No ‘humanitarian pause’ in fight for Libya

FIGHTING between Libya’s Un-recognised Government of National Accord and rebel leader General Khalifa Hafar’s army has surged despite commitments by both sides to respect a “humanitarian pause” to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

Heavy shelling yesterday continued around Tripoli and the western city of Misurata.

“A halt in hostilities is an absolute necessity to provide public health authorities across Libya the opportunity to collaborate, in a spirit of national cohesion, to contain and overcome this outbreak,” Richard Norland, the US ambassador to Libya, said in an open letter to both sides.

Gen Haftar, who runs a rival government based in the eastern city of Benghazi and controls swathes of the country, launched an assault on Tripoli on April 4 last year.

The offensive quickly ran out of steam and for the past year the two sides have been fighting a war of attrition centred on the city’s southern outskirts. The pace of fighting slowed considerably after world powers signed up to a peace plan at a summit in Berlin in January, but has escalated sharply again in the past week.

At least 35 pro-government fighters were killed in fighting near Abugrein, 60 miles south of Misurata, on Saturday.

Pro-government sources claimed 80 of Haftar’s soldiers were also killed.

A witness told The Daily Telegraph that airstrikes and “heavy artillery from both sides” were being used in the area yesterday, but that ground fighting has paused.