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Mansour Al-Kikhia is a Libyan politician and diplomat, one of the most prominent opponents of the former dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He vanished under mysterious circumstances in 1993 until his body was found 19 years later in a refrigerator in a villa belonging to Libya's former military intelligence services in Tripoli.

Al-Kikhia was born in 1931 in Benghazi. As a child, he grew up and studied primarily in his hometown Benghazi before being sent to Egypt to attend high school. He went on to complete his university education and he graduated in 1950.

Al-Kikhia received a degree in international law from the Sorbonne University in Paris which put him on a path to becoming a human rights activist and ultimately meant facing the Gaddafi regime. In 1984 he founded the Libyan Human Rights Association from exile then two years later he established the Libyan National Alliance and was elected to the position of Secretary General. In the early 1970s, he stood for his principles and defended the rights of prisoners despite the risk of this work under a regime that arrests, intimidates, tortures and kills people, who just wanted to get their voices heard.

Al-Kikhia had long been involved in politics since the time of the monarchy, which made of him a leading politician and diplomat. In 1962 he joined the Libyan Embassy in France and after, in Algeria in 1963. He was a General Consul in Geneva (1963-1967) and a member of the Libyan Mission to the United Nations in 1968. After the coup of Muammar Gaddafi he went on occupying important official posts. He was appointed as Libyan foreign minister from 1972-1973; then he was appointed as the Permanent Representative of the United Nations in Libya between the years 1975-1980 before announcing his resignation and opposition to the former Gaddafi's regime in protest against the policies of summary executions practiced by the Libyan state at the time through the so-called revolutionary committees.

Al-Kikhia vanished under suspicious circumstances during his participation in the Board of Trustees of the Arab Organization for Human Rights meeting in Cairo on the 10th of December 1993.

His disappearance remained a mystery due to the lack of evidence; however, the Libyan Intelligence Services were accused of kidnapping Al-Kikhia in cooperation with the former Egyptian regime.

After years of mystery, the remains of Al-Kikhia were found in October 2012 inside a refrigerator of a villa belonging to the former military intelligence in Tripoli, owing to information provided by Abdullah al-Senussi, head of the Intelligence Service of the former regime following his arrest during the February revolution.

The CIA conducted a report that points to the involvement of the Egyptian agents in kidnapping Al-Kikhia before handing him over to the Libyan authorities who later executed him. This was confirmed by the former foreign minister of Gaddafi's regime Abd al-Rahman Shalgham in an interview with the London-based newspaper Al-Hayat, where he said that the Egyptian security kidnapped Al-Kikhia and then he was transferred to Tobruk where he was received by Abdullah al-Senussi. For nearly twenty years his whereabouts remained unknown until Gaddafi was over thrown, still, the circumstances of his death remain a mystery up to this day. Some have speculated that he died during the events at Abu Salim's prison; while some claim that he died in prison as a result of medical negligence.

The Libyan Foreign Ministry held a state funeral in Benghazi and memorial service in his honour on December 3rd, 2012.

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Who is Mansour Al-Kikhia? - The Libya Observer

MISRATA, Libya (Reuters) - Libya forces allied with UN-backed government who last year defeated Islamic State in Sirte are increasing patrols to stop the militants regrouping and threatening to launch attacks on the port city of Misrata, a military commander said.

The forces, mainly brigades from Misrata drove Islamic State from Sirte at the end of last year after a six-month campaign backed by U.S airstrikes. Islamic State took over the city in 2015 taking advantage of Libya's political chaos.

"We have spotted movements by Daesh (Islamic State) in the south of Sirte, where they are trying to regroup and break through our forces' lines in the south," said Mohamed Ghasri, spokesman for the "Al-Bunyan al-Marsous" forces in Misrata.

Ghasri gave no details of numbers of fighters estimated in the south of Sirte. But he said Misrata forces had lacked support from the international community since defeating Islamic State last year.

French officials fear Islamic State militants and other jihadists could try to exploit any power vacuum in Libya to regroup after losing ground in Syria and Iraq.

The Misrata forces took the fight to Sirte after Islamic State took over the city nearly two years ago and launched attacks on nearby oilfields and threatened Misrata, a major port city and home to one of Libya's most powerful armed factions.

Militants took advantage of Libya's steady descent into turmoil after civil war ousted Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Rival brigades of former rebels backed by competing political factions turned against each other in a fight for control.

A U.N.-backed government in Tripoli is trying to extend its influence, though it is facing resistance from some armed rivals. Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and eastern commander Khalifa Haftar agreed to work on a ceasefire and elections at talks in Paris on Wednesday.

Reporting by Ayman Al-Sahli in Misrata; writing by Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli; editing by Patrick Markey and Richard Balmforth

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Libyan forces step up patrols to stop Islamic State regrouping - Reuters

africanews

Post-Gaddafi Libya: How the current chaos was birthed africanews Political watchers said Libya at the time could not be described as a democracy and after over four decades in power, an armed uprising broke out in February 2011 leading to the fall of the Gaddafi regime, plunging the country into instability.

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Post-Gaddafi Libya: How the current chaos was birthed - africanews

Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, the leader of the United Nations-backed government in Tripoli, and Gen. Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the so-called Libyan National Army which controls parts of the east of the country, met with the French President at a chateau in La Celle Saint-Cloud, west of Paris. Ghassan Salam, the new special representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, also took part in the discussions Tuesday.

