Forces under Gen. Khalifa Hiftar have started a land and air operation to wrest the eastern city of Derna from an alliance of militant armed groups, Human Rights Watch said today. All parties to the conflict are obligated to respect the laws of war and spare civilians and civilian infrastructure.

An armed group linked with Libya’s internationally recognized government arrested two organizers of an annual media award in Libya on April 29, 2018, Human Rights Watch said today. The reasons for their arrests remain unknown, and their families have no access to them. 

From 1 to 30 April 2018, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) documented 31 civilian casualties – four deaths and 27 injuries – during the conduct of hostilities across Libya. Victims included three men and one boy killed and 19 men, five women, two boys and one girl …

From 1 March to 31 March 2018, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) documented 16 civilian casualties – five deaths and 11 injuries – during the conduct of hostilities across Libya, a significant drop from the two previous months. Victims included three men, one woman and one girl …

Libyan Human Rights Solidarity (HRS) issued a report Saturday documenting kidnap and murder cases of political and criminal backgrounds during 2017, based on official and media reports.

IOM, the UN Migration Agency, announced today (13/03) that it has assisted 10,171 migrants to return home safely from Libya with support from the European Union, African Union, and the Libyan Government since the scale up of Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) from the country started on 28 November last year. …

Armed groups within Libya continue to benefit from external support including the provision of materiel, targeted airstrikes at night and sophisticated munitions, the UN Libya Experts Panel report states in its section on the implementation of the arms embargo.

In the section on violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, the UN Libya Experts Forum report said that ‘‘The situation of human rights in Libya continues to deteriorate, highlighted by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at the end of his visit to Libya on 12 October …

Libya ranked a lowly 171st out of the 180 countries ranked on the latest Transparency International Corruption Perception Index 2017. Regionally, it ranked behind every Arab country – except Yemen and Syria.

Although Libya’s estimated rate of violent deaths is still far below those of Syria and several Central American nations, it remains significant, ranking eighth globally for 2016. This unenviable situation is symptomatic of the ongoing turmoil and instability facing the country since 2011.