Arab League Chief Urges End to Military Operations in Tripoli

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the Arab Foreign Ministers extraordinary meeting to discuss the Syrian crisis in Cairo, Egypt October 12, 2019. (Reuters)
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the Arab Foreign Ministers extraordinary meeting to discuss the Syrian crisis in Cairo, Egypt October 12, 2019. (Reuters)
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Arab League Chief Urges End to Military Operations in Tripoli

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the Arab Foreign Ministers extraordinary meeting to discuss the Syrian crisis in Cairo, Egypt October 12, 2019. (Reuters)
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit attends the Arab Foreign Ministers extraordinary meeting to discuss the Syrian crisis in Cairo, Egypt October 12, 2019. (Reuters)

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit renewed on Saturday his call for an end to fighting in Libya and other Arab conflict zones so that national efforts can be dedicated to the combat the coronavirus outbreak.

He urged an end to the fighting between the Libyan National Army and Government of National Accord near Tripoli.

Libya marked on Saturday one year since LNA commander Khalifa Haftar launched his operation to capture the capital from terrorist and criminal gangs aligned with the GNA.

"Silencing the guns throughout the Libyan territories is an essential condition for building the lost trust between the two warring parties,” Aboul Gheit said in a statement.

He added that the conflict has undermined peace efforts sponsored by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, left hundreds of innocent civilians dead and displaced hundreds of thousands of residents.

Aboul Gheit called for a humanitarian ceasefire in the country and urged the Libyan leadership to uphold national interests and immediately begin de-escalation on the ground. The ceasefire must eventually lead to a formal, lasting and comprehensive truce in the country.

He also stressed the league’s rejection and condemnation of all forms of foreign military interference in Libya, the repeated violations of the arms embargo imposed on the country and deployment of terrorist fighters on the ground.

“The Arab League will remain committed to standing by the Libyan people in overcoming the challenges and helping the country through the current crisis,” Aboul Gheit vowed.



EU, UN Agree on Importance of Libya Ceasefire

EU Ambassador Nicola Orlando meets head of UNSMIL with Hanna Tetteh. Photo released by Orlando on X
EU Ambassador Nicola Orlando meets head of UNSMIL with Hanna Tetteh. Photo released by Orlando on X
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EU, UN Agree on Importance of Libya Ceasefire

EU Ambassador Nicola Orlando meets head of UNSMIL with Hanna Tetteh. Photo released by Orlando on X
EU Ambassador Nicola Orlando meets head of UNSMIL with Hanna Tetteh. Photo released by Orlando on X

The United Nations rights office called on Wednesday for an independent investigation into the discovery of mass graves at detention centers in Libya's capital Tripoli as the European Union Ambassador to Libya said he agreed with the UN that “no effort should be spared to preserve the ceasefire and prevent a return to violence.”

EU Ambassador Nicola Orlando said he discussed with Hanna Tetteh, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), “views on our respective outreach to Libyan and international partners.”

He said they discussed “the next steps” in the political process facilitated by UNSMIL, “including how the EU can best support her efforts at this delicate juncture for Libya.”

He “reiterated the EU’s strong backing for her facilitation and commended the renewed sense of urgency she has brought through her consultations.”

Orlando said he “stressed the need for all key actors to engage constructively with UNSMIL and avoid uncoordinated initiatives.”

Meanwhile, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR ) said it was "shocked" by gross human rights violations uncovered at official and unofficial detention facilities in Libya.

OHCHR said the discovery of dozens of bodies and suspected instruments of torture and abuse confirmed longstanding findings by the UN that human rights violations were committed at such sites.

"We call on the Libyan authorities to conduct independent, impartial and transparent investigations into these discoveries," OHCHR said in a statement. It urged the authorities to preserve evidence and grant Libya's forensic teams, as well as the United Nations, full access to the sites.