"archive":0,"housenumber":"190326_WBSU_7150777","owner":"euronews","isMagazine":0,"isBreakingNews":0,"daletEventName":"migrants sexual violence study","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"Male migrants raped and sexually abused as routinely as women, study finds","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"Male migrants routinely raped too, study finds","titleListing2":"Male migrants raped and sexually abused as routinely as women, study finds","leadin":"Some of the abuse is filmed to use as ransom to the victims' families.","summary":"Some of the abuse is filmed to use as ransom to the victims' families.","keySentence":"","url":"male-migrants-raped-and-sexually-abused-as-routinely-as-women-study-finds","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2019\/03\/26\/male-migrants-raped-and-sexually-abused-as-routinely-as-women-study-finds","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"On their long journey to Europe, male migrants are almost as routinely raped and abused as women, a study by the Women's Refugee Commission (WRC) released on Monday has found. \n\nMigrants routinely face rape and sexual torture, the graphic study, based on dozens of interviews with migrants and aid workers, has found. \n\nIt is in Libya, from where some migrants try to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, that a lot of sexual abuse takes place, the study claimed. \n\nMigrants who cannot cross the sea are put in detention centres by the Libyan coastguard where they then face more abuse, it added. \n\nThey are filmed while tortured and the footage can be used to demand payments to their family, the study says, adding the danger of sexual abuse is nearly as high for males than it is for female migrants. \n\nAccording to the study, migrants are also being sexually exploited in Italy. \n\nThe study says that \"sexual violence perpetrated against migrants on their journey includes sexual torture, genital violence and castration, and forcing men and boys to rape others \u2013 including family members and corpses \u2013 as well as lethal sexual violence\". \n\n\"Refugees and migrants are exposed to sexual violence throughout the course of their journey from fleeing home, during the crossing of the Sahel, to being held in Libya, where they face harrowing conditions, and even onto Italy \u2013 for the few that make it that far \u2013 where for some the cycle of violence continues,\" a statement on the Women's Refugee Commission website read. \n\n\u201cOur findings are deeply disturbing,\u201d said Dr Sarah Chynoweth, who led the research and works as a sexual violence project director and consultant for WRC. \n\n\u201cSexual violence against female and male refugees and migrants appears to be widespread along the migration route, particularly in Libya, where profoundly cruel and brutal sexual violence and torture are perpetrated in official detention centres and clandestine prisons, during random stops and checkpoints, and in the context of forced labour and enslavement. The fact that refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean are intercepted and forced back into this violence is untenable.\u201d \n\n","htmlText":"<p>On their long journey to Europe, male migrants are almost as routinely raped and abused as women, a <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"https:////www.womensrefugeecommission.org//news//press-releases-and-statements//3460-new-research-shows-widespread-sexual-violence-torture-against-refugee-and-migrant-men-and-boys-in-libya-and-along-the-central-mediterranean-route-to-italy/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">study by the Women's Refugee Commission<\/a> (WRC) released on Monday has found.<\/p>\n<p>Migrants routinely face rape and sexual torture, the graphic study, based on dozens of interviews with migrants and aid workers, has found.<\/p>\n<p>It is in Libya, from where some migrants try to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, that a lot of sexual abuse takes place, the study claimed.<\/p>\n<p>Migrants who cannot cross the sea are put in detention centres by the Libyan coastguard where they then face more abuse, it added.<\/p>\n<p>They are filmed while tortured and the footage can be used to demand payments to their family, the study says, adding the danger of sexual abuse is nearly as high for males than it is for female migrants.<\/p>\n<p>According to the study, migrants are also being sexually exploited in Italy.<\/p>\n<p>The study says that \"sexual violence perpetrated against migrants on their journey includes sexual torture, genital violence and castration, and forcing men and boys to rape others \u2013 including family members and corpses \u2013 as well as lethal sexual violence\".<\/p>\n<p>\"Refugees and migrants are exposed to sexual violence throughout the course of their journey from fleeing home, during the crossing of the Sahel, to being held in Libya, where they face harrowing conditions, and even onto Italy \u2013 for the few that make it that far \u2013 where for some the cycle of violence continues,\" a statement on the Women's Refugee Commission website read.