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The U.N. says rival Libyan officials wrapped up weeklong talks without an agreement on disputed constitutional arrangements for elections

The U.N. says rival Libyan officials wrapped up weeklong talks without an agreement on disputed constitutional arrangements for elections.

CAIRO — (AP) — Libya’s east-based army rounded up at least 50 people in a coastal city following a prison escape earlier this year, a rights group said Tuesday. Human Rights Watch said in a statement that an armed group affiliated with the self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces launched the crackdown after five prisoners escaped from a prison in the city of Derna on Jan. 16. But the armed group, Tarek Bin Ziyad Battalion, continued detain others in the city, including relatives of the five and former detainees and their families. “Once again, unaccountable LAAF forces resort to brutal tactics to instill fear and terror among Derna residents,” said Eric Goldstein, deputy regional director at HRW. The LAAF, led by powerful commander Khalifa Hifter, controls Libya’s east and much of the south.

Libya’s embattled prime minister is warning that the appointment of a new interim government could set off war and chaos in a Mediterranean country already mired in a decade of turmoil

Libya’s embattled prime minister is warning that the appointment of a new transitional government could set off war and chaos in the Mediterranean country mired for a decade in turmoil.

U.N. experts say rebel groups in Darfur that signed a peace agreement with the Sudanese government in 2020 continue to operate in Libya and profit from opportunities provided by the civil war and lack of government control in the oil-rich north African nation.

Libya U.N. special advisor on Libya Stephanie Williams stands for a photograph in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty) (Nariman El-Mofty)CAIRO — (AP) — A senior U.N. official said she is pushing for Libya to hold elections by June after the county missed a December deadline to elect its first president since the 2011 ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Libya failed to hold its first-ever presidential elections on Dec. 24 as scheduled, a major blow to international efforts to end a decade-long chaos in the rich-oil Mediterranean nation. Williams, who led U.N. efforts to end the latest bout of violence in Libya in 2020, said elections are needed in the country to give credence to the country's institutions. The challenges facing the elections include bitter disputes over the laws governing the electoral process and occasional infighting among armed groups.

A senior U.N. official says Libya could hold elections by June after the county missed a December deadline to elect its first president since the 2011 ouster and killing of dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Libya has failed to hold its first presidential election as planned in Dec. 2021. The planned vote was the lynchpin of international peace efforts, and major regional and international powers had for months pushed for it to take place as scheduled. His forces, the self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces, control much of eastern and southern Libya, including its oil fields and terminals. Mistrust deepened when lawmakers decided to hold parliamentary elections a month after the planned Dec. 24 presidential vote, rather than simultaneously. Major Western governments have called for the government to remain in power until “prompt” parliamentary and presidential elections are held.

Libya has failed to hold its first presidential election as planned this month.

Libyan lawmakers are meeting to discuss the many challenges that forced a postponement this month of the restive North African nation’s long-awaited presidential election

No new date has been set for the election which features several controversial candidates.

Libya is scheduled to hold elections in just over a week, on Dec. 24, a long-awaited vote that is the lynchpin of efforts to bring peace after a decade of civil war.

Her appointment as the special adviser to the U.N. chief on Libya -- a new position -- follows the Nov. 23 announcement that the U.N. special envoy for Libya, Jan Kubis, was resigning after 10 months on the job. Libya is set to hold the first round of presidential elections on Dec. 24, after years of U.N.-led attempts to usher in a more democratic future and end the country’s civil war. The country plunged into turmoil after a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. The vote faces many challenges, including disputes over the laws governing the elections and occasional infighting among armed groups. In September, Kubis told the council: “Holding the elections in Libya, even in less-than-ideal situation, and with all imperfections, challenges and risks, is much more desirable than no elections.

A Libyan court has ruled that a son of the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi can compete in next month's presidential elections.

Libya’s top electoral body has disqualified the son and onetime heir apparent of the late dictator Moammar Gadhafi from running for president next month, citing his previous convictions.

Libya’s interim prime minister has filed a request to run for president despite being technically barred from next month's elections.

