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GhassamSalam, head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL),was speaking to reportersin New Yorkon Monday, following a closed-door meeting of the Security Council.

It was heldafter dozens of cadets were killedthis past weekend in adroneattack on a military academyin thecapital, Tripoli, located in western Libyaand seat of theUN-recognized government.

Since April, the cityhas been undersiegeby the Libyan National Army (LNA), which is aligned with a rival administration in the east.

Theattackonthe military academyis the latest in a recent spike in aerial bombings andprobablywas carried out by a country supporting the LNA, according to Mr.Salam.

He called forothercountries to take your hands out of Libya,which is suffering fromincreasingforeign interferencein thelong-running factional conflict which hasleft the country in crisis sincethefall offormer dictatorMuammarGadaffiin 2011.

What I asked the Security Council,andwhat I askedthese countries,isvery clear: keep out of Libya. There are enough weapons in Libya; they do not need extra weapons. There are enough mercenaries in Libya,so stop sendingmercenaries as is the case right now with hundreds, probably thousands, coming into the country of late,he said.

There is a resolution calling foranarms embargoin Libya.Those who voted for this resolution are necessarily in need to implement it.If everybodyviolatesthe arms embargo, its a problem. But if those whovoted for it areviolating it,its an even bigger problem.

The UN envoydescribed the current situation in Libya as particularly difficult and bleak.

Ordinary people are paying dearly, with dozens of schools closed, health facilities attacked, and thousands displaced.

Mr.Salamstressed that there is no military solution to the conflict, which couldpotentially have animpactonfragileneighbouringcountries.

He stated:Libya is not only an oil story. Libya is not only a gas story. Libya is not only a geopolitical story: it is also a human story. And people are suffering, and for no other reason but for the fact that there is no international, clear message that enough is enough.

The United Nations is determined to find a way out of the current bleak situation, he said.

UNSMILhaslaunched a three-track process to bring thetwosides together to address the economic and financial situation, military and security matters, and political dialogue.

The firsttrackbegan on Monday, with representatives from the parties meeting in Tunis to discusseconomic and financial concerns, he reported.

I hope that in the next two weeksIwill be able to launchthe second track, concerningmilitary and securityissues: that is the ceasefire,thearms embargo, DDR(disarmament, demobilizationand reintegration)process,terrorism and counter terrorism, and these kindsof issues,he added.

And I am hopeful that before the end of this month we will be able to launch the political dialogue, probablyin Geneva.

Mr.Salamalsoexpressed hope thataconference will be heldinBerlinin the coming weeks togive an international "push to efforts underway on the ground.

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UN envoy appeals for other nations to 'keep out of Libya' - UN News

Hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers evacuated from Libyan detention centres to a transit camp in Rwanda are to be resettled this year in Norway, according to Rwandas foreign minister.

Speaking at a news conference in Kigali on Wednesday, Rwandas foreign minister Vincent Biruta said the African nation was currently hosting more than 300 refugees and asylum seekers at the Gashora transit centre south of Kigali, most of whom hail from Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea, according to CGTN Africa.

Only Norway and Sweden had so far agreed to resettle people from the camp, Biruta added. Norway agreed to resettle 600 people, while Sweden had so far accepted seven, according to Biruta.

Rwanda signed a deal with the UN and African Union in September aimed at resettling people who had been detained in Libya while trying to reach Europe. More than 4,000 people are believed to still be living in Libyan detention centres, according to the latest figures.

In a statement to Reuters, Norwegian justice minister Jran Kallmyr said the plan to resettle 600 people proved that we dont support cynical people smugglers, and instead bring in people who need protection in an organised manner.

Kallmyr added: A transit camp like the one in Rwanda will contribute to that effort.

Norways four-party government coalition agreed last year to accept a total of 3,000 refugees from UN camps in 2020.

The UN in Libya has come under intense criticism for complying with EU migration policy, which entails funding the Libyan coastguard to intercept boats with refugees and migrants destined for Europe. Many people end up detained in militia-run centres and subjected to grave human rights abuses, including sexual abuse, denial of food and water, and forced recruitment into the on-going Libyan conflict.

Elisabeth Haslund, Nordic spokesperson for the UN refugee agency, said that of the 4,000-plus people estimated to still be detained in Libyan centres, roughly 2,500 people are refugees and asylum-seekers.

As the violence and unrest have been intensifying in Libya and thousands of refugees are still at risk in the country, the evacuations of the most vulnerable refugees are more urgent than ever, said Haslund.

UNHCR very much welcomes Norways decision to resettle refugees who have been evacuated to Rwanda and also notes the important and valuable financial contributions from Norway to help support the operation of the transit centre in Gashora.

As the 600 people who are expected to be resettled this year in Norway had not yet been chosen, Haslund added, it was impossible to give details on their age, gender or country of origin.