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur findings are deeply disturbing,\u201d said Dr Sarah Chynoweth, who led the research and works as a sexual violence project director and consultant for WRC.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSexual violence against female and male refugees and migrants appears to be widespread along the migration route, particularly in Libya, where profoundly cruel and brutal sexual violence and torture are perpetrated in official detention centres and clandestine prisons, during random stops and checkpoints, and in the context of forced labour and enslavement. The fact that refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean are intercepted and forced back into this violence is untenable.\u201d<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1553623394,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1553629032,"firstPublishedAt":1553629034,"lastPublishedAt":1553695374,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/75\/44\/52\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_f075ed74-62f8-5271-87e1-329598126f62-3754452.jpg","altText":"A migrant in Libya","caption":"A migrant in Libya","captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":"REUTERS\/Hani Amara","sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":3500,"height":2378}],"authors":{"journalists":[],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":13190,"slug":"migrants","urlSafeValue":"migrants","title":"Migrants","titleRaw":"Migrants"},{"id":172,"slug":"libya","urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","titleRaw":"Libya"},{"id":12085,"slug":"sexual-abuse","urlSafeValue":"sexual-abuse","title":"Sexual Abuse","titleRaw":"Sexual Abuse"}],"widgets":[],"related":[],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":0,"video":0,"videos":[],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":null,"additionalSources":null,"additionalReporting":null,"freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},{"id":2,"slug":"my-europe","urlSafeValue":"my-europe","title":"Europe"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"},{"id":"europe-news","urlSafeValue":"europe-news","title":"Europe 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CONFERENCE PREVIEW","daletPyramidId":null,"channels":[{"id":1},{"id":2},{"id":4},{"id":5},{"id":12}],"status":2,"title":"Palermo peace conference on Libya aims to forge agreement","titleSeo":null,"titleListing1":"","titleListing2":"Palermo peace conference on Libya aims to forge agreement","leadin":"With vital participants not attending and no clear agenda to guide the talks, there are slender hopes that the Italian hosts will be able to make progress on ending Libya's internal strife.","summary":"With vital participants not attending and no clear agenda to guide the talks, there are slender hopes that the Italian hosts will be able to make progress on ending Libya's internal strife.","keySentence":"","url":"palermo-peace-conference-on-libya-aims-to-forge-agreement","canonical":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2018\/11\/11\/palermo-peace-conference-on-libya-aims-to-forge-agreement","masterCms":"v2","plainText":"Important international and Libyan figures meet in the Italian city of Palermo on Monday with the objective of drafting a peace deal for Libya. \n\nThe conference is supposed to bring under one roof the leaders of the eastern and western governments, although at the 11th hour it was announced that strongman General Khalifa Haftar will not attend. \n\nThe Italian conference is a rival to a French initiative. \n\n\"No Libyan people are benefiting on the ground, we want the Libyan people who are at the bottom to benefit. The rival parties met in Italy, in Austria, in Switzerland, in Tunisia, and in Skhirat, we wanted something that will benefit the people at the bottom. There was no beneficiary, the parties were only the beneficiaries, all of them, and their children and their families only. The rest of the people are oppressed, There are crowded banks, everything is crowded, even crowded graveyards, wherever you go there are crowds,\" said Tripoli resident Mohammed Ramadan. \n\n\nAccording to experts the conference is going to be another political exercise, because there is no veritable public agenda. Worse, no attempt is being made to co-operate between Paris and Rome. \n\n\"Despite the presence of figures considered important on the political scene, regardless of their position negatively or positively, I do not expect them to come up with something new or of value, it is almost a political meeting in response to what was done in Paris, but not much is expected from this. Because any meetings on resolving the Libyan crisis must be in accordance with rules and specific methodology, otherwise it is a waste of time and effort,\" says political analyst Dr Sami El-Atrash. \n\nThe French deny they are recognising the facts on the ground and preparing to install Haftar with December elections, but details are lacking about the logistics of the vote and how the difficult security conditions will be improved. \n\nLast week a UN-mandated group organised rare meeting across Libya. \n\n\nThe findings by the non-governmental Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue highlight wide discontent of ordinary Libyans with a struggle between