CAIRO — (AP) — Libya’s powerful commander, Khalifa Hifter, filed Tuesday as a candidate in the country’s presidential elections next month. Hifter submitted his candidacy papers Tuesday in the eastern city of Benghazi and announced the move in a video. Hifter’s announcement comes after Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son and one-time heir apparent of the late dictator, submitted candidacy papers Sunday in the southern town of Sabha. Seif al-Islam, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity, has spent years largely in hiding. If accepted, both Hifter and Seif al-Islam would be among front-runners in the Dec. 24 vote.

A powerful commander in Libya has announced his candidacy in the country’s presidential elections next month.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and several world leaders will take part in the Paris conference, and are expected to push for transparent, credible elections. Libya has been engulfed in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising 2011 that toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. Friday’s conference is co-chaired by France, Germany, Italy, Libya, and the United Nations, and attended by international and regional high-level officials. The conference comes less than six weeks before Libyans are scheduled to cast their ballots in the first round of the presidential elections on Dec. 24. Parliamentary elections are to take place nearly two months later, along with a second round of the presidential vote.

Libyan leaders have reaffirmed in Paris their commitment to ensure the success of the country’s political process through long-awaited elections next month.

Libya’s chief diplomat says the transitional government is working to hold long-awaited elections later this year, but security and political and economic stability are necessary for a peaceful transition to a new government

Libya is hosting an international conference aimed at resolving the country’s thorniest issues ahead of general elections in December.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — (AP) — A U.S. judge has set a two-week deadline for a Libyan military commander to answer questions in a lawsuit accusing him of war crimes. Khalifa Hifter, commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army, is a defendant in multiple federal lawsuits in Virginia accusing him of killings and torture in that country's civil war. Once a lieutenant to Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Hifter defected to the U.S. during the 1980s and spent many years living in northern Virginia. Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema rejected Hifter's claims of immunity and allowed the case to move forward. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema again rejected Hifter's argument, and set an Oct. 28 deadline for the deposition to take place.

Close to 45,000 migrants reached Italy’s shores so far this year, roughly five times more than in 2019.

CAIRO — (AP) — Forces loyal to a powerful Libyan commander said two military planes crashed on Sunday in over a village in eastern Libya, killing at least two officers. Gen. Bouzied al-Barrasi, was killed in the crash, while the second helicopter crew survived, the LAAF said in a brief statement. The statement did not give the cause of crash and said the helicopters were on a military mission. Hifter's forces control eastern and most of southern Libya. The crash came as they have been battling Chadian fighters in Libya's southern areas on the border with Chad.

Germany’s foreign minister has arrived in Libya to reopen the country’s embassy in Tripoli.

ALGIERS, Algeria — (AP) — Countries neighboring Libya wrapped up their meeting Tuesday in Algeria, with calls for foreign fighters and mercenaries to be pulled out from the conflict-stricken North African nation. The two-day meeting also urged Libyan parties to stick to a political road map that ended hostilities last year and set parliamentary and presidential elections in December. The meeting, hosted by Algeria, was attended by foreign ministers of Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, Chad and Niger. Kubis, the U.N. envoy, urged lawmakers to finalize laws needed for the December vote “without any further delay.”He also expressed concerns about the continued presence of mercenaries, foreign fighters and foreign forces in Libya, echoing the U.N. Security Council’s calls for the full implementation of the October cease-fire deal including the withdrawal of foreign fighters and mercenaries. The U.N. estimated in December there were at least 20,000 foreign fighters and mercenaries in Libya, including Syrians, Russians, Sudanese and Chadians.

UNITED NATIONS — (AP) — The U.N. special envoy for Libya accused “spoilers” on Thursday of trying to obstruct the holding of crucial elections in December to unify the divided North African nation, and the Security Council warned that any individual or group undermining the electoral process could face U.N. sanctions. That led to the October cease-fire and roadmap to elections adopted in Tunis a month later which included a transitional government. “Interest groups, spoilers and armed actors must not be allowed to derail the process aimed at restoring the legitimacy, unity and sovereignty of the Libyan state and its institutions,” he stressed. A presidential statement adopted by the Security Council echoed Kubis’ call for immediate action and legislation to allow the High National Election Commission “to have adequate time and resources” to prepare for elections. “It is imperative that Libyan and international actors agree on a plan to commence and complete the withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign forces,” he said.

