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International Medical Corps in Libya from the Rise of the Arab Spring to the Fall of the Gaddafi Regime
International Medical Corps in Libya From the rise of the Arab Spring to the fall of the Gaddafi regime 1 International Medical Corps in Libya From the rise of the Arab Spring to the fall of the Gaddafi regime Report Contents International Medical Corps in Libya Summary…………………………………………… page 3 Eight Months of Crisis in Libya…………………….………………………………………… page 4 Map of International Medical Corps’ Response.…………….……………………………. page 5 Timeline of Major Events in Libya & International Medical Corps’ Response………. page 6 Eastern Libya………………………………………………………………………………....... page 8 Misurata and Surrounding Areas…………………….……………………………………… page 12 Tunisian/Libyan Border………………………………………………………………………. page 15 Western Libya………………………………………………………………………………….. page 17 Sirte, Bani Walid & Sabha……………………………………………………………………. page 20 Future Response Efforts: From Relief to Self-Reliance…………………………………. page 21 International Medical Corps Mission: From Relief to Self-Reliance…………………… page 24 International Medical Corps in the Middle East…………………………………………… page 24 International Medical Corps Globally………………………………………………………. Page 25 Operational data contained in this report has been provided by International Medical Corps’ field teams in Libya and Tunisia and is current as of August 26, 2011 unless otherwise stated. 2 3 Eight Months of Crisis in Libya Following civilian demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt, the people of Libya started to push for regime change in mid-February. It began with protests against the leadership of Colonel Muammar al- Gaddafi, with the Libyan leader responding by ordering his troops and supporters to crush the uprising in a televised speech, which escalated the country into armed conflict. The unrest began in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, with the eastern Cyrenaica region in opposition control by February 23 and opposition supporters forming the Interim National Transitional Council on February 27. -
Fragile Stability and Future Opportunities in Libya's Sirte
Issue 2019/21 December 2019 The City in the Middle: Fragile Stability and Future Opportunities in Libya’s Sirte Omar Al-Hawari1 Since 4 April, Libya has been witnessing its third civil conflict in eight years. The conflict was sparked when the General Command of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF),2 a diverse coalition headquartered in eastern Libya, launched a military operation to wrest control of the capital from actors loosely affiliated to the internationally- recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).3 While fighting has continued in and around Tripoli, with neither side able to gain a decisive victory, there have been concerns that the conflict over the capital could precipitate violence in other areas across the country. The coastal city of Sirte4 appeared particularly exposed, with its proximity to forces allied to the two main warring camps indicating it could become a new frontline. In addition to its strategic location in the centre of Libya’s northern coast, Sirte has a particular symbolism in Libya’s recent history. Having been the stronghold of the Qadhadhfa tribe and of the Jamahiriyya regime between 1969 and 2011, it then 1. Omar Al-Hawari is a communications engineer and researcher from the Sirte region. He has been cooperating with the Middle East Directions Programme since 2018. This paper was written as part of Middle East Directions’ Libya Initiative, which includes a project mentoring junior Libyan analysts. This paper was origi- nally written in Arabic. BRIEF 2. The LAAF is an alliance of armed military and civilian groups led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. -
Download Fact Sheet (May 2021)
FACT SHEET May 2021 NRC’s operations in Libya UNOCHA/Giles Clarke Photo: Humanitarian overview NRC’s operation Libya is now in its tenth year of instability and conflict NRC began operations in Libya in 2017 and has contin- following the fall of the Gaddafi regime in 2011. The ued to scale up its operational and programming pres- number of internally displaced people (IDPs) has reached ence supporting Libyan IDPs, returnees and host com- 278,177, with an additional 604,965 returnees looking to munities, as well as vulnerable migrants, refugees and resettle after years of displacement. There is an estimated asylum seekers. 1.3 million people affected by the crisis and more than 451,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance. Since NRC implements education, ICLA, shelter, and WASH October 2020, a fragile ceasefire has largely held in place. activities in Tripoli, Benghazi and Ajdabiya. We are scaling The country had been geographically split since 2014, up our advocacy in an effort to improve the protection with the UN-backed Government of National Accord environment for the most vulnerable communities in Lib- (GNA) governing the west and the Libyan National Army ya and to support them in accessing durable solutions. (LNA) overseeing the east. In March 2021, the Govern- NRC is the co-lead of the National Education and Shelter ment of National Unity (GNU) was formed, bringing to- Working Sector Working Groups, and is an active mem- gether the two parties, and increasing hopes of political ber of the Libya INGO Forum. NRC has established offices and social stability. -