the two governments, rival armed groups, tribes and regions since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Libyans overwhelmingly want a national government that represents all parts of society and distributes resources fairly, the findings concluded. \n\n\nThe United Nations had mandated the centre to stage 77 meetings in 43 places across Libya to engage with all parts of society, a rare grassroots experiment in a country where few dare express themselves freely for fear of armed groups. \n\nMore than 7,000 Libyans participated in the meetings, some 30 percent of whom took part online as volatile security made it difficult to come in person, the group's 77-page report obtained by Reuters said. \n\nFor one meeting in the southern city of Sabha, shaken for years by tribal violence, rival groups agreed on a ceasefire to allow for the rare public meeting to go ahead, the group said. \n\nThe meetings were meant to prepare a national conference the U.N. wants to stage early in 2019 after having abandoned a plan to hold a vote in 2018 because of violence and political divisions. \n\nLibya should start the process to hold an election in spring 2019 only after a national conference to discuss conflicts, U.N. Special Libya Envoy Ghassan Salame said. \n\n\"A common grievance expressed by participants in the consultation process was the lack of any government that genuinely represents and unifies the population,\" the report said. \n\n\"The great majority of participants also agreed that the immediate priority for a new government should be national reconciliation,\" it added. \n\nLibyans are demanding a share distribution of resources and an end to looting by armed groups of oil and gas revenues, the real power holders. \n\n\"A sense of anger and bitterness about the economic situation was frequently expressed, especially with regard to the National Oil Corporation, the Central Bank, and Libyan assets abroad,\" the report said. \n\n\n","htmlText":"<p>Important international and Libyan figures meet in the Italian city of Palermo on Monday with the objective of drafting a peace deal for Libya.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=https://www.euronews.com/"http:////www.atlanticcouncil.org//blogs//new-atlanticist//libya-the-us-and-the-palermo-conference/" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\">conference<\/a> is supposed to bring under one roof the leaders of the eastern and western governments, although at the 11th hour it was announced that strongman General Khalifa Haftar will not attend.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1060905551234764800\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>The Italian conference is a rival to a French initiative.<\/p>\n<p>\"No Libyan people are benefiting on the ground, we want the Libyan people who are at the bottom to benefit. The rival parties met in Italy, in Austria, in Switzerland, in Tunisia, and in Skhirat, we wanted something that will benefit the people at the bottom. There was no beneficiary, the parties were only the beneficiaries, all of them, and their children and their families only. The rest of the people are oppressed, There are crowded banks, everything is crowded, even crowded graveyards, wherever you go there are crowds,\" said Tripoli resident Mohammed Ramadan. <\/p>\n<p>According to experts the conference is going to be another political exercise, because there is no veritable public agenda. Worse, no attempt is being made to co-operate between Paris and Rome.<\/p>\n<p>\"Despite the presence of figures considered important on the political scene, regardless of their position negatively or positively, I do not expect them to come up with something new or of value, it is almost a political meeting in response to what was done in Paris, but not much is expected from this. Because any meetings on resolving the Libyan crisis must be in accordance with rules and specific methodology, otherwise it is a waste of time and effort,\" says political analyst Dr Sami El-Atrash.<\/p>\n<p>The French deny they are recognising the facts on the ground and preparing to install Haftar with December elections, but details are lacking about the logistics of the vote and how the difficult security conditions will be improved.<\/p>\n<p>Last week a UN-mandated group organised rare meeting across Libya. <\/p>\n<p>The findings by the non-governmental Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue highlight wide discontent of ordinary Libyans with a struggle between the two governments, rival armed groups, tribes and regions since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Libyans overwhelmingly want a national government that represents all parts of society and distributes resources fairly, the findings concluded. <\/p>\n<p>The United Nations had mandated the centre to stage 77 meetings in 43 places across Libya to engage with all parts of society, a rare grassroots experiment in a country where few dare express themselves freely for fear of armed groups.<\/p>\n<p>More than 7,000 Libyans participated in the meetings, some 30 percent of whom took part online as volatile security made it difficult to come in person, the group's 77-page report obtained by Reuters said.