Libya: Airport evacuated after attacks by Haftar forces

TRIPOLI, Libya

Mitiga Airport, the only civilian airport currently operating in the Libyan capital Tripoli, has been evacuated after attacks by militia groups loyal to Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar.

All flights at the airport have been halted, according to the Transport Ministry of the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.

Flights were directed to Misrata Airport, some 200 kilometers east of the capital.

Since the beginning of February, militias loyal to Haftar have repeatedly targeted the Mitiga International Airport.

Rocket attacks to the airport on Tuesday had destroyed 2 civilian planes of Libyan airway companies. Flights resumed the same day after a brief halt.

Since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: Haftar in eastern Libya, supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.

On Jan. 12, the parties to the conflict announced a cease-fire.

But talks for a permanent cease-fire proved inconclusive after Haftar left without signing a deal.

The first round of political talks on the Libya peace process started last Wednesday in Geneva.

The talks followed the completion of a second round of UN-sponsored military talks on Libya in Geneva between the warring sides that ended on Feb. 23.

The Libyan Joint Military Commission (JMC) talks were in a 5+5 format with five representatives of the GNA and five from Haftar’s forces.

The JMC is one of three tracks the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) is working on in addition to economic and political tracks in compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2510 (2020) and calls upon the two parties to reach a lasting cease-fire agreement.

* Writing by Firdevs Bulut