Libya 2016 Chronology

A chronology of Libya's main events of 2016 

• January

• GNC rejects UN-backed political agreement
• ISIS attacks Sidra oil port
• Benghazi Shura Council shoots down a fighter jet belonging to Haftar's Dignity forces
• Fire rages at the oil storage tanks following clashes at Sidra oil port
• Jodran: Haftar and ISIS are two faces of the same coin
• Death of more than 70 police recruits at the Zlitan police academy after a suicide attack carried out by ISIS
• Tribal clashes between Tabu and Tawareq in Obari leave dozens dead and wounded
• Audit Bureau: Public offices refused to return surplus budget amounting to over 6 billion dinar
• Spokesperson of Dignity operation Mohamed Hijazi abandons Dignity Operation
• GNC withdrew membership from a number of MPs
• EU reviews sanctions on those who obstruct the political process
• Haftar: We will liberate Benghazi in a couple of days then we will move on to Sirte and Misrata
• GNC member Makhzoum unilaterally puts forth his candidates for the High Council of State as per the Skhirat agreement

• February

• Roma conference excludes the notion of military intervention in Libya
• Kufra revolutionary fighters take control of the Burezeq checkpoint
• A neutral force from the Hasawna tribe enters Obari to break the clashes and ease tensions
• Salvation Government threatens to close the border with Tunisia
• Sudan calls for a joint military force to be created between Sudan and Libya after the attacks in Kufra
• An oil tanker seized in Libyan waters by authorities in western region
• Canadian Defense Minister: We are reviewing military intervention in Libya
• Sudanese Liberation Movement confirms they have militia groups inside Libya
• New emails expose UN envoy to Libya Leon's involvement with the UAE
• UAE sentences Libyan detainees in full absence of the Libyan Embassy and Ambassador
• Bayda Court cancels Ali Tarhooni from the constituent assembly
• Foreign Ministers of EU extend mission in Libya for a period of six months
• 25 killed and dozens wounded in an American airstrike targeting ISIS militants in Sabrata
• 2 Serbian hostages were killed in the US airstrike in Sabrata
• French Special Forces arrive in Benghazi to support Haftar
• Revolutionary brigades from Sabrata begin attacks on suspected locations of ISIS in the city
• The Pentagon denies America’s involvement in destroying an ISIS convoy near to Bani Waleed
• The case of the Libyan businessmen arrested in the Emirates is suspended

• March

• A delegation from the House of Representatives arrives in Tripoli for discussions with the General National Congress
• The United States of America requests the Emirates to take caution with the health issues of the arrested Libyan businessmen
• Two bodies found in Sabrata were identified as Italian nationals
• Salvation Government denounces the allegations made by Kobler and Dabashi at the Security Council
• Obama blames Cameron and Sarkozy for failures in Libya post Gaddafi
• Central Bank of Libya allocates 2 billion Dollars to open credits for food stuff and medicines
• Central Bank of Libya freezes 600 personal and business bank accounts
• Members of the constituent assembly seat their first meeting in Sulala in Oman
• Liquidity crisis soars in Libya
• Airspace was closed to UN-proposed Presidency Council at Mitiga airport
• UN proposed Presidency Council arrives in Tripoli by sea
• Libya requests UN to exempt its sovereignty fund from UN sanctions

• April

• The High Council of State commences its first session in Tripoli
• The case of the Libyan businessmen arrested in the Emirates is adjourned to May
• One killed and four wounded in an ISIS suicide attack at the Sadada checkpoint east of Misrata
• Prime Minister of Salvation Government is placed on the US sanctions list
• The liberation of Derna from ISIS is declared.
• Deaths and wounded as a result of Dignity Operation airstrikes
• The High Council of State requests the forming of a coalition to fight ISIS in Sirte
• The Emirates supply Haftar with over one thousand four-wheel drive vehicles
• 17 illegal immigrants, including 14 Egyptians, were killed in Bani Waleed at the hands of their smugglers
• The dollar continues to rise against the Libyan Dinar
• Airstrikes target locations of ISIS fighters in Sirte
• Spanish military forces join operation “Sophia” in Libyan waters

