Forces loyal to Libya’s internationally recognised government carried out air strikes yesterday near the capital Tripoli, which is controlled by its rivals, officials said, as UN peace talks were due to start in Morocco.
Two governments, one based in the east, the other in Tripoli, are fighting for control of Libya and carrying out tit-for-tat air strikes, four years after the ousting of leader Muammar Gaddafi.
UN Special Envoy Bernardino Leon is hosting a new round of talks in Morocco , Western powers including the US, Britain, France and Germany said in a joint statement.
Mohamed El Hejazi, spokesman for army forces loyal to the government of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni, said war planes had attacked Tripoli’s Mitiga airport and other targets in western Libya.
“This is part of our campaign against terrorism,” he said.
Abdulsalam Buamoud, spokesman for Mitiga airport, said the planes had missed the airport. A security source said a missile battery some 10 km from the airport on the outskirts of Tripoli had been hit.
Both Libyan governments face internal divisions and are dominated by former rebels who ousted Gaddafi
Al-Thinni, his government and the elected Parliament have been confined to eastern Libya since a group called Libya Dawn seized Tripoli in August, set up their own administration and reinstated an assembly.
The UN talks aim to persuade both sides to form a unity government and lasting ceasefires.
Western leaders say the negotiations are the only way to end the chaos in Libya where militants loyal to Islamic State have gained ground, exploiting a security vacuum like they did in Syria and Iraq.
Both governments face internal divisions and are dominated by former rebels who helped oust the autocrat Gaddafi, but who now use their weapons to fight for territory.
Meanwhile, a new UN website distributing warnings about risks to aircraft in conflict zones issued its first advisories yesterday, for countries including Libya, Iraq, Egypt and South Sudan.
The website was set up after the downing of a Malaysian passenger aircraft over an area of fighting in Ukraine last year and is hosted by the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). It went live at the start of this month.
The initial advisories came from the UK, and warned of the risks of anti-aircraft weaponry in Libya, Iraq, South Sudan and the Sinai peninsula area of Egypt.
Any decision on whether to close airspace will still rest with the individual countries but the aim is for airlines to use the information in their route planning.
Britain said there was a risk to aircraft flying at an altitude of less than 7,620 metres over South Sudan and said operators were “strongly advised” to take this into account in their risk assessments and route decisions.
It also strongly advised operators not to enter the territory and airspace of Iraq due to the “hazardous” situation there.
Countries for which warnings have been issued have the right to object. Both Iraq and South Sudan objected to the warning issued by Britain, according to the website.