• Telephone call between Conte and al-Sisi, Libya center and Regeni case
  • Libya, al-Sisi: ceasefire from Monday, okay in Haftar
  • Libya, a new phase opens after the siege on Tripoli
  • Libya, exchange of accusations between Russia and the United States
  • Libya one step away from the reopening of the negotiations

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by Leonardo Sgura 12 June 2020 Eight mass graves, about 200 bodies. The Libyan war adds a new page of horror to the history of this conflict. The discovery in Tripolitania, in Tarhuna, a town of just over 13 thousand souls in which Russian and Emirate contractors had set up the operating room of the siege of the capital.

The Haftar soldiers had lost it in mid-April, during the counter-offensive that allowed the National Accord Government to regain much of Tripolitania. "We are identifying the bodies to return them to the families - says Fathi Pashaga, in charge of the investigations by the Minister of the Interior of Tripoli - and we are looking for other mass graves".

So far, around 130 victims have been recognized, including the elderly, women and children. The GNA claims to be able to document this and all other war crimes by Haftar's men: mass graves, prisoners burned or buried alive, or tortured and left to die in the desert sun.

Horrors that the UN mission in Libya condemns, asking for quick investigations to identify and prosecute those responsible.

Today the Turkish media announce that Ankara will build two military bases in Libya: one for air operations, in Al Watiya airport, torn in recent days from the LNA; the other in the port of Misurata, strategic for supplies by sea. News that will contribute to increase the tension of the neighboring countries, Egypt and Tunisia in particular, which have long protested the presence of Ankara's troops in the country.
Just yesterday, Hamed Hazguy, Tunisian Defense Minister, reiterated the neutrality of his government, denying Tunis' willingness to host an American military base.

Meanwhile, more than 500 thousand people have had to abandon some districts of Tripoli, heavily bombed by the drones of Cyrenaica. According to government sources, the Haftar attack affected residential areas with nearly three million inhabitants. A task force of Turkish deminers is clearing areas of the capital that LNA men have infested with explosive traps before retiring.

The advance of Fayez Al Serraji, who was determined to retake Sirte to restart the oil industry, seems to be losing momentum, while Haftar reacts with a violent counter-offensive. At the same time, the negotiation between the military commissions has officially resumed, which, with UN mediation, must establish the terms of truce and disarmament. The delegations still do not meet, they dialogue through the diplomats of Unsmil, who however say they are optimistic and speak of "concrete steps forward".

The monitoring work on the arms embargo, entrusted by Brussels to the Irini mission, does not seem to be able to achieve its objectives. This is demonstrated by the incident that happened two days ago: an Italian frigate intercepted the Turkish cargo ship Cirkin off Libya, officially expected in Tunisia but actually headed towards Misrata. Our military attempted to carry out a reconnaissance, but were forced to give up after an explicit "warning" launched by the three frigates of the Turkish navy that escorted the merchant ship.

On June 4, a new ceasefire appeal was launched from Cairo, immediately supported with force by the UN, the European Union, the United States, Russia, Italy, France, Germany, Greece, and the countries of the Persian Gulf. Khalifa Haftar's yes immediately, while Al Serraji and Turkey rejected the offer, accusing Egypt of being too close to Cyrenaica to offer itself as a mediator today. American President Trump yesterday had telephone talks with the main allies of the two contenders: first the Turkish President Erdogan, then the Egyptian President Al Sisi, urging both to support a true path of peace, committing themselves to push the parties to an immediate cease fire, causing all foreign military forces to leave Libya as soon as possible.