• May

• Tunisia extend flight ban for Libyan airliners
• Two guards are killed and seventeen injured at the Abu Grain checkpoint east of Misrata a suicide attack carried out by ISIS
• Netherlands offers its help to the UN-proposed Government in returning frozen assets
• Misrata-led forces launch an offensive on ISIS in Sirte
• Italy transfers the wounded from the fight against ISIS in Sirte from Misrata airport to Italy.
• Derna Shura Council regroups to defend city against Haftar's forces
• Human Rights Watch records 49 executions by ISIS in Sirte
• The former Minister of Labour Mohamed Swalem was killed in Sirte clashes against ISIS
• India warns its citizens about travelling to Libya
• A deal is brokered to make use of currencies printed by the Central Bank of Libya in Tripoli and Bayda.
• The International Criminal Court: We will begin formal requests to the captors of Saif Gaddafi in Zintan to transfer him to us for trial
• A call by Italian authorities to sign an agreement between Libya and Italy regarding illegal immigration.
• Currency printed by Russia is distributed in the east of the country
• Misrata-led forces make advances in Sirte from the south and west directions

• June

• Misrata-led forces take control of the steam power station in Sirte
• The Supreme Court releases six high profile members of the Gaddafi regime
• An ISIS suicide bomber kills 12 and wounds dozens from Misrata-led forces at the Sabaa crossroads close to Sirte
• Military personal and revolutionary fighters establish Defend Benghazi Brigades
• Disagreements continue regarding the printing of billions of dinars in Russia
• Misrata-led forces take control on the Qurdabiya military base southwest of Sirte
• 12 prisoners are murdered after being released from Ruaymy prison in Tripoli
• Kobler: Targeting civilians in Derna amounts to war crimes
• Warning are issued by the General Electricity Company in Libya that the network is near collapse
• A child is killed and others are wounded by Dignity Operation airstrikes in Derna
• 10 people are killed and 7 others wounded in an ISIS suicide attack outside a police station in Abu Grain east of Misrata.
• The Central Bank of Libya receives LYD 250 million from Britain
• Defend Benghazi Brigades take control of Qanan and the Meteorology building south of Ajdabiya
• 25 people were killed and 10 others wounded in an arms depot explosion in Qaraboulli town, 80km east of Tripoli
• Western and Arab forces arrive in Benghazi in support of Dignity Operation under French command
• Misrata-led forces take control of large parts of neighborhood 700  in Sirte
• Libya ends competing in the International powerlifting competitions in the USA with 10 medals 

• July

• The UN-proposed Government accepts the resignation of four of its ministers
• Leaked recordings expose the extent of Western support for Dignity Operation
• One civilian was killed and 8 others wounded after an airstrike by Dignity Operation on the city of Derna
• The Defense Brigades of Benghazi announce their advance and success in taking over the town of Magroon
• A major street in Tripoli is closed off by demonstrators angry at the long power outages
• Demonstrations in Tripoli and Misrata in support of the Defense Brigades of Benghazi
• The Defense Brigades of Benghazi shoots down  A French attack helicopter in Magroon killing 4 of the crew
• French president Hollande confirms the killing of 4 French soldiers in Magroon, west of Benghazi
• 13 fighters from Defense Brigades of Benghazi were killed after being targeted by advanced missiles launched from French drones
• The journalist Abdul-Qader Fassuk is shot dead by a sniper in Sirte
• The American Dollar reaches unprecedented levels against the Libyan Dinar
• 14 civilians are murdered and thrown in a rubbish pile in Benghazi.
• Libya resumes oil export from the crescent region ports
• The head of foreign media in the Salvation Government Jamal Zubia and the political activist Saleem Gashoot are kidnapped from Martyrs Square in the heart of Tripoli
• Britain considers removing the European sanctions on Libyan flights
• Derna remains surrounded and cut off even though Haftar and his forces promise to lift the siege
• The commander of the Shura Council of Benghazi Wesam Bin Hameed accuses the UN-proposed government with treachery

