Mitiga airport in Tripoli hosted the ceremony to lay the foundation stone of a new air traffic control tower on Tuesday. Minister of Transportation Milad Matoug, Presidential Council member Mohammed Emmari, officials from civil aviation and airports authorities and Italy's ambassador to Libya Giuseppe Perrone were present at the ceremony. The Minister of Transportation said the project, which is being executed by a coalition of Italian companies, will take 9 months. He added that the air traffic control tower will be of high international standards and thus will improve the safety of both aircrafts and passengers.
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The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defense of the Presidential Council, Uhidah Najem, dismissed on Monday Brigadier Mohammed Al-Ghosri from his post as the official spokesperson of the ministry. Najem said that the decision came with the instructions of the Chairman of the Presidential Council, Fayaz Al-Sarraj, but he gave no information on the motives behind the dismissal. On Sunday, Al-Ghosri said in a press statement that the current meetings in Cairo regarding the unification of the Libyan army are frivolous, adding that it will fail because it lacks transparency, calling for the meetings to be held in Libya and to be based on a clear plan.
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The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the tribal clashes in south Libya between Tabu and Awlad Suleiman had left 13 dead and 59 wounded, including five children, in addition to the displacement of some 870 families. In a report on Monday, the OCHA explained that the families who fled to Al-Manshiyeh district in Sabha are using schools as shelters, and are in need of basic help including water, food, hygiene kits, clothing, basic medicines, medical supplies, and others, as well as tents, which are the most common needs of the displaced. The UN body noted that the efforts to mediate between the two tribes in early February were unfruitful.
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The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Libya has started its workshops on positive peace for Libyan youth on Monday with the participation of 45 young people from across Libya. The workshops will be held in cooperation with the Institute for Economics and Peace and with the support of the Italian Embassy in Libya under the Nicosia Initiative. The first workshop addressed the measurement of peace by David Hammond from the Global Peace Index. UNICEF has invited 180 Libyan youth to participate in other workshops, which will be held in Tunis over the next four weeks.
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The Director of the General Department of Central Security in Tripoli, Brigadier Mohammad Al-Damjah confirmed Monday that the force deployed at checkpoint 27 in Wershiffana region, west of Tripoli, is not legitimate, noting that contacts are undergoing with the Minister of Interior for “more details about the force and its affiliation.” The so-called “Special Operations Force”, a pro-Dignity Operation group from Zintan announced Monday its control of checkpoint 27, some 27 km west of Tripoli. It also deployed patrols along the coastal road between Tripoli and Zawiya, which provoked anger among members of Tripoli brigades who issued a statement threatening to take action if the force does not withdraw within 24 hours.
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The second meeting of Libyan Municipalities has called for the formation of a working group composed of mayors to oversee a direct dialogue between the House of Representatives and the High Council of State under the auspices of the United Nations. In its closing statement, the participants emphasized that their efforts will be focused on forming a national unity government within 30 days, warning that they will call for the handover of power to the Supreme Council of the Judiciary to form a caretaker government in case the conflicting parties fail to form a national unity government by the target date. The statement further stressed the unity and sovereignty of Libyan territory and its rejection of any aggressive intervention from outside, especially in the south region.
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Mayor of Sabha, Hamid Al-Khayali, said that more efforts are required to address the housing problem facing the displaced families who fled from conflict areas. Al-Khayali pointed out that the high rents and the apprehension of homeowners are deepening the dire situation endured by the displaced families in his city. He stressed in a press statement that Sabha Municipality will do all it can to provide housing for displaced families who are taking shelter in school buildings. Earlier, education officials called on state officials to quickly resolve the housing issue of the displaced families in order to enable schools to open their doors for the second term of the academic year.
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The Head of the Presidential Council Fayez Al-Sirraj met Tuesday with the commander of the western military zone Osama Al-Juwaili, the commander of the central military zone, Mohammed Al-Haddad, commander of the Tripoli military zone Abdelbasit Marwan as well as the Interior Minister, Abdelsalam Ashour, reported Al-Sirraj's media office. Al-Sirraj stressed to the attendees the need to fight outlaws, saying he won't allow anything to let Libyans down and deprive them of good economy and security. The meeting resulted in an agreement to have a mechanism to coordinate among them in security and military matters across Libya.
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