<\/p>\n<p>For one meeting in the southern city of Sabha, shaken for years by tribal violence, rival groups agreed on a ceasefire to allow for the rare public meeting to go ahead, the group said.<\/p>\n<p>The meetings were meant to prepare a national conference the U.N. wants to stage early in 2019 after having abandoned a plan to hold a vote in 2018 because of violence and political divisions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"widget widget--type-tweet widget--size-fullwidth widget--align-center\">\n <div class=\"widget__wrapper\">\n <div class=\"widget__ratio widget__ratio\u2014auto\">\n <div class=\"widget__contents\">\n <figure class=\"widget__figure\">\n <div class=\"widget__tweet\" data-tweet-id=\"1060651994501799936\"><\/div>\n <\/figure>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Libya should start the process to hold an election in spring 2019 only after a national conference to discuss conflicts, U.N. Special Libya Envoy Ghassan Salame said.<\/p>\n<p>\"A common grievance expressed by participants in the consultation process was the lack of any government that genuinely represents and unifies the population,\" the report said.<\/p>\n<p>\"The great majority of participants also agreed that the immediate priority for a new government should be national reconciliation,\" it added.<\/p>\n<p>Libyans are demanding a share distribution of resources and an end to looting by armed groups of oil and gas revenues, the real power holders.<\/p>\n<p>\"A sense of anger and bitterness about the economic situation was frequently expressed, especially with regard to the National Oil Corporation, the Central Bank, and Libyan assets abroad,\" the report said.<\/p>\n","hashtag":null,"createdAt":1541942863,"updatedAt":1723539856,"publishedAt":1541964009,"firstPublishedAt":1541964009,"lastPublishedAt":1541964012,"expiresAt":0,"images":[{"url":"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/articles\/stories\/03\/42\/99\/22\/{{w}}x{{h}}_cmsv2_3395ed52-04f1-5d68-a68e-9d926ae52750-3429922.jpg","altText":null,"caption":null,"captionUrl":null,"captionCredit":null,"sourceUrl":null,"sourceCredit":null,"callToActionUrl":null,"callToActionText":null,"width":960,"height":540}],"authors":{"journalists":[{"id":60,"urlSafeValue":"hackwill","title":"Robert Hackwill","twitter":null}],"producers":[],"videoEditor":[]},"keywords":[{"id":158,"slug":"italy","urlSafeValue":"italy","title":"Italy","titleRaw":"Italy"},{"id":11939,"slug":"elections","urlSafeValue":"elections","title":"Elections","titleRaw":"Elections"},{"id":9571,"slug":"talks-negotiations","urlSafeValue":"talks-negotiations","title":"Talks \/ negotiations","titleRaw":"Talks \/ negotiations"},{"id":2031,"slug":"palermo","urlSafeValue":"palermo","title":"Palermo","titleRaw":"Palermo"}],"widgets":[{"slug":"twitter","count":2}],"related":[{"id":589674}],"technicalTags":[],"externalPartners":[],"hasExternalVideo":0,"hasInternalOrExternalVideo":1,"video":1,"videos":[{"format":"mp4","quality":"md","type":"normal","url":"https:\/\/video.euronews.com\/mp4\/med\/EN\/NW\/SU\/18\/11\/11\/en\/181111_NWSU_5531632_5532179_101000_175806_en.mp4","editor":"","duration":101000,"filesizeBytes":0,"expiresAt":0}],"liveStream":[{"startDate":0,"endDate":0}],"scribbleLiveId":0,"scribbleLiveRibbon":0,"isLiveCoverage":0,"sourceId":1,"sources":[],"externalSource":"Reuters","additionalSources":"","additionalReporting":"","freeField1":null,"freeField2":"","type":"normal","displayType":"default","program":{"id":"world","urlSafeValue":"world","title":"World News","online":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/programs\/world"},"season":"","episode":"","episodeId":"","vertical":"news","verticals":[{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"}],"primaryVertical":{"id":1,"slug":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"News"},"themes":[{"id":"news","urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World","url":"\/news\/international"}],"primaryTheme":{"id":1,"urlSafeValue":"news","title":"World"},"advertising":0,"advertisingData":{"startDate":0,"endDate":0,"type":null,"slug":null,"title":null,"disclaimerLabelKey":null,"sponsor":null,"sponsorName":null,"sponsorUrl":null,"sponsorLogo":"","sponsorLogoReverse":"","isDfp":0},"geoLocation":{"lat":0,"lon":0},"location":1,"continent":{"id":3,"urlSafeValue":"africa","title":"Africa"},"country":{"id":172,"urlSafeValue":"libya","title":"Libya","url":"\/news\/africa\/libya"},"town":[],"contextualSignals":{"doubleVerify":{"ids":[],"slugs":[]}},"grapeshot":"'neg_facebook_2021','gs_politics','gs_politics_misc','gt_negative','pos_equinor','pos_facebook','pos_pmi','neg_facebook_q4','sm_politics','gs_business','custom_investment','gt_negative_anger','neg_bucherer','gs_business_misc','neg_facebook_neg12','neg_facebook_neg13','gv_safe'","versions":[],"programDeliverable":{"slug":"sujet","format":"default"},"showOpinionDisclaimer":0,"allViews":0,"allViewsMeta":{"pointOfView":[],"survey":[],"tweetId":0,"tweet2NdId":0,"displayOverlay":0},"storyTranslationMethod":[],"localisation":[],"autoPublished":0,"autoLocalised":0,"isReviewed":0,"path":"\/2018\/11\/11\/palermo-peace-conference-on-libya-aims-to-forge-agreement","lastModified":1541964012}]">
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