UNSMIL Renews Endeavors to Resume Libya Dialogue

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Stephanie Williams, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs in Libya, arrive to hold a news conference after a follow-up meeting of the international committee on Libya, in Munich, Germany, February 16, 2020. REUTERS/Michael Dalder
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Stephanie Williams, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs in Libya, arrive to hold a news conference after a follow-up meeting of the international committee on Libya, in Munich, Germany, February 16, 2020. REUTERS/Michael Dalder
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UNSMIL Renews Endeavors to Resume Libya Dialogue

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Stephanie Williams, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs in Libya, arrive to hold a news conference after a follow-up meeting of the international committee on Libya, in Munich, Germany, February 16, 2020. REUTERS/Michael Dalder
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Stephanie Williams, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Political Affairs in Libya, arrive to hold a news conference after a follow-up meeting of the international committee on Libya, in Munich, Germany, February 16, 2020. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has renewed endeavors to resume dialogue in the country, following the de-escalation between the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Khalifa Haftar, and Fayez al-Sarraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA) on the strategic city of Sirte.

Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General (ASRSG) for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Stephanie Williams met with Head of the High Council of State Khaled al-Mishri via a video conference call. The two addressed "possible ways to resume the political talks as per Berlin Conference conclusions.”

Williams also briefed Mishri about her recent negotiations with Libyan parties and foreign stakeholders.

She further congratulated members of the HCS Presidency on their victory in the recent elections.

Moreover, the Sirte-Jufra Protection and Security Operations Room of the GNA announced the death of one person and the injury of another in a landmine explosion.

The Volcano of Rage Operation, launched by Sarraj’s forces, announced two injuries following the landmine explosion in Tripoli.

In the meantime, Libyan parliament spokesman Abdullah Bleihaq said that the Egyptian legislature's decision to dispatch forces abroad was in response to the Libyan House of Representatives’ demand.

It is also a response to the call made by Libyans, mayors and tribes in the most recent meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to confront threats jeopardizing the joint security of both countries.

The spokesman added that Ankara continued to violate the Security Council resolutions, and the international resolutions on an arms embargo via its ongoing weapons supplies to mercenaries.

The Egyptian parliament’s decision would contribute to achieving security and stability and would foil the Turkey-backed plot for chaos in Libya.



3 Members of Syrian Security Forces Killed in Clashes with Regime Remnants in Daraa

Defense ministry and security forces gather in Daraa’s town of al-Sanamayn.
Defense ministry and security forces gather in Daraa’s town of al-Sanamayn.
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3 Members of Syrian Security Forces Killed in Clashes with Regime Remnants in Daraa

Defense ministry and security forces gather in Daraa’s town of al-Sanamayn.
Defense ministry and security forces gather in Daraa’s town of al-Sanamayn.

Three members of the Syrian Internal Security Forces and a member of local armed groups were killed in clashes between the country’s new authorities and former military security forces affiliated with the ousted regime in the town of al-Sanamayn in the southern Daraa governorate.

Civilians, including women and children, were wounded in the unrest.

Military reinforcements arrived in the town on Wednesday morning to “raid outlawed armed groups,” a statement from Daraa authorities said, citing Internal Security official Abdul-Razzaq al-Khatib.

“The clashes remain intense in several buildings in the southwestern district of the city,” Khatib said, adding that a security officer was wounded in a direct gunfire attack on a checkpoint in the town on Tuesday.

Gunfights have been reported across Syria since the new authorities took power in Damascus on Dec. 8, with security officials blaming loyalists of the former regime for the unrest.

The authorities have launched security operations targeting what they describe as “remnants of the former regime,” leading to arrests, according to official statements.

Restoring and maintaining security across Syria remains one of the biggest challenges for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, following a devastating civil war that began in 2011 and saw multiple factions involved.

The local news outlet Daraa 24 reported that the deceased were associated with a group led by Mohsen al-Himid, a former operative of the military security branch under the Assad regime.

Al-Himid’s group had been actively involved in the clashes, making them potential targets in the ongoing cycle of retaliatory attacks and factional violence in the region.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the group “considers itself above the law” and has continued to defy state authority while committing serious crimes, including murder, armed robbery, theft, kidnapping for ransom, and drug trafficking.

Residents have long called for a crackdown on such gangs, particularly since the fall of the Assad regime, in a bid to rid their communities of groups that “terrorize the population, spread corruption, and destroy society,” the sources added.

The number of outlawed armed groups still operating in parts of Daraa is small, but they continue to fuel insecurity and fear among residents, sources familiar with the situation said.

“The government is determined to restore security and stability across the governorate,” one source told Asharq Al-Awsat, adding that these groups are “not factions but criminal gangs.”

Most armed factions, the source noted, have already integrated into the Ministry of Defense.

The Internal Security Forces had launched a security campaign on Feb. 20 targeting remnants of the former regime, as well as drug and arms traffickers.

The operation has also sought to confiscate illegal weapons in the Daraa towns of al-Harah and Nimr, in an effort to tighten security.