A Libyan military commander who previously lived for decades in Virginia cannot claim head-of-state immunity as a defense in lawsuits accusing him of atrocities in his country's civil war, a judge ruled Thursday. Khalifa Hifter leads the self-styled Libyan National Army, a faction in a civil war that has raged in the country for years. Once a lieutenant to Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Hifter defected to the U.S. during the 1980s and spent many years living in northern Virginia.

Libya’s transitional government has underlined its commitment to holding elections on Dec. 24 at a conference with powers that have interests in the North African country.

The U.N. special envoy for Libya is warning the Security Council that progress on the key issue of withdrawing mercenaries and foreign fighters from Libya has stalled and their continued presence is threatening not only Libya but the entire African region

A top American diplomat has arrived in Libya’s capital, marking the first visit by a senior U.S. official since the U.N.-backed election of an interim government in February

The U.N. chief says foreign fighters and mercenaries remain in Libya in violation of last October’s cease-fire agreement

The Kaniyat brutalized this town for years. No one stopped them. No one held them to account.

The U.N. Security Council has authorized international monitors to watch over a nearly six-month-old cease-fire agreement in Libya.

German foreign Minister Heiko Maas speaks in Tripoli, Libya, Thursday, March 25, 2021. The European foreign ministers also called on mercenaries and foreign fighters to leave the country immediately. Ad“This (withdrawal) is indispensable so that Libya can regain its sovereignty and security,” said France’s Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. “We have talked about the tasks ahead and about how we can concretely support (Libya) where there is a wish for it,” said Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. EU top diplomats also stressed the need to reopen the country's Mediterranean coastal road linking the east and the west.

(AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)TRIPOLI – Libyans on Wednesday marked the 10th anniversary of their 2011 uprising that led to the overthrow and killing of longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi. Many have their eyes on a recently appointed government tasked with leading Libya through elections later this year, with hopes of unifying the divided nation. Celebrations began late on Tuesday in the capital, Tripoli, where people gathered in the city's main square amid tight security. AdThere were also celebrations in the eastern city of Benghazi, once known as the birthplace of Libya’s 2011 uprising. AdLibya has become one of the most intractable conflicts, along with Yemen and Syria, left over from the 2011 uprisings.

The voting process is taking place under the mediation of the U.N. secretary-general’s acting special representative for Libya, Stephanie Williams. The prime minister is to be chosen by the candidate winning 70% of votes. Twenty-four candidates are running for the presidential council posts. Libya’s top judge, Mohammed al-Hafi's candidacy for the presidential council has stirred up controversy. The country's Judges’ Association decried the move, saying he should have retired before running,AdTwenty-one candidates are running for prime minister, including Fathi Bashaga, the powerful interior minister in Tripoli, and Ahmed Meitig, deputy prime minister of the U.N.-supported government.

The United Nations said Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, that the two sides in Libyan military talks had reached a "historic achievement" with a permanent cease-fire agreement across the war-torn North African country. The agreement also involves the formation of a joint military force and a way to monitor violations, Williams said. “I appeal to all Libya: Be one hand,” he added, warning of polarization by factions. To maintain the cease-fire, the two sides agreed to establish a “joint police operations room” that will help secure areas following the withdrawal of armed groups. The rivals also agreed to form a “joint limited military force" of personnel who report to the U.N.'s Joint Military Commission.

“The violations of the embargo are a scandal and call into question the basic commitment to peace of all involved,” he told the closed meeting. “There are nine countries that are intervening in the Libyan conflict,” Williams said, without giving any names. The country has since split between rival east- and west-based administrations, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments. Military commander Khalifa Hifter and his self-styled army launched an offensive in April 2019, trying to capture Tripoli, the capital. The virtual meeting came amid international pressure on both sides to avert an attack on the strategic city of Sirte.

TANZANIA – Russia and China blocked the official release of a report by U.N. experts on Libya that accused its warring parties and their international backers -- including Russia -- of violating a U.N. arms embargo on the conflict-wracked country, U.N. diplomats said Friday. Germany’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Günter Sautter, said he brought the issue to the Security Council after the two countries blocked the report’s release by the committee monitoring sanctions on Libya, which Germany heads. “Many delegations have asked for the publication of the panel of experts’ interim report,” he said. But finding a replacement acceptable to all Security Council diplomats has proven exceedingly difficult. Germany's Sautter said the Security Council has agreed that there will be a special envoy “and we need an agreement urgently on who that is going to be."

The warring parties in Libya and their international backers the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Jordan vs Turkey and Qatar violated a U.N. arms embargo on the oil-rich north African country that remains totally ineffective, U.N. experts said in a new report. The experts said the Wagner group transferred armed private military operatives and military equipment into Libya to support Hifters military operations, including two armored personnel carriers. The panel of experts said the resupply of both sides by air was extensive, with flights from the UAE to western Egypt and eastern Libya, and from Russia via Syria to eastern Libya to reinforce Hifters forces and from Turkey to western Libya to reinforce the government. AP emails to the U.N. missions of the UAE, Russia, Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Qatar got no response. Allegations regarding any violation by Turkey of sanctions are baseless, said the spokesperson who was not authorized to be identified by name.

PARIS French President Emmanuel Macron lashed out Monday against Turkey's criminal responsibility in Libya. Speaking during a visit to Germany, Macron strongly condemned Turkey's actions in Libya as unacceptable.He said Turkey doesn't respect any of its commitments." France accused Turkey of repeated violations of the U.N. arms embargo and of importing Syrian fighters to Libya. Macron also condemned interference in Libya from Russian private military contractor Wagner. Libya has been in turmoil since 2011 when a NATO-backed uprising toppled leader Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to French President Emmanuel Macron during a via video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, Friday, June 26, 2020. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)MOSCOW Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed international crises during a video call Friday and vowed to cooperate more closely to tackle global challenges in a video call Friday. We in Russia will never forget the French people who fought alongside our soldiers on the Eastern Front, Putin said. The French president paid tribute to the Soviet Union's role in World War II. Responding to an invitation from Putin to come to Russia, Macron said hed be happy to visit so we could spend a lot more time together, but only if health conditions allow, possibly at the end of summer.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, right, and Italy's Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio say goodbye by using their elbows after their joint press conference, in Ankara, Turkey, Friday, June 19, 2020. Turkey says the EUs naval operation dubbed Irini is focusing its efforts on the Tripoli-based administration and not enough on Hifters forces who launched an offensive in April 2019 to capture the capital. We will continue to work with Italy for a last peace and a solution-oriented political process, Cavusoglu told reporters, praising Italy for what he described as its balanced stance on Libya. He maintained that the operation ignores alleged constant arms transfers to Hifter by France.Cavusoglus comments come amid growing tensions between Turkey and France over Libya. He also defended the EU naval operation, describing it as balanced.The aim is to control the arrival of all armaments, Di Maio said.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell speaks during an online news conference following a video conference of European Foreign and Defense Ministers meeting at the Europa building in Brussels, Tuesday, June 16, 2020. The operation - dubbed Irini, the Greek word for peace - was launched on April 1. He said the personnel contacted the Turkish and Tanzanian authorities to try to verify the information, and they also informed the United Nations. We cannot do anything more than to transmit this information to the United Nations. It is the United Nations who gathers this information in order to control the implementation of the arms embargo.

VATICAN CITY Pope Francis on Sunday urged political and military leaders in Libya to end their hostilities and called on the international community to take to heart the plight of migrants trapped in the lawless nation. He said thousands of migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced people are more vulnerable to forms of exploitation and violence.There is cruelty, the pope said, departing from prepared remarks. Libya has been in turmoil since 2011 when a civil war toppled long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. The country has since split between rival administrations in the east and the west, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments. After Gadhafi's fall and killing, Libya also emerged as a major transit point for African and Arab migrants fleeing war and poverty to Europe.

TANZANIA U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep shock late Friday at the discovery of mass graves in Libyan territory recently recaptured from forces commanded by Khalifa Hifter, and called for a transparent investigation. The U.N. chief also called on Libyas U.N.-supported government to secure the mass graves, identify the victims, establish the causes of death and return the bodies to next of kin. The discoveries have raised fears about the extent of human rights violations in territories controlled by Hifters forces, given the difficulties of documentation in an active war zone. Philippe Nassif, Amnesty Internationals director for the Middle East and North Africa, said the group was working to verify the mass killings. Libya has been in turmoil since 2011 when a civil war toppled long-time dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed.

(AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)CAIRO The United Nations said Libya's warring factions have agreed to resume cease-fire talks, following days of heavy fighting and eastern-based forces retaking a key town from their rivals after a string of setbacks. Their troops were chasing Tripoli-allied forces to their stronghold in the nearby town of Gharyan, he added. A statement for the Tripoli-allied forces did not acknowledge the defeat, with spokesman Mohamed Gnono saying only that they were targeting LAAF forces on the towns borders. The Tripoli government had been struggling to fend off a yearlong siege of the capital by Hifter's forces when Turkey escalated its air support. Hifter is backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia, while the Tripoli-allied militias are aided by Turkey, Qatar and Italy.

WASHINGTON U.S. Africa Command flatly rejected Russian claims that Moscow did not deploy fighter jets to Libya, saying Friday that the 14 aircraft flown in reflect Russia's longer term goal to establish a foothold in the region that could threaten NATO allies. In an interview with a small group of reporters, Hadfield said the new fighter aircraft have not yet been used. But he said they will have to be flown either by pilots from Russia or contractors employed by Wagner. Another concern, said Hadfield, is that there also are Russian surface-to-air missiles there. Eastern European nations have been increasingly concerned about Russia's expanding military involvement and incursions in the region, on NATO's southern flank.

MOSCOW A senior Russian lawmaker on Wednesday strongly rejected the U.S. military's claim that Russia has deployed fighter jets to Libya to support east-based forces in their offensive on the capital, Tripoli. Viktor Bondarev, the former Russian air force chief who heads the defense committee in the upper house of parliament, dismissed the claim by the U.S. Africa Command as "stupidity." If the warplanes are in Libya, they are Soviet, not Russian, he said. The U.S. Africa Command said Tuesday the Russian military aircraft arrived in Libya recently from an airbase in Russia via Syria, where they were repainted to hide their Russian origin. Hifter is backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia, while the Tripoli-allied militias are aided by Turkey, Qatar and Italy.

Turkish lawmakers voted 325-184 at an emergency session in favor of a one-year mandate allowing the government to dispatch troops amid concerns that Turkish forces could aggravate the conflict in Libya and destabilize the region. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last month that Sarraj requested the Turkish deployment, after he and Sarraj signed a military deal that allows Ankara to dispatch military experts and personnel to Libya. That deal, along with a separate agreement on maritime boundaries between Turkey and Libya, has drawn ire across the region and beyond. The government has not revealed details about the possible Turkish deployment. The motion allows the government to decide on the scope, amount and timing of any mission by Turkish troops.

Turkish lawmakers voted 325-184 at an emergency session in favor of a one-year mandate allowing the government to dispatch troops amid concerns that Turkish forces could aggravate the conflict in Libya and destabilize the region. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last month that Sarraj requested the Turkish deployment, after he and Sarraj signed a military deal that allows Ankara to dispatch military experts and personnel to Libya. That deal, along with a separate agreement on maritime boundaries between Turkey and Libya, has drawn ire across the region and beyond. The government has not revealed details about the possible Turkish deployment. The motion allows the government to decide on the scope, amount and timing of any mission by Turkish troops.

Turkish lawmakers voted 325-184 at an emergency session in favor of a one-year mandate allowing the government to dispatch troops amid concerns that Turkish forces could aggravate the conflict in Libya and destabilize the region. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last month that Sarraj requested the Turkish deployment, after he and Sarraj signed a military deal that allows Ankara to dispatch military experts and personnel to Libya. That deal, along with a separate agreement on maritime boundaries between Turkey and Libya, has drawn ire across the region and beyond. The government has not revealed details about the possible Turkish deployment. The motion allows the government to decide on the scope, amount and timing of any mission by Turkish troops.

Emergency workers and other recover bodies after an airstrike killed nearly 40 at Tajoura Detention Center, east of Tripoli on early July 3, 2019. Local media reported the LNA had launched airstrikes against a militia camp near the detention center. The airstrike targeting the detention center in Tripoli's Tajoura neighborhood also wounded 35 migrants, according to the Interior Ministry in Tripoli. Footage circulating online and said to be from inside the migrant detention center showed blood and body parts mixed with rubble and migrants' belongings. The U.N. refugee agency in Libya condemned the airstrike on the detention center, which houses a total of 616 migrants and refugees.