Reuters contributed to this report

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Norway opens its doors to 600 people evacuated from Libya to Rwanda - The Guardian

Civilians killed or injured in Libya by explosive weapons rose by 131% last year, with the number of incidents at its highest since 2011, the year of the Benghazi uprising, according to new data seen by the Guardian.

Most of the 900 people who died or were hurt in explosions in the country in 2019 up from 392 in 2018 were victims of airstrikes, according to statistics from Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), a charity based in London.

Libya was one of several countries to buck the downward global trend in civilian casualties from explosive weapons.

The worst places for civilian killings and maimings were Libya, Afghanistan and Somalia, but increases were also recorded in Sri Lanka, India, Philippines, Turkey, Gaza, Egypt, Colombia, and Myanmar.

While Syria remained the country worst impacted by explosive weaponry in 2019, casualties decreased by about a quarter: 7,268 compared to the previous year, at 9,587.

AOAV recorded 29,499 deaths and injuries by explosive weapons in 2019, 66% of which (19,407) were innocent civilians. When explosive weapons were used in populated areas, 91% of those killed were civilians, compared to 15% of civilians in other areas.

The groups executive director Iain Overton said: While the general shift is towards a reduction in explosive harm globally, some countries are seeing concerning increases in violence. As 2020 shows a real potential for renewed war in the Middle East, 2019 reminds us how fragile peace can be.

At least 28 people died in an attack on a military academy in the Libyan capital of Tripoli in the first weekend of 2020 and there are fears fighting will escalate further in Libya with Turkeys parliament voting to send in troops in support of the internationally recognised Government of National Accord, which is facing an offensive by Khalifa Haftars Libyan National Army.

Overton, author of The Price of Paradise: how the suicide bomber shaped the modern age, predicted an uptick in Shia suicide bombings this year. There were 133 suicide attacks last year, one every three days, he said, largely by Salafist groups. Overall, IEDs account for 49% of civilian harm.

There is a constant and this constant shows us that our data is pretty robust, said Overton. Thats why we are asking for a political commitment through the UN member states to sign up to a declaration to prevent the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.

In October, Amnesty International reported scores of civilian casualties in Libya as both sides use everything from Gaddafi-era unguided rockets to modern drone-launched guided missiles in attacks that could amount to war crimes.

Airstrikes accounted for 72% of civilian casualties in Libya in 2019 and shelling, 19%, AOAV said. Despite the rising number of incidents, 125 in 2019, compared to 134 in 2011, the death toll in 2019 is far lower than in 2011, when 2,108 civilians died.

Donatella Rovera, crisis response adviser at Amnesty International who worked on the report, said: We are seeing fewer casualties compared to other conflicts in the region, of course every one civilian casualty is one too many.

She said, however, in Libya, it was difficult to accurately interrogate data. For instance, one of the biggest attacks reported on civilians was on the migrant detention centre in July, when between 40 and 50 people were reportedly killed.

The reality is we have not found evidence to substantiate the numbers. The only thing we saw was a handful of body bags in an image, she said.

Somalia also saw a 14% rise in civilian harm from explosives, mostly improvised explosive devices, from 832 in 2018 to 945 in 2019, while Afghanistan, which has seen record numbers of civilian casualties over the last four years, continued on its violent trajectory upwards.

Unlike in 2018, when the surge in Afghan violence was attributed to an increasing Isis presence, last year saw a notable increase in Taliban violence. There was a 9% rise in the killing and maiming of civilians from explosives, from 4,268 to 4,638 in 2019. AOAV recorded a 187% increase in civilian casualties from Taliban use of explosive weapons, to 1,896 this year.

UN member states are currently taking part in a political process run by the Irish government to adopt stronger rules in urban areas, including halting the use of certain weapons.

Laura Boillot, co-ordinator of the International Network of Explosive Weapons (Inew), said: We have been looking at the data AOAV has been producing for 10 years. Weve seen a consistent pattern of harm, because conflict is increasingly in populated areas.

Aircraft bombs are inaccurate. Even precision weapons can be problematic as they have a level of explosives in them. Rocket systems are problematic because they can be inaccurate. Even if you are aiming for a military target, you might hit a block of flats or a hospital. These weapon systems have no place in towns and cities.

Inew is calling on member states to sign up to a political declaration to reduce the use of heavy explosive weapons such as long range artillery and barrel bombs in towns and cities.

The AOAV report was compiled using data from sources including Airwars, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and reliable media sources.

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Steep rise in civilians killed or injured in Libya by explosive weaponry - The Guardian

The Spaniards seized Tripoli in June 1510. The human cost of resisting the new invaders was enormous. Around 5,000 local people were killed and thousands more were taken captive. A letter from the Spanish fleet commander stated: "Bodies were scattered throughout the city, there was no place to set your foot on."

Tripoli was later ceded to the Knights of St. John in 1530, with an aim to use it as a base to further attack the Muslims in the north coast of Africa, but the knights had run into the determined resistance of the local people.

The people of Tripoli took refuge in the castle of Tajoura, some 20 kilometers to the east, and began to fight the crusaders.

