Latest Khalifa Hifter News

This photo provided by Reda Fhelboom shows Ismail Bouzreeba al-Zway in Tunis in July 2015. A military court in eastern Libya has sentenced al-Zway, a local photojournalist to 15 years in prison on vague terrorism-related charges, prompting an outcry Friday, July 31, 2020 from human rights groups. The verdict sent a chilling message, local advocates said, underscoring the perils that journalists must navigate in east Libya, where military commander Khalifa Hifter has moved to quash all dissent and more broadly in a war-torn country overrun with fractious militias. (Reda Fhelboom via AP)

East Libyan military court sentences journalist to 15 years

Jul. 31, 2020 5:24 PM EDT

CAIRO (AP) — A military court in eastern Libya has sentenced a local photojournalist to 15 years in prison on vague terrorism-related charges, prompting an outcry Friday from human rights groups. The verdict sent a chilling message, local advocates said, underscoring the perils that journalists must...

FILE - In this Saturday, July 25, 2020 file photo, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Fayez Sarraj, the head of Libya's internationally-recognized government, pose for photographs prior to their talks in Istanbul. Turkey is secretly expanding its footprint in conflict-ridden Libya, fueling the country’s civil war and deepening fault lines with Mediterranean neighbors and between international allies. Turkey seems to be after lucrative construction and port contracts, according to Libyan officials. (Turkish Presidency via AP, Pool, File)

Joining the conflict in Libya, Turkey sees economic gains

Jul. 30, 2020 8:37 AM EDT

CAIRO (AP) — When Turkey’s president signed a security deal last year to back one of the sides in Libya’s civil war, another agreement was waiting to be signed by his new proteges the same day: a memorandum redrawing the two countries' maritime borders. In Recep Tayyip Erdogan's memo, Turkey...

UN says over 100 civilians killed in 2nd quarter in Libya

Jul. 29, 2020 5:01 PM EDT

CAIRO (AP) — More than 100 civilians including women and children were killed by ground fighting, explosive remnants and airstrikes in Libya between April and June, an increase of 65% from the first three months of the year, the United Nations said Wednesday. The U.N. Support Mission in Libya said in a...

FILE - In this Feb. 26, 2011 file photo, a Libyan oil worker, works at a refinery inside the Brega oil complex, in Brega, eastern Libya. ON Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, the National Oil Corporation in Libya says that a decision by east-based forces to choke off oil exports from its territory has threatened to throttle much of the country’s oil production. Powerful tribal groups loyal to Gen. Khalifa Hifter, whose forces control much of eastern Libya, seized several large export terminals along the eastern coast as well as southern oil fields in a challenge to the rival U.N.-backed government based in Tripoli, which collects revenues from oil production. The move has ratcheted up tensions ahead of an international peace summit to end the civil war. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

UN: Libya's Central Bank to undergo much-anticipated audit

Jul. 27, 2020 5:48 PM EDT

CAIRO (AP) — The United Nations announced on Monday that Libyan officials are allowing a long-sought external audit of the country's Central Bank to go ahead, a breakthrough that could pave the way for an end to a crippling oil blockade. Libya’s oil and money are strategic assets that have fueled...

US military: Russia ships more military supplies to Libya

Jul. 24, 2020 1:07 PM EDT

CAIRO (AP) — The U.S. military accused Russia on Friday of supplying more weapons, air defense systems and mercenaries to Libya's front lines to shape the outcome of the escalating proxy war in the North African country. The accusation comes as rival Libyan factions — backed by different foreign...

Turkey, Russia say they seek lasting cease-fire in Libya

Jul. 22, 2020 11:44 AM EDT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish and Russian delegations met Wednesday in Turkey's capital to discuss the war in Libya and agreed to press ahead with efforts for a lasting cease-fire in the North African country, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said. A joint statement released after the meeting said the...

FILE - In this Feb 13, 2019 file photo, Egypt's Parliament meets in Cairo Egypt. The Egyptian Parliament is likely to vote Monday, July 20, 2020, to authorize the country's president to deploy troops to war-torn Libya if Turkey-backed forces allied with the U.N.-supported government in Tripoli move to retake the strategic coastal city of Sirte. The House of Representative, packed with the president's supporters, is highly likely to vote in favor of sending troops. Egypt has been backing the east-based Libyan forces in the conflict while Turkey backs the forces in Tripoli, in the west. (AP Photo, File)

Egypt approves Libya deployment, risking clash with Turkey

Jul. 20, 2020 2:56 PM EDT

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s parliament on Monday authorized the deployment of troops outside the country, a move that could escalate the spiraling war in Libya after the president threatened military action against Turkish-backed forces in the oil-rich country. A troop deployment in Libya could bring...

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, speaks with French President Emmanuel Macron, second left, Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin, second right, and Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, right, during a round table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels, Saturday, July 18, 2020. Leaders from 27 European Union nations meet face-to-face for a second day of an EU summit to assess an overall budget and recovery package spread over seven years estimated at some 1.75 trillion to 1.85 trillion euros. (Francois Lenoir, Pool Photo via AP)

Germany, France, Italy urge end to interference in Libya

Jul. 18, 2020 4:03 PM EDT

BERLIN (AP) — The leaders of Germany, France and Italy are calling for nations to “end their increasing interference” in Libya and respect a much-violated arms embargo, saying Saturday that they are ready to consider sanctions if breaches of the embargo continue. German Chancellor Angela...

FILE - In this Monday, Feb. 26, 2018, file photo, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, shakes hands with Fayez al-Sarraj, the Chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council, shortly before departing for a five-day African tour, in Istanbul. The U.S. Defense Department’s inspector general says Turkey has sent between 3,500 and 3,800 paid Syrian fighters to Libya over the first three months of 2020. (Kayhan Ozer/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Pentagon report: Turkey sent up to 3,800 fighters to Libya

Jul. 17, 2020 7:49 PM EDT

Turkey sent between 3,500 and 3,800 paid Syrian fighters to Libya over the first three months of the year, the U.S. Defense Department’s inspector general concluded in a new report, its first to detail Turkish deployments that helped change the course of Libya's war. The report comes as the conflict in...

US military: Russian mercenaries planted land mines in Libya

Jul. 15, 2020 8:58 AM EDT

CAIRO (AP) — The U.S. military on Wednesday accused Russian mercenaries fighting on the side of eastern Libya forces of planting land mines and improvised explosive devices in and around the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, said verified photographic evidence shows...

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