Ajdabiya & Brega 1. Introduction Ajdabiya Is a City Of
CHAPTER SEVEN AJDABIYA & BREGA 1. Introduction Ajdabiya is a city of approximately 134,300 people, located in the eastern Libyan province of Cyrenaica near the Mediterranean Sea. The city lies approximately 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) from the eastern end of the Gulf of Sidra, where the gulf turns westward towards Tripolitania. Ajdabiya lies in an important geostrategic region of the country, with Tripoli 850 kilome- ters (528 miles) to the west, and Benghazi 150 kilometers (93 miles) to the northeast.1 Brega, with a population of approximately 13,700, is located 72 kilometers (45 miles) southwest of Ajdabiya, and 196 kilometers (122 miles) southwest of Benghazi, directly on the Mediterranean Sea, at the bottom part of the Gulf of Sidra. The Marsa Brega Airport lies to the south- east of the town.2 Ajdabiya is the capital of the Al-Wahat District of Cyrenaica. The city itself is composed of three boroughs,3 North Ajdabiya, West Ajdabiya and East Ajdabiya. The Libyan Coastal Highway bisects the city, with smaller roads leading west to the Gulf of Sidra and southeast into the Cyrenaican interior. Another road leads east to Tubruq on the Egyptian border. Brega lies to the west of Ajdabiya, towards Sirte and Tripoli. Prior to World War II, the town was a small fishing village but with the discovery of oil in the Sirte Basin, Brega grew into a major oil production and ship- ping center.4 The city of Brega is composed of a number of smaller towns and industrial facilities and is home to the fifth largest Libyan oil, natural gas and petrochemical refineries.5 1 Ajdabiya, WolframAlpha, available at http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i= adjabiya. -
Uprising and Post-Qadhafi Tribal Clashes, Displacement in a Fragmenting Libya
30 March 2015 LIBYA Uprising and post-Qadhafi tribal clashes, displacement in a fragmenting Libya The political instability and crimes against humanity that accompanied and followed the uprising which overthrew President Muammar Qadhafi in October 2011 drove tens of thou- sands into displacement. Those perceived to have supported Qadhafi or to have benefited from privileges he dispensed through tribal patronage networks were attacked in retalia- tion. They were often driven out of their cities, unable to return. Some 60,000 IDPs who had fled during the uprising were still living in pro- tracted displacement by February 2015. Civilians walk along Tripoli Street in Misrata. Photo: UNHCR/ H. Caux / June 2011 Following the failure of political processes, Libya’s situation became increasingly anarchic, culminating in the collapse of a fragile central authority and the emergence of two rival centres of power in mid-2014. Against this backdrop, and ensuing infight- ing among myriads of militias, violence increased. There was more than a six-fold rise in the number of IDPs, reaching at least 400,000 by December 2014, some eight per cent of the population. Precise figures are not available given lack of access and on-going pervasive chaos. IDPs’ basic needs for shelter, food and medical services remain grossly unmet. Their physical security has been seriously threatened by indiscriminate shelling, attacks on IDP camps and sieges that have pre- vented them from seeking security. The situation of tens of thousands of displaced migrants who remain trapped in Libya and are particularly vulnerable is a cause for serious concern. State collapse and fragmentation of Libya’s essentially tribal society have hampered an effective national response to displacement and coordination of policies to address IDPs’ needs. -
The Political Economy of Migrant Detention in Libya: Understanding the Players and the Business Models Arezo Malakooti DISCLAIMER
APRIL 2019 The Political Economy of Migrant Detention in Libya: Understanding the players and the business models Arezo Malakooti DISCLAIMER This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was prepared, researched and written by Arezo Malakooti. Fieldwork was conducted by Arezo Malakooti, Naji Abou-Khalil, Jerome Veyret, Chiara Fall and Jessica Gerkin. Support was provided by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime’s local network in Libya. The report also draws on the in-house expertise of Global Initiative Director and Deputy Director, Mark Shaw and Tuesday Reitano, and Senior Fellow Mark Micallef. The report was peer reviewed by experts from the Clingendael Institute: Fransje Molenaar, Floor el Kamouni-Janssen and Mariska van Beijnum. We are also indebted to the various migrants and key informants who graciously shared their stories and experiences with us. The research for this report was supported by funding under the North of Africa window of the EU Emer- gency Trust Fund for Africa. However, the contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the Global Initiative and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union (EU). The photograph on the front cover was taken by the author in a migrant ghetto in Agadez, Niger. Please do not hesitate to contact the author: [email protected] ABOUT THE PROJECT ‘Monitoring the Political Economy of Human Smuggling in Libya and the Greater Sahara’ is a project funded under the North Africa window of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. -