In 1551, Libyans wisely sought help from the Ottoman Empire, which was the Islamic Caliphate at the time. This step was to change the tides of the war.

The Ottoman administration sent Murad Aa, a military official, to Tajoura -an eastern suburb of Tripoli- with a mighty fleet and thousands of soldiers.He settled in Tajoura and waged relentless combat against the crusaders.

Though he laid siege to Tripoli, he could not capture the city, the massive defensive fortifications of the castle made it difficult to conquer. Murad Aa requested reinforcements from the Ottoman administration to liberate the region.

Sultan Kanuni, the ruler of the Ottoman Empire at the time, sent Turgut Reis, one of the greatest figures in Turkish naval history. In August 1551, the crusaders surrendered and the massive citadel fell after Turgut Reis imposed a blockade on the fortress.

Before the Ottoman rule, Libya lacked a unitary system of government. As the Ottomans expanded into the rest of Libya's provinces Barqa, and Fezzan, there was a concept of a modern state developing.The Ottomans era persisted for more than 3 centuries, in which Libya underwent a series of stages, mostly marked by success.

Education and development came about, as the new rulers encouraged learning and worked in developing cities and agriculture, as well as settling Bedouins. They also revived the caravan trade across the desert, which stimulated growth and prosperity.

The Ottoman architecture is still evident in mosques, schools, traditional markets, such as the famous Souq al-Mushir in Tripoli, in addition to other official and private buildings.

In 1878 the Ottomans Empire was challenged by the growing western Europe powers, meanwhile, Italy set its eyes on Libya, but Sultan Abd al-Hamid II stayed vigilant of the Italian greed.He sent weapons, military assists and 15,000 soldiers to assist the troops on Libyan territory; his moves caused Italy to postpone its invasion of Libya.

Later, Libya was occupied by Italy in 1911 during the period of the European-backed "Committee of Union and Progress" which came to power in a coup against the Ottoman Empire on 27 April 1909, after isolating Sultan Abdul Hamid II.

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Libya and the Ottoman Empire - The Libya Observer

(Bloomberg) -- The European Union is focused on maintaining stability in Iraq as shock-waves from the killing of Irans top general in Baghdad this month reverberate around the Middle East.

Iraq is our most important concern today, Josep Borrell, the EUs foreign policy chief, said in a press conference after an emergency meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels on Friday.

With the Iran nuclear accord unraveling and Europes influence in Libya fading, Iraq is one place EU leaders are trying to make a difference. If instability were to spread through Iraq, that could lead to another wave of refugees stoking anti-migrant sentiment in Europe and create the conditions for Islamic State to rise again.

We have to avoid the spiral of violence that can create a situation in Iraq that can be very dangerous and destroy years of efforts and work on rebuilding this country, he said.

Though both Washington and Tehran have stepped back from the brink since retaliatory Iranian missile strikes on a U.S. airbase in Iraq avoided military casualties, the situation remains volatile. Borrell said ministers gave him a strong mandate to work on a political regional solution.

Most ministers were aware that Iran is not the only country stirring up trouble in the region, according to one diplomat who was in the room. With Saudi Arabia and Qatar also playing dirty, ministers concluded that picking a winner and a loser is not going to work, he said.

The meeting saw the ministers divided into two camps, the diplomat added. The U.K. and Poland led calls for European nations to follow the U.S. and pull out of the nuclear deal. Frances argument that the EU still needs to engage with Iran won more support though while Germany was caught between in the middle.

Libya is another source of acute concern that was discussed.

Earlier this week, military commander Khalifa Haftar captured Sirte, a strategic city on the coast that could help advance his 10-month offensive against the internationally-recognized government in Tripoli.

Nuclear Accord

Europes traditional influence in the North African oil producer has been eclipsed by the arrival of other players -- chiefly Russia and Turkey -- with forces on the ground leaving them better placed to contain or escalate the countrys conflict.

Recent developments show that the crisis may spiral out of control and today we wanted to send a strong signal of unity, Borrell said.

Borrell insisted the EU remains committed to salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal, perhaps in the hope that the U.S. election in 10 months time will bring a shift in the White Houses attitude.

The U.K. and other European signatories to the accord may have vowed to protect it from the fallout of Soleimanis death but theyll come under renewed pressure to reconsider that position if Iran shows its aiming to substantially step up its nuclear enrichment.

Tehran has been slowly discarding the accords limitations on its enrichment of uranium since President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the pact in 2018, demanding tougher curbs on Iran. Earlier on Friday, in an interview with RTL radio, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said if the deal continues to fray, Iran could get atomic weapons within a year or two.

Without the accord, the Islamic Republic would already be a nuclear state, Borrell said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Ian Wishart in Brussels at iwishart@bloomberg.net;Caroline Alexander in London at calexander1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Viktoria Dendrinou

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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Europe Aims to Shore Up Iraq With Iran and Libya Out of Reach - Yahoo Finance