• August

• The Pentagon: The US Airforce destroyed ISIS targets in Sirte
• Moscow: Washington’s airstrikes in Libya have no legal backing
• A woman and her child are wounded after Dignity Operation airstrikes hit a residential area in Derna
• Italy allows permission for their airbases to be used to strike ISIS targets in Libya
• The Red Crescent pulls 21 bodies of illegal immigrants from Libyan shores in the area of Maya
• Derna Shura Council repels an attack by Dignity Operation forces on their city
• Derna Shura Council attacks a military installation belonging to Dignity Operation south of the city
• HoR member Shaib: Haftar's role in Libya ended with the signing of the political agreement
• Kobler: The US airstrikes will not end ISIS and the UN-proposed PC is losing a lot of its local support
• The Tripoli Revolutionary Brigade takes control of the intelligence agency offices in Furnaj
• Sudan declares the death of many of its citizens in Ganfooda, Benghazi and calls for a break to the siege to create a safe corridor to evacuate them
• A Canadian weapons company is complicit in selling arms to the eastern region of Libya
• Libya informs Italy of an ISIS sleeper cell operating out of Milan
• Italy raises its alarms after the Libyan tip off
• Italy denies paying a ransom for four of its citizens kidnapped in Libya
• ISIS in Sirte use four girls in suicide attacks
• Death toll rises within Misrata-led force as another two large scale suicide attacks target them in Sirte
• Denmark and France are ready to destroy chemical weapons in Libya
• The coast road is reopened in the west of Libya
• Tobruk Parliament refuses the UN-proposed government
• The High Council of State describes Tobruk Parliament meetings as a mockery of politics
• Tobruk Parliament president Aqailah Saleh threatens to file a complaint to the International Court of Justice against the UN
• ISIS strongholds deteriorate in Sirte after nearly four months of fighting.
• Haftar allocates the protection of Libyan borders to the Egyptian authorities
• 400 tons of chemical stockpiles are sent to Germany to be destroyed
• More than 30 deaths from Misrata-led forces as fighting intensifies in ISIS strongholds

• September

• The UN opens an investigation into the source of weapons arriving into Libya illegally
• The French Defense Minister warns that ISIS fighters will flee back to Tunisia and Egypt after their collapse in Sirte
• The Italian Navy rescues 500 illegal immigrants off Libyan shores.
• The Tunisian Foreign Minister: 1000 Tunisian nationals joined ISIS in Libya
• Two car bombs explode in Tripoli without any human losses
• Britain decides to sanction human traffickers from Libyan shores
• The Libyan chemical weapon file is closed permanently
• Forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar, backed with rebel forces from Sudan and Chad, attack the oil crescent region and seize oil ports there
• The UN-proposed Presidency Council condemns the attack on the oil crescent region
• A German boat is seized off Libya shores
• Africom: 143 airstrikes carried out on Sirte
• The western countries request Haftar's forces to withdraw from the oil crescent region
• The European Union: The attack on the oil port threatens the stability and infrastructure of Libya’s energy sector
• Middle East Eye: Emirati pilots attack targets on behalf of Dignity Operation in Libya
• Haftar's legal advisor: We are ready to sell Libyan oil in return for Egyptian dinar to raise their currencies’ value
• 1 Canadian and 2 Italians are kidnapped in Ghat
• A Dignity Operation jet fighter crashes over Derna
• Unknown warplanes strike Nina agricultural site in the south of Jufra
• Allegations that the Egyptian air force is responsible for airstrikes in the Libyan oil crescent region
• Aqila Salah: Kobler has failed in Libya and we request a substitute
• Hungary calls for a large city to be built especially for illegal immigrants on the shores of Libya
• French planes search for the kidnapped Italians in Libya
• Misrata boycotts Egyptian goods temporarily
• The US envoy to Libya requests the reopening of both Sharara and Feel oil fields
• Libya attempts to tackle the cash liquidity crisis by introducing electronic payments
• Haftar formally requests weapons from Russia
• OPEC excludes Libya from decreasing oil production

