Libya's Mitiga Airport Closed as Rival Factions Clash

Mitiga airport, pictured on July 22, 2014, is a military airfield used for civilian traffic after Tripoli's international airport was seriously damaged last year (AFP Photo/Mahmud Turkia)
Mitiga airport, pictured on July 22, 2014, is a military airfield used for civilian traffic after Tripoli's international airport was seriously damaged last year (AFP Photo/Mahmud Turkia)
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Libya's Mitiga Airport Closed as Rival Factions Clash

Mitiga airport, pictured on July 22, 2014, is a military airfield used for civilian traffic after Tripoli's international airport was seriously damaged last year (AFP Photo/Mahmud Turkia)
Mitiga airport, pictured on July 22, 2014, is a military airfield used for civilian traffic after Tripoli's international airport was seriously damaged last year (AFP Photo/Mahmud Turkia)

As clashes intensified between Libyan rival factions, the country's Mitiga airport, located in the capital, was evacuated.

According to officials flights were suspended repeatedly, leading up to a full shutdown.

Reuters wrote that flights had restarted around midday on Tuesday after being suspended for several hours during the morning and the previous evening, Mitiga spokesman Khaled Abukhrais said. But by late afternoon heavy gunfire resumed and the airport was shut.

“Unfortunately the air space has closed again and the airport has been evacuated for the safety and security of passengers and workers, due to renewed clashes,” an airport statement said.

Mitiga is a military air base near the centre of Tripoli that has also hosted civilian flights since the international airport was largely destroyed by fighting in 2014.

The clashes began when the Special Deterrence Force (Rada), a group that controls Mitiga and operates as an anti-crime unit aligned with the UN-backed government, conducted raids in the nearby neighborhood of Ghrarat.

Rada spokesman Ahmed Bin Salem said the group targeted in the raids had tried to attack the airport area after a wanted drug dealer had been killed when he fired on a Rada patrol.

“The area of Ghrarat is now under the control of our forces and it’s being treated as military zone so we can clear any resistance,” Bin Salem said.

One member of Rada had been killed and two wounded, and there were several casualties among their opponents, he said.

Tripoli is split among various armed groups that have built local power bases since Libya’s 2011 revolution.

There have been fewer heavy confrontations in the capital since groups linked to a previous, self-declared government were pushed out of the city earlier this year, but armed skirmishes, kidnapping and other criminal activity are still common.



Saudi Market Closes at Highest Level in a Month at 11,068 Points

An investor walks past a screen displaying information on the Saudi stock market in Riyadh (Reuters)
An investor walks past a screen displaying information on the Saudi stock market in Riyadh (Reuters)
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Saudi Market Closes at Highest Level in a Month at 11,068 Points

An investor walks past a screen displaying information on the Saudi stock market in Riyadh (Reuters)
An investor walks past a screen displaying information on the Saudi stock market in Riyadh (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia’s main stock index (TASI) rose on Thursday by about 94.29 points, or 0.86%, closing at 11,068.27 points, its highest level in over a month. Trading liquidity reached SAR5.7 billion (approximately $1.5 billion), marking the biggest weekly gains in two years.

Shares of Saudi Aramco, the heaviest-weighted stock in the index, advanced 0.66% to 24.30 riyals.

In the banking sector, Al Rajhi Bank and Saudi National Bank shares climbed 0.85% and 0.98% respectively, closing at 94.7 riyals and 36 riyals.

Mining giant Ma’aden and petrochemical company SABIC saw their shares rise by 0.39% and 0.73%, ending the session at 50.9 riyals and 54.9 riyals respectively.

ADES Holding led the gainers, jumping 7% to 13.82 riyals, followed by Gypsum Co. (Jebsco), which rose 5.6% to 22.4 riyals.

On the other hand, newly listed SMC Health Care recorded the steepest decline, falling 3.3% to 23.36 riyals, while shares of Mutawareh dropped 2.5% to 26.75 riyals.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Parallel Market Index (Nomu) rose 0.8%, closing at 27,053.1 points. Trading value on Nomu reached 23.5 million riyals, with 3.2 million shares changing hands.