عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

UNSMIL Demands Immediate Release of All Persons 'Arbitrarily' Detained in Libya

Libyans playing backgammon in the old city of Tripoli. (Reuters)
Libyans playing backgammon in the old city of Tripoli. (Reuters)
TT
20
TT

UNSMIL Demands Immediate Release of All Persons 'Arbitrarily' Detained in Libya

Libyans playing backgammon in the old city of Tripoli. (Reuters)
Libyans playing backgammon in the old city of Tripoli. (Reuters)

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has called for the immediate release of all individuals who have been arbitrarily detained in the country.

“All arrests and detentions must be based on the rule of law, in line with Libya’s human rights obligations,” UNSMIL stated in a tweet on Friday.

It also welcomed the recent releases of Faisal Gherghab, former head of the Libyan Post Telecom and Info Technology Company, Mohammad al-Qiblawi, head of the General Union of Libya Students, and Mansour Atti, head of the Libyan Red Crescent Society in Ajdabiya.

Libyan police forces have recently arrested a number of political and human rights activists, prompting international condemnations and demands for authorities to release the detainees and activate the rule of law.

Chargé d’Affairs of the United States embassy in Libya Leslie Ordman welcomed the release of several Libyans who were arbitrarily arrested.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, for his part, underlined the importance of human rights as part of the bilateral relationship between the US and Libya.

On January 10, the Deterrence Anti-Organized Crime and Terrorism Apparatus arrested Gherghab, while the police in Tripoli arrested other human rights activists on various charges.

Last week, the security apparatus also arrested 218TV correspondent Ali Al-Rifawi in Sirte city, in central Libya.

The Arab Organization for Human Rights (AOHR) in Libya expressed concern about Rifawi’s arbitrary arrest, stressing that he was detained “without any legal basis.”

The organization called for his immediate and unconditional release to fulfil Libya’s international obligations.

AOHR sources indicated that the reporter was arrested while covering the municipality work and reporting the suffering of citizens.

It said that detaining Rifawi for criticizing the local authorities “constitutes a restriction on freedom of expression and violates Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Reporters Without Borders has demanded the immediate release of Rifawi, who has been detained since March 26.

In a tweet on its official page, the organization held the Internal Security Agency responsible for his kidnapping, while referring to the harsh conditions that journalists are subjected to in the country.

Most Viewed

 
Arab World

Sudan War Intensifies Across Kordofan’s Three States

War between the army and Rapid Support Forces has destroyed much of Sudan’s infrastructure. (AFP)
War between the army and Rapid Support Forces has destroyed much of Sudan’s infrastructure. (AFP)
TT
20
TT

Sudan War Intensifies Across Kordofan’s Three States

War between the army and Rapid Support Forces has destroyed much of Sudan’s infrastructure. (AFP)
War between the army and Rapid Support Forces has destroyed much of Sudan’s infrastructure. (AFP)

Fighting between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has flared in the central Kordofan region, home to some of the country’s largest oil fields, including Heglig, Abu Jabra, and Balila.

The city of El-Obeid, the region’s largest urban center and capital of North Kordofan, was hit by drone strikes early Monday, triggering panic among residents. Multiple sites were targeted in the attack, which comes amid escalating clashes and troop build-ups across the region’s three states.

Local sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that drones struck the eastern neighborhood of Al-Radeef, wounding several civilians. One source said a drone was spotted flying over the Sudanese army’s 5th Infantry Division.

The battlefront shifted westward to Kordofan following the army’s full takeover of the capital Khartoum, where the conflict had raged since breaking out more than two years ago. Now, the three Kordofan states, North, South and West, are the focus of renewed violence as both parties vie for control.

The RSF has stepped up its offensive in Sudan’s North Kordofan, targeting the strategic city of El-Obeid with drone strikes as part of a broader push following the withdrawal of army troops and allied forces from nearby towns, including Al-Khuwei, Al-Debeibat and Al-Hammadi.

The RSF’s maneuvers have allowed it to surround El-Obeid from three directions, exposing significant vulnerabilities in the army’s air defense systems. The latest attack underscores the RSF’s increasing reliance on combat drones, which have been deployed in several battles across the Kordofan region in recent weeks.

Military sources said the nearest RSF-controlled area is the town of Bara, less than 50 kilometers northeast of El-Obeid. The paramilitary group is also reported to have a strong presence in Al-Khuwei, Al-Hammadi, and Kazgeil, all located near the embattled city.

In West Kordofan, fierce clashes continue in the town of Babanusa, where the Sudanese army’s 22nd Infantry Division is headquartered. The division has lost control of three key garrisons in Al-Nuhud, Al-Fula, and the oil-rich area of Heglig amid the RSF’s westward advances.

The RSF said on Monday it now controls the entire town of Babanusa in West Kordofan and is encircling the 22nd Infantry Division from multiple directions, claiming the fall of the strategic town is “only a matter of time.”

Babanusa lies along the key Western Salvation Road, a vital artery linking the capital Khartoum to the Kordofan and Darfur regions. Control of the route has become a major objective for both sides: the army views it as a pathway for advancing into Darfur, while the RSF sees it as a forward defensive line and potential springboard for a renewed push on Khartoum.

West Kordofan, which borders South Sudan and contains most of Sudan’s oil fields, has emerged as one of the fiercest battlegrounds in the war. The state includes around 15 localities and has seen intensifying combat as both sides vie for control of critical infrastructure and territory.

Meanwhile, the army is attempting to drive the RSF out of northern and southern pockets of the state to lift the siege on South Kordofan.

In South Kordofan, clashes have intensified between the army, the RSF, and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu. The army briefly regained control of the towns of Al-Debeibat and Al-Hammadi in an effort to relieve pressure on Dilling and Kadugli, but the RSF later retook the areas, prolonging the deadlock in the region.

Sudanese army forces are fending off ongoing attempts by the RSF to storm El-Fasher, the largest city in the Darfur region, a senior military official said.

Major General Mohamed Ahmed Al-Khader, commander of the army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the military has been repelling RSF assaults on the city for over a year.

Witnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat that army units have launched targeted operations around El-Fasher to push back RSF fighters from the city’s outskirts.