Armed Group Call for Uprising against ‘Turkish Occupation’ of Libya

Libyans gather at the Martyrs' Square in Tripoli on August 17, 2023 following recent deadly clashes. (AFP)
Libyans gather at the Martyrs' Square in Tripoli on August 17, 2023 following recent deadly clashes. (AFP)
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Armed Group Call for Uprising against ‘Turkish Occupation’ of Libya

Libyans gather at the Martyrs' Square in Tripoli on August 17, 2023 following recent deadly clashes. (AFP)
Libyans gather at the Martyrs' Square in Tripoli on August 17, 2023 following recent deadly clashes. (AFP)

An unidentified Libyan armed group has declared a “popular armed uprising” against the “Turkish occupation of Libya.”

The group accused Türkiye of “overreaching in its control over key Libyan areas”, including Al-Watiya Airbase, Sidi Bilal Port, and more recently, the vital Khoms Port.

“We announce that all locations occupied by the Turks are legitimate targets for the heroes of the uprising.”

In a statement published Monday by local media, the group said the Turkish bases and camps in Libya are “nothing short of the initial steps towards colonization, and an attempt to drag Libya back into a bygone colonial era.”

The uprising is aimed at informing the Turks that Libya will not be occupied again and its wealth and resources will not be robbed and that the Libyans should be allowed to determine their own fate.

The statement did not name the group.

The Government of National Unity, Presidential Council and Libyan National Army did not comment on the statement.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Ministry of Defense released on Tuesday images of a Turkish military frigate conducting training off the coast of Libya. The training included live-fire weapons tests and helicopter operations.



EU Official Says Calls for Lebanon Ceasefire Have Not Been Heard

 Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs after an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Hadath, Lebanon October 16, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs after an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Hadath, Lebanon October 16, 2024. (Reuters)
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EU Official Says Calls for Lebanon Ceasefire Have Not Been Heard

 Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs after an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Hadath, Lebanon October 16, 2024. (Reuters)
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs after an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Hadath, Lebanon October 16, 2024. (Reuters)

A European Union official expressed regret over the failure so far of efforts to forge a ceasefire in the Middle East, saying that fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah has made it more difficult to work for wide-ranging reforms in Lebanon and create conditions to draw international financial aid in.

EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič told The Associated Press in an interview late Tuesday in Manila that stalled reforms in Lebanon include the election of a new president, the establishment of a working government and the signing of a deal with the International Monetary Fund.

“It’s difficult to see that happening in these circumstances when Lebanon is under such a strain,” said Lenarčič, who flew to Manila to attend an Asia Pacific conference on disaster mitigation.

“That’s one of the reasons why we’re calling for a ceasefire, so as to allow Lebanon to organize itself so that it can benefit from all the funding which is out there,” he said. “I regret that we have not been heard.”

The EU was also extremely concerned over the killings of civilians in the fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah group. “This collateral damage is simply unacceptable,” Lenarčič said.