© REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-FetoriLibyan National Army, July 2017
a source in the LNA told Sputnik Friday.
"As of now, the streets of the city are empty. It seems that almost all residents have chosen to leave the city. Several areas are already occupied by the LNA forces, for example, Janzur and Al-Swani, which are in the south-west of Tripoli. No clashes have taken place yet, only a few minor attacks from gangs along the way [of the Haftar army divisions] to Tripoli."
Meanwhile, the mayor of Garyan in Libya told Sputnik on Friday that
the LNA, led by Haftar, had assumed control of the city without fighting."The Libyan National Army entered Garyan and assumed full control over it without any resistance on the part of the armed militia that had withdrawn in the direction of Tripoli several hours before the LNA coming," Bahlul Sayyid said.
The mayor said that the situation in the city was calm, no sounds of clashes were heard in neighbouring settlements. Haftar's army was advancing upon Tripoli, he added.
According to Sputnik source,
head of the Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez Sarraj, remains in Tripoli despite the LNA offensive.
Commenting on the operation, LNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari stated that the army is continuing to advance.
"We are next to Al-Swani. This is a heavily populated settlement about 25 kilometres [15 miles] south of Tripoli. We are also advancing toward Tripoli from other directions. In addition, we are conducting an operation in Janzur, but unfortunately, we have had to withdraw a little from there."
Mismari told Sputnik that the LNA had not reached the capital yet. He also said that he could not predict when the operation would conclude due to the conditions under which it was being conducted.
Meanwhile, the tracker Flightradar24 shows that Mitiga International Airport and Tripoli International Airport are operating as usual.
© IpsiHead of Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar
Addressing the situation in Libya,
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit called on both sides of the conflict to show restraint and to take urgent de-escalation measures.The news comes after media reported on Thursday that the LNA commander had ordered an offensive on Tripoli, controlled by the UN-supported interim Government of National Accord after
his army took control over cities of Surman and Garyan.On 20 March, the United Nations announced that it would sponsor a conference in Ghadames on 14-16 April to address the crisis in Libya and set a date for the long-awaited elections that could restore peace and security for the nation. As a result of a years-long civil conflict that erupted following a rebellion and murder of the ex-head of state Muammar Gaddafi, there is no single central government in Libya, and the country's eastern and western parts are controlled by separate powers. The Tobruk-based parliament, elected in 2014 and backed by the LNA, governs the east of Libya, while the GNA, established in 2015, controls Libya's western parts from Tripoli.
Comment: See also:
UPDATES: April 5, 2019FRN provided a location map for situational identification:
© FRNThis map is an up-to-the-minute representation of the present situation in Libya. The Red dots represent areas held by Haftar/Benghazi, the Green dots represent either Tripoli's forces or various warlords.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guteres, who arrived in Tripoli on Wednesday, called for restraint from both sides, warning the growing danger of a new major confrontation.
UNSC, G7, Russia and the US have called on Haftar to halt advances toward Tripoli.
RFE/RL has this:
After an emergency meeting on April 5, the council warned that the military activity of Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) was putting the country's stability at risk. German Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, who currently holds the Security Council presidency..."called on LNA forces to halt all military movements." The council said it would hold accountable those responsible for any further violence.
The council's statement came hours after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Haftar in Benghazi as part of efforts to forestall an outright assault on Tripoli and avoid a bloody civil war. "I leave Libya with a heavy heart and deeply concerned. I still hope it is possible to avoid a bloody confrontation in and around Tripoli," he said on Twitter after his meeting.
Earlier, foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7)...expressed their "deepest concern" about the renewed fighting and urged an immediate end to military activity. "We urge all involved parties to immediately halt all military activity and movements toward Tripoli, which are hindering prospects for the UN-led political process, putting civilians in danger, and prolonging the suffering of the Libyan people," a statement said
Russia, which has provided Haftar with backing in the past, claimed it was not helping the commander's forces in the offensive and that it supported a negotiated political settlement that ruled out any new bloodshed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told news agencies on April 5 that Moscow was monitoring the situation.
The U.S. State Department also sounded the alarm about the new fighting.
Reports on action in the field:
Reuters and other news agencies said Haftar's forces took the town of Gharyan, about 80 kilometers south of Tripoli after fighting against forces allied with Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, who is based in Tripoli.
Tripoli-allied forces also reportedly took dozens of soldiers from Haftar's units prisoner in a town west of the capital.
Late on April 5, area residents said fighting was going on near the former international airport outside Tripoli and that the LNA had taken control of the facility. The Tripoli-based interior minister, Fathi Ali Bashagha, later said central government forces had retaken the airport.
The G7 group doubled down in
warning against military action and conflict:
"We firmly believe that there is no military solution to the Libyan conflict," the foreign ministers of France, Britain, Germany, United States, Italy, Japan and Canada said in a joint statement. The ministers added that "any Libyan actor or faction that precipitates further civil conflict are harming innocent people and standing in the way of the peace that Libyans deserve."
UPDATES: April 6, 2019Haftar's forces have now claimed
control of Tripoli airport but have come under fire:
Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar's forces say they have taken full control over the former Tripoli International Airport, 34km from the city. It comes amid reports that the UN-backed government used airstrikes against his troops. His troops were filmed driving through the largely defunct Tripoli International Airport on Saturday.
Meanwhile, several reports from local officials said forces loyal to the government in Tripoli launched air raids on two separate positions of Haftar's troops.
At least 14 LNA soldiers have been killed, yet airstrikes from the Tripoli-based forces have inflicted no damage on Haftar's troops. LNA "avoids" the use of aviation against enemy forces, to minimize collateral damage.
LNA said it was declaring a no-fly zone for military aircraft in the east of Libya, Al Arabia reported. It said it would conduct strikes on airbases, from which their opponents would try to launch further sorties.
And the
latest word from Russia:
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday called on all sides in the conflict to refrain from using military force, including warplanes, and seek a peaceful resolution of their differences. "We have been sending the same signal to all political forces in Libya. We never tried to favor either of them." Moscow has called for a cessation of strikes in the escalating conflict, and for its sides to sit down for talks.
Local channel
Al-Hadath reported: Four civilians were killed when their house was hit by an airstrike.
Comment: See also:
- Libyan National Army launches offensive to liberate Derna from Al-Qaeda linked group
- CIA operative Khalifa Haftar hires Washington lobby group to promote himself as Libyan ruler
- Leaked tapes reveal West's support for 'renegade' Libyan, General Khalifa Haftar
UPDATES: April 5, 2019FRN provided a location map for situational identification: UNSC, G7, Russia and the US have called on Haftar to halt advances toward Tripoli. RFE/RL has this: Reports on action in the field: The G7 group doubled down in warning against military action and conflict: UPDATES: April 6, 2019
Haftar's forces have now claimed control of Tripoli airport but have come under fire: And the latest word from Russia: Local channel Al-Hadath reported: Four civilians were killed when their house was hit by an airstrike.