Libya’s Haftar Rejects Proposal to ‘Demilitarize Sirte’

A member of the Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Khalifa Haftar sits in a tent at one of their sites in west of Sirte, Libya August 19, 2020. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori
A member of the Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Khalifa Haftar sits in a tent at one of their sites in west of Sirte, Libya August 19, 2020. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori
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Libya’s Haftar Rejects Proposal to ‘Demilitarize Sirte’

A member of the Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Khalifa Haftar sits in a tent at one of their sites in west of Sirte, Libya August 19, 2020. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori
A member of the Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Khalifa Haftar sits in a tent at one of their sites in west of Sirte, Libya August 19, 2020. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori

The Libyan National Army commanded by Khalifa Haftar has rejected a US proposal backed by western parties and the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to demilitarize the city of Sirte.

Haftar stressed that the LNA will not hand over the city to the invaders and will not back off.

The Security Chamber of Sirte and Al-Jufra zone that is affiliated with Fayez al-Sarraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA) announced the deployment of commanders to posts near Sirte.

Acting Special Representative and Head of UNSMIL Stephanie Williams met with Head of the High Council of State Khalid Al-Mishri and his accompanying delegation in Geneva. They discussed the current situation in Libya as well as dialogue tracks emanating from the Berlin Conference.

UNSMIL said in a statement that the meeting focused on ways to resume the political track as soon as possible in order to avoid potential deterioration in the military situation. In addition, the two parties discussed the issue of corruption and its devastating impact.

LNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mesmari, in a press conference held on Wednesday, refused to establish a demilitarized zone in Sirte, stressing that it was “safe and not a conflict zone.” He explained that the purpose of this proposal is to hand over the city to Turkey without fighting.

Mesmari said that “all weapons are available, all types of forces are available, and radar air cover is now available on all Libyan territories.”

He pointed out that the ports of Tripoli, Misrata, and Khamis have become “the main ports for the invading forces supported by Qatar.”

Regarding the opening of the oil ports, Mesmari announced that Haftar “issued a decision to empty the oil tanks and derivatives located in the oil ports and export them.”

Chairman of the National Oil Corporation (NOC) Mustafa Sanallah met Justin Brady, head of Office for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and defended the role of NOC despite the water scarcity in Libya due to the illegal shut down of oil sources.

Sanallah pledged transparency by publishing data and statistics related to output and revenues of oil exports and sales.



Maritime Security Firms Launch Mission to Save Crew of Greek Vessel Hit by Houthis

The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen near Cathlamet, Oregon, July 23, 2019. (Mike Cullom via AP)
The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen near Cathlamet, Oregon, July 23, 2019. (Mike Cullom via AP)
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Maritime Security Firms Launch Mission to Save Crew of Greek Vessel Hit by Houthis

The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen near Cathlamet, Oregon, July 23, 2019. (Mike Cullom via AP)
The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen near Cathlamet, Oregon, July 23, 2019. (Mike Cullom via AP)

Maritime security firms launched a mission on Wednesday to evacuate the crew of the Greek-operated Eternity C vessel hit by Houthi militants off Yemen two days ago, sources close to the mission told Reuters.

Eternity C, with 22 crew members - 21 Filipinos and one Russian - on board, was attacked with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from manned speed boats in the Red Sea on Monday, the second assault by the Houthis in a day after months of calm.

The attack killed three mariners and wounded two others, a European Union naval force said Tuesday. It follows the Iranian-backed Houthis attacking another vessel, the bulk carrier Magic Seas, on Sunday in the Red Sea that they said subsequently sank.

The assaults are the first Houthi attacks on shipping since late 2024 on the waterway that had begun to see more ships pass through in recent weeks.

The United Nations condemned the Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and called on the militias to comply with UN Security Council resolutions demanding an immediate halt to all attacks.

“We continue to be very worried and concerned about the escalation that we’re seeing,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.