• October

• A Libyan-Italian joint operations room set up to observe illegal immigration on the Libyan shores
• Amnesty International requests supplies to be shipped to the besieged district of Ganfooda in Benghazi
• Work soon to commence at the new joint Libyan-Italian field hospital in Misrata
• France calls on Serraj to expand the cabinet of his government and to open discussions with Haftar
• The kidnap of Sheikh Nader Al-Omrani
• Libya denies requests to open new camps for illegal immigrants on its soil
• The political turmoil and lack of school books delay the beginning of the new school year
• The General National Congress returns to its offices in Tripoli and declares the start of formal responsibilities again
• Libya loses its case against Goldman Sachs costing Libya 1.2 billion dollars
• The Presidential Guard: We reinstalled the General National Congress as the legitimate power in Libya
• Libya’s neighboring countries meet in Niger to discuss the crisis of executing the political agreement
• The Libyan military officials from the western region declare in a statement that Haftar is a war criminal.
• Misrata-led forces take control of the residential district 600 in Sirte
• The Libyan Navy: Training commences of Libyan personnel on board the Italian vessel San Giorgio
• German forces join the effort to stem illegal immigration off Libyan shores
• Sirraj: The statement made by Libyan army personnel regarding Haftar a war criminal does not represent me
• The governor of the Central Bank of Libya: Sirraj requested to sell a portion of Libya’s gold reserves
• The Mufti of Libya Sadeq Al-Gharyani warns of plans made by the UN for Libya
• A British Website: The UAE has built a military airbase east of Benghazi
• 10 bodies are found with signs of torture in the area of Shibna in Benghazi
• The British Navy begins training the Libyan coastguard
• The High Council of State condemns the UAE military base in the east of the country.
• The General Electricity Company records losses of 49 million dinar due to vandalism and theft

• November

• Political and economic support is declared for the UN-proposed government in London
• Human Rights Watch calls for civilians to be evacuated from the besieged Ganfooda area
• The Central Bank of Libya releases 11 billion dinar to the UN-proposed government
• Armed assailants kidnap the Mayor of Traghin
• Tunisia cancels its toll charge on Libyan vehicles on their soil
• The leader of the Magharba tribe Salah Letyoosh narrowly escapes assassination attempt in Benghazi
• A Canadian and 2 Italian nationals are freed from their captors in Ghat in the south of Libya
• Misratan members of the High Council of State and Tobruk Parliament declare a politically united entity.
• 50% of the school yearbooks arrive for distribution around Libya
• The family of the ISIS commander Hassan Karami surrenders and confirms killing of their son in Sirte
• Prisoners are exchanged between Misrata and Zintan
• The Libyan Foreign Bank denies losing 400 million dollars
• Over five thousand internally displaced families return to Sirte
• Egypt continues its unwavering support for Haftar
• Three Tunisian fishing boats are seized in Libyan waters and transferred to Zawiyah
• Misrata Airport grinds to a halt as ground workers strike for pay
• 7 killed due to tribal clashes in Sabha
• French warplane bombs Qurdha area west of Sabha city
• Iraqi journalists released after being detain in Tripoli
• Italy sends a shipment of medicinal aid to Tripoli hospitals
• The head of the Libyan scholars association Nader Al-Omrani is murdered
• Death toll rises to 23 as clashes continue in Sabha
• Tunisian president: Tunisia allowed American jets to launch attacks against terrorists in Libya from its air bases
• The Interior Ministry: Investigations continue to reveal the murderers of Sheikh Nader
• After six days of clashes, a cease fire is declared in Sabha
• The Awqaf of Tripoli denies clerics of the Madkhali ideology permission to give sermons.
• Demonstrators in Tripoli request the Public Prosecutor to begin investigations into the murder of Sheikh Nader
• Tobruk MP Musbah Doma from Sabha accuses Haftar of fuelling the clashes in his city.
• The Benghazi Shura Council claims that the UN is complicit in the despair of the people of Ganfooda due to their inaction
• Dignity Operation charges a toll for any goods vehicles travelling to or from Derna
• Tunisia decides to open a diplomatic center close to the Ras Jder border crossing
• The Arab envoy to Libya blames foreign and domestic players of disrupting the peace process in Libya
• The foreign Media manager Jamal Zubia and the political activist Saleem Gashoot are released from kidnapping
• The Red Castle in Tripoli is the venue for accreditation of new European Ambassadors
• The NOC: Libya will not take part in the reduction of production stated by OPEC
• The Mufti of Saudi Arabia denounces the murder of Sheikh Nader and calls it a great tragedy
• Haftar visits Moscow for the second time this year
• Greece states that its embassy will open in 2017 in Tripoli

• December

• Kobler calls for investigations into the reality of the humanitarian crisis in Derna
• Former Prime Minister Umar Hassi declares the High Council of the Revolution from Tripoli
• A homemade bomb explodes in Benghazi Medical Center
• Tripoli Revolutionaries' Brigade attacks the Ahsan Brigade in their barracks at the Naser forest in Tripoli. Attack repelled
• The Marsa brigade from Misrata rejects claims by the Tripoli Revolutionaries' Brigade of their control of the Rexios compound
• The reconciliation committee between Misrata and Tawergha call on the UN-proposed government to set a date to put the agreement into effect
• State of alert is heightened at the prison of Hadba in Tripoli
• A new Czech Ambassador to Libya is named
• Misrata-led forces save families caught in the crossfire in Sirte
• Misrata-led forces take full control of Sirte after 7 months of clashes
• Jodran forces launch an attack to retake oil ports. Attacked repelled
• The UN-proposed Government: We have no involvement in the armed clashes taking place in the oil crescent region
• Release of the General Manager of the Libyan Arab Airlines after being held for over a month.
• 54 Tunisian fishermen are released after being captured in Libyan waters
• Agreements made to begin shipping Algerian commodities to the Libyan market at the beginning of the new year
• Airstrikes target Jufra military base
• Dignity operation declares their control of the Barak Shati military base and the Third Battalion denies
• The Sudanese army deploys forces along the Libyan border
• 1 death and 2 injuries from the Ministry of Defense as a result of airstrikes on Jufra airbase.
• A court in Bayda in the east of the country orders the cancellation of the constitution and agrees not to recognize it
• Benghazi Shura denies links to any armed groups in Tripoli
• Brigadier Ahmed Abu-Shahma is named as military ruler of Sirte
• The reopening of the Rayayna oil pipeline in western Libya after more than two years of closure.
• Truck drivers from Brega oil company go on strike causing great disruption and long queues at petrol stations
• Belgium confirms it has revealed a network of arms dealers and smugglers from Libya
• Haftar tells supporters to get ready for Tripoli liberation
• Zintan Military Council refuses any military action in the West of Libya
• Misrata military Council any military action in the West of Libya
• The Dignity forces of Salooq arrest member of the Local Council of Tawergha
• The European Union congratulates the Libyan people on the Liberation of Sirte from ISIS
• Armed gangs attack a water installation in Shwerif in the south of Libya
• An explosion rocks the wounded ward for Dignity operation in Benghazi Medical Center
• A jet fighter crashes on the outskirts of the city of Tarhoona
• The High Council of State denounces the statements made by the Foreign Minister-designate of the UN-proposed Government about Haftar
• NOC chairman Sana Allah walks out of OAPEC talks in protest of the failure of OAPEC to select the Libyan candidate for the chairmanship
• An Afriqiyah Airways flight is hijacked and diverted to Malta
• The Afriqiyah flight crisis is solved with no casualties
• The budget for Libya for 2017 is set at LYD 37 billion with indicators that the dinar will continue to decrease in value
• The National Salvation Government describes the Afriqiyah plane hijacking incident as fabricated
• Deaths and wounds in fresh clashes in Sabha in the South of Libya.
• One killed and another wounded from Misrata-led forces in an attack by ISIS suicide bombers south of Sirte
• Talks resume between Libyan and Tunisian officials as to the Ras Ajdir border crossing and finding ways to reopen it
• One wounded in an airstrike on the Brigade 19 in the town of Hun in central Libya
• Libya coast guards rescue 14 thousand illegal immigrants during the year 0f 2016