"Today, the cause of peace in Libya has made great progress," President Macron tweeted.

The talks ended with a 10-point joint declaration backed by the two Libyan rivals.

The two leaders said they recognized that the "solution to the Libya crisis can only be a political one and requires a national reconciliation process involving all Libyans," according to the statement released by the lyse Palace.

The declaration also included a commitment to "work towards the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible ... in cooperation with the relevant institutions and with the support and under the supervision of the United Nations."

The two rivals pledged a "ceasefire and to refrain from any use of armed force for any purpose that does not strictly constitute counter-terrorism..."

Earlier Tuesday, the French President's office acknowledged it had prematurely released a statement outlining the deal. It released the new statement hours later.

Sarraj and Haftar had not met since failed talks in the United Arab Emirates in May.

Both men have been involved in the struggle for power in Libya, which descended into chaos after former dictator Moammar Gadhafi was toppled in 2011.

France played a leading role in the international intervention in Libya. All parties, including those countries that neighbor Libya, were keen to secure a peace deal and work toward ending the migrant crisis, with Libya often used as a gateway to Europe.

Macron has not been shy in embracing the international stage, hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump since taking office.

His latest attempt is to bring an end to the crisis which has engulfed Libya.

The country has been beset by internal divisions since Gadhafi was overthrown six years ago, a move which led to the collapse of the economy and vital oil production as well as the emergence of ISIS.

Sarraj has the backing of the UN in the Libyan capital. But Haftar, who rejects Sarraj's government, remains in control in the eastern city of Tobruk, and his forces liberated the city of Benghazi last month after three years of fighting Islamists.

One of the most problematic issues facing Libya and Europe is the flood of refugees making the dangerous crossing between the two.

Many of those attempting to make the trip are aiming for Italy, which is desperate for a solution to instability within Libya.

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Libya rivals agree to ceasefire, elections - CNN.com

This combination of pictures shows self-styled Libyan National Army's chief Khalifa Haftar (L) on Aug. 24, 2015 and Libya's U.N.-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj on April 7, 2017.Khalil MazraawiAFP/Getty Images

(LA CELLE SAINT-CLOUD, France) Two rival Libyan leaders committed themselves on Tuesday to a cease-fire, working toward presidential and parliamentary elections and finding a roadmap to secure lawless Libya against terrorism and trafficking of all kinds, according to a document released by the French presidency.

The meetings at a chateau in La Celle Saint-Cloud, west of Paris, brought together Fayez Serraj, prime minister of the U.N.-backed unity government, and Gen. Khalifa Hifter, the Egyptian-backed commander of Libya's self-styled national army.

Emmanuel Macron met separately with each ahead of an encounter between the two Libyans in the presence of U.N.'s newly appointed special envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salame.

"There is political legitimacy in the hands of Mr. Serraj. There is military legitimacy is in the hands of Mr. Hifter. They have decided to work together," Macron said after the series of encounters.

The 10-point joint declaration that capped the talks was the first of its kind between the rivals.

Among the points agreed upon was a commitment to a cease-fire with armed force reserved "strictly" for use in counter-terrorism operations.

The rivals also "solemnly commit to work toward the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible."

The French president said later that the goal is for balloting in the spring. Serraj had said in May that elections would be held in spring. The date may seem premature in a country that has spiraled into chaos since the 2011 toppling and killing of leader Moammar Gadhafi. But French diplomats had said before the meeting that they would support such an initiative.

"The stakes of this reconciliation are enormous. Enormous for the Libyan people, who have been suffering, living with instability and terrorist threats these past years, and it is considerable for the whole region," Macron said after the talks. "If Libya fails," he said, "the whole region fails with it."

The stakes are high for Europe, too, as hundreds of thousands of migrants using Libya as a springboard reach its shores, mainly in Italy, and as Islamic extremists sheltering and multiplying in Libya cross to other North African states, most former French colonies.

The encounter was never expected to resolve the knotty problems of Libya, politically fractured and awash in militias and weapons and human traffickers preying on migrants who use the Libyan coast as a jumping off point to Europe, mainly Italy. But the joint declaration is to serve as a basis for further work by the U.N. envoy.

Macron, elected in May, was at ease in his role as peacemaker. He has made known that working toward laying the groundwork for a Libya with a functioning government and institutions is a priority of his presidency.

Appearing at a news conference, the three men shook hands and the two Libyan rivals bear-hugged Macron before exchanging timid kisses on the cheek. Neither Serraj nor Hifter spoke to the press.

"The courage that is yours today by being here and by agreeing to this joint declaration is historic," Macron said.

France, minding its diplomatic manners, has made clear that Macron's initiative is part of a larger process guided by the U.N. and does not negate work by the European Union, the African Union and individual countries working to find a path leading to a stable Libya under civilian rule.

The 10 points of the final declaration paint a picture of a Libya with a democratically elected government and a regular army and where human rights are respected and militias are banned.

The first point states that the solution to the Libyan crisis "can only be political" with a national reconciliation process that includes "all Libyans."

The two leaders called for disarmament and demobilization of fighters who don't want to integrate the regular armed forces so they can be reintegrated into civilian life.

This was not the first meeting between Serraj and Hifter. They last met in early May in Abu Dhabi, and the United Arab Emirates said later there had been a "significant breakthrough." However, no joint declaration followed.

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Libyan Rivals Agree to a Cease-Fire and Elections After Talks in France - TIME