Inter-Agency Mission Report: Site Visit to Ajdabiya, Libya 7 June 2011
Inter-Agency Mission Report: Site Visit to Ajdabiya, Libya 7 June 2011 Mission Objective To obtain an overview of the humanitarian situation in Ajdabiya Mission Composition On 7 th June 2011, an Inter-Cluster assessment mission composed of UNHCR (Shelter/NFI and Protection), WHO (Health), UNMAS (Mine Action), UNICEF (WASH, Education), WFP (Food Security), UNDSS (Safety and Security) and OCHA (Coordination) visited Ajdabiya by road. The mission visited the main hospital, market area and met with representative of local Relief Committee, member of the Libyan Red Crescent Society (LRCS) and engineer from power department. Transitional National Council is currently administrating Ajdabiya. The trip started at 08:30hrs and arrived in Ajdabiya at 10:30hrs. The mission departed back to Benghazi at 14:30hrs. Overview Ajdabiya is located in northeastern Libya at a distance of 160 KM from Benghazi city. The mission was informed that the town is divided into three basic People's Congresses “Sha’byat” : North Ajdabiya, West Ajdabiya and East Ajdabiya. The town is part of the Al Wahat district (previously known as Ajdabiya district) with an estimated town population of 140,000 people while the population of the Al Wahat district is approximately 200,000 people. Ajdabiya town has been a frontline of fighting during March and there have been reports of displacement from the town towards east. The Libyan Red Crescent (LRC) confirmed that many of the civilians fled due to fighting, particularly in March when Ajdabiya was under attack. The town changed hands several times between opposition and Government forces during March, Map - Benghazi to Ajdabiya (Google Map) until opposition gained control of the town in late March 2011. -
Report Libya: Security Situation
Report Libya: Security Situation 19 December 2014 DISCLAIMER This report is written by country analysts from Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. It covers topics that are relevant for status determination of Libyan and non- Libyan citizens whose asylum claims are based on the situation in Libya. The target audience is case workers/officers within the decision-making authorities handling asylum claims as well as policy makers in the four countries. The report is based on carefully selected and referenced sources of information. To the extent possible and unless otherwise stated, all information presented, except for undisputed or obvious facts, has been cross-checked. While the information contained in this report has been researched, evaluated and analysed with utmost care, this document does not claim to be exhaustive, neither is it conclusive as to the determination or merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Terminology used should not be regarded as indicative of a particular legal position. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. The research for this report was finalised in November 2014 and any event or development that has taken place after this date is not included in the report. Report Libya: Security Situation 19 December 2014 2 CONTENTS 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 5 2. Political Context .................................................................................................................... -
A Model Humanitarian Intervention? a Model Humanitarian Alan J
A Model Humanitarian Intervention? A Model Humanitarian Alan J. Kuperman Intervention? Reassessing NATO’s Libya Campaign On March 17, 2011, the United Nations authorized military intervention in Libya to protect the country’s civilians. The Security Council was reacting to violence between Libyan government forces and domestic opponents that had erupted the pre- ceding month. Two days after the authorization, NATO initiated the interven- tion, including establishing a no-ºy zone and launching aerial attacks on government forces. After seven months, Libyan rebel forces conquered the country and killed the former authoritarian ruler, Muammar al-Qaddaª, in October 2011. Western media and politicians praised the intervention as a hu- manitarian success for averting a bloodbath in Libya’s second largest city, Benghazi, and helping replace the dictatorial Qaddaª regime with a transi- tional council pledged to democracy. Based on this ostensible success, many experts now cite Libya as a model for implementing the humanitarian princi- ple known as the “responsibility to protect” (R2P). Before such conclusions are embraced, however, a more rigorous assessment of the net humanitarian im- pact of NATO’s intervention in Libya is warranted. The Libya intervention is the latest in a series of international military ac- tions after the Cold War justiªed on the basis of protecting noncombatants. This renaissance of “humanitarian intervention” started in the early 1990s, with prominent deployments of United Nations–authorized air and ground forces to northern Iraq, Bosnia, and Somalia. After NATO intervened in Kosovo in 1999, U.S. President Bill Clinton declared, “If the world community has the power to stop it, we ought to stop genocide and ethnic cleansing.”1 The Kosovo intervention, however, had not been authorized by the United Alan J. -
UNICEF Situation Report # 19 - Sub-Regional Libya Crisis
UNICEF Situation Report # 19 - Sub-regional Libya crisis Date: 29 June 2011 Reporting period (15 – 29 June 2011) Highlights : ° The fighting continues across western Libya, particularly in the Nafusa Mountains where NATO has now initiated attacks in response to government shelling in Nalut. Zintan has also been attacked in recent days, and fierce fighting has been taking place only 80 km south- west of Tripoli with opposition forces stating to be making a push for Tripoli. Due to the lack of access, humanitarian needs remain difficult to ascertain. ° One week ago, two boys (15 and 10 years old) were injured by a grenade in the Ajdabiya area. According to ICRC, in the past 6 weeks there have been 13 reported casualties from Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) in Misrata alone. Immediate expansion of ongoing Mine Risk Education workshops is needed. ° Most of Libya’s 2 million children continue to miss out on urgently needed formal education as most schools continue to be closed across the country. Schools are not anticipated to officially re-open until the beginning of the new school year in early September. ° The UNICEF Libya team leader participated in the UN conference in Cairo last week to discuss a pre-assessment of post-crisis Libya and the potential role of the UN in post-conflict interventions. ° UNICEF Flash Appeal requests have been funded by 31 per cent as of 28 June, with new pledges worth 3.1 million USD in the pipeline (raising funds received to 47 per cent). © UNICEF Libya/2011/ UNICEF supplies IDP children from Ajdabiya playing football at a camp in Darnha with Imad Eldi n Hasan. -
Stalemate & Siege
October 2011 Anthony Bell & David Witter THE LIBYAN REVOLUTION STALEMATE & SIEGE PART 3 Photo Credit: February 2011—Rebel celebration in Al Bayda, Libya. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. ©2011 by the Institute for the Study of War. Published in 2011 in the United States of America by the Institute for the Study of War. 1400 16th Street NW, Suite 515 Washington, DC 20036. http://www.understandingwar.org Anthony Bell & David Witter THE LIBYAN REVOLUTION STALEMATE & SIEGE PART 3 ABOUT THE AUTHORS Anthony Bell is a Research Assistant at ISW, where he conducts research on political and security dynamics on Libya. He has previously studied the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and published the ISW report Reversing the Northeastern Insurgency. Anthony holds a bachelor’s degree from the George Washington University in International Affairs with a concentration in Conflict and Security. He graduated magna cum laude and received special honors for his senior thesis on the history of U.S. policy towards Afghanistan. He is currently a graduate student in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University. David Witter is a Research Assistant at ISW, where he studies the NATO intervention in Libya as well as security dynamics in Afghanistan. He has previously published the ISW report Reversing the Northeastern Insurgency, the backgrounder Uzbek Militancy in Pakistan’s Tribal Region, as well as briefs on the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. -
Libya in Conflict: Mapping the Libyan Conflict
Preface The purpose of this legal memo and research project is to identify and analyze the various war crimes, crimes against humanity, and Libyan domestic crimes perpetrated during the Libyan armed conflict between February and October of 2011. This project was conducted by Syracuse University College of Law graduate students, René Moya and Mikala Steenholdt, with the assistance of Professors David M. Crane and Corri Zoli, for the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT), a joint research center at the College of Law and the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, Syracuse University. Readers should view the project in the following sequence: (1) consult, first, the slideshow in the compact disc in Appendix D; (2) then, turn to the legal memorandum; and (3) finally, examine the war crime matrix. In this fashion, readers may visually and conceptually “map” the conflict holistically, become familiar with the detailed documented evidence of violations of international and domestic norms, and finally situate those violations within the context of the unfolding crisis. Although this memorandum reviews all allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity1 on all sides, including Libyan national forces, Libyan rebels, mercenaries, and NATO forces, it generally focuses on the crimes perpetrated by the Libyan national armed forces as the facts revealed that they were responsible for the majority of alleged violations. Report Review Slideshow Memorandum Crime Matrix 1 We have analyzed the crimes based on the Rome Statute; however, the crime matrix also includes the analysis of crimes under the Libyan Penal Code. i | P a g e CONTENTS I.