On June 25, right after she cast her vote for the new Council of Representatives, Salwa Bugaighis was murdered at her home in Benghazi in eastern Libya. She was Libya’s most prominent female lawyer, a member of the former National Transitional Council (NTC) that led the rebel movement in 2011 and well-known civil activist. In February, …
Blog Archives
Escaping Hell: Libya’s Migrant Jails
As Libya descends further into civil war and lawlessness, migrants from Africa and the Middle East continue to journey to the country’s coast in search of smugglers to take them across the Mediterranean Sea and into Europe. Search and rescue operations by Libya’s coast guard are restricted due to diminishing …
France – the Saharan policeman
France has set up a military base in Niger, just south of the Libyan border, hoping to cut off trafficking and supply routes, on which militant groups like Islamic State rely to spread their influence around the region, as Thomas Fessy reports.
Libya police free abducted Arabs, Africans in Tripoli
Security forces affiliated with Libya’s Tripoli-based “salvation” government have secured the release 47 Arab and African workers earlier taken hostage by a militant group, a government security official said Monday.
Libya: Journalists Under Attack
Various armed groups in Libya have violently attacked, kidnapped, intimidated, threatened, and killed Libyan journalists with impunity over the past two years, causing many to flee the country or impose self-censorship, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. At the same time, courts are prosecuting journalists and others …
Algeria seizes weapons on Libya border
New border security operations by the Algerian army led to the arrest of Libyan smugglers and the seizure of illegal arms.
Over 230 assassinations or attempts in Benghazi in 2014
There were no fewer than 231 recorded assassinations or assassination attempts in the eastern city of Benghazi in 2014, one independent source reports.
Egyptians Christians seized in Sirte freed: report
Thirteen Egyptian Christians seized in Sirte are now in the hands of the local council and being protected by the local Ferjan tribe. They were abducted two days ago by unknown gunmen.
Egyptian Foreign Ministry issues warning to Egyptians living in Libya
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry has urged Egyptians living and working in Libya to stay indoors and take extra precautions in the aftermath of the last week’s abductions of Egyptian Coptic Christians in Sirte. However, it is also looking at ways that Egyptians can leave the country.
Iraqi professor kidnapped in Sirte
An Iraqi professor Iraqi at the University of Sirte was kidnapped this morning. His three sons were also seized from their home in the town with him.