The forces of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) are fighting to repel the offensive of the troops loyal to General Khalifa Haftar, who have approached the gates of Tripoli after night air raids. At least 227 people have died since the forces of the Libyan National Army (LNA) launched the offensive, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), while 1.128 have been injured. The clashes intensified on Saturday, when the GNA forces announced a counterattack. After many rocket explosions and artillery shells were heard in various districts of Tripoli on Saturday, more detonations were heard in the city center during the night and some witnesses spoke of air strikes. Air traffic during the night was blocked "for safety reasons" until Sunday, the operator of the Mitiga airport announced, and at least two flights were redestined to Misrata. