Haftar Army attacks Mitiga Airport, Turkey's main base in Libya
Libya continues suffering the consequences of war, despite the UN's call for a humanitarian ceasefire during the coronavirus pandemic. During the last hours, the Libyan National Army (LNA) has attacked the airport of Maitika (Mitiga), north of Libyan territory and located near Tripoli. This air base hosts part of the Turkish Armed Forces that are present in Libya to support the Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Fayez Sarraj and based in Tripoli. In April 2019, the LNA, led by Field Marshal Jalifa Haftar, launched an offensive to take control of the country's capital. Since then, the two sides have exchanged attacks and forced thousands of people to escape from their homes.
Militias affiliated with Marshal Jalifa Haftar also attacked a mosque in southern Tripoli on Sunday, the National Accord Government said. The mosque, located in the city of Ain Tara, was damaged by several mortar shells. At the same time, LNA militias fired several rockets at Mitiga International Airport and its surrounding residential areas. "Haftar militias continue bombing Mitiga airport and surrounding residential areas with Grad rockets," the GNA said in an official statement picked up by the daily Al Masdar News.
This attack against the Turkish main base in Libya has coincided with an upsurge in fighting between the Sarraj government, supported by Turkey, and the LNA, which is backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
After these attacks took place, the press office of the Government of National Accord's Operation Volcano of Rage (GNA) has reported an "uncomfortable calm" on the front lines in south Tripoli, except in Mashroa al-Hadab, according to the Libyan daily The Lybia Observer. Thus, the press office of the GNA published on Sunday several photos showing how the airport of Mitiga and nearby residential areas had been left after the attack by Haftar forces.
This incident occurred just 24 hours after the German, French and Italian foreign ministers and the EU's top diplomat made a joint appeal urging Libya to declare a humanitarian truce. "We want to join our voices with those of the UN Secretary-General and his acting special representative for Libya, Stephanie Turco Williams, in their call for a humanitarian truce in Libya," they said in an official statement.
"We call on all Libyan actors to be inspired by the spirit of the Ramadan and to participate in the resumption of the talks for a true ceasefire," underlines the statement, signed by EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell, Jean-Yves Le Drian from France, Luigi di Maio from Italy and Heiko Maas from Germany.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Human Rights Observatory - an international organization based in London and with a network of informants on Syrian soil - reported this weekend, quoting Press TV, that approximately 7,400 militants supported by Turkey, some of whom are not Syrian nationals, have so far arrived in Libya, and another 2,500 are currently undergoing military training on Turkish soil to be sent there later.
The same statement also indicates that the number of mercenaries supporting the GNA who died in clashes with the LNA stands at 223. These mercenaries belonged to the so-called Mu'tasim division, the Sultan Murad division, the Northern Hawks brigade, the Hamza division and the brigade of Sultan Suleyman Shah, according to information gathered by the Syrian Human Rights Observatory. This institution has also indicated that Turkey has stopped financing the Faylaq Al-Rahman faction of the Syrian Free Army (FSA) for "not having sent its members to Libya to help the militias of Fayez Sarraj's government".
In this spiral of instability, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has warned that "attacks against health care and civilian infrastructure are not only adding to the growing death toll from the conflict, they also endanger the country's already fragile response to COVID-19," they said in an official press release.
During the past week, at least two field hospitals were bombed, while Tripoli's Al Khadra Hospital was attacked three times in the space of just five days, according to the organization.
IRC believes that these attacks affect thousands of people in the country who, in addition to facing the consequences of war every day, are more vulnerable to the coronavirus pandemic. This statement is based on a United Nations report that states that 80% of migrants and refugees claim not to have access to health care in Libya.
"We urgently need a cease-fire. Not only to protect civilians from the fighting, but also to help contain the spread of COVID-19. Several recent studies suggest that only 6 per cent of health centers are fully equipped in Libya. However, many of them need more attention due to the sharp increase in fighting," lamented Tom Garofalo, IRC's director in Libya.
According to this organization, before the pandemic there were thousands of people at risk. "The country is home to more than 700,000 migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, a group that is among the most vulnerable in Libyan society. Most live in densely populated towns and cities where they fear for their lives every day. They are under constant threat of robbery, kidnapping and abuse, one of the main reasons why more than 80 per cent declare they cannot access to the health care system," he added.
"Libyans, refugees and migrants must all have the opportunity to protect themselves during this pandemic. People must be able to access health care, doctors must be able to get to work safely. More medical supplies must be brought into the country to boost the response, and health centers must not be a target," he said.
In this context, Garofalo considers that the only way to allow these people access to health care is with a definitive cessation of hostilities. "All parties to the conflict in Libya must agree to a lasting ceasefire and a return to the UN-led peace process. And those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law must be held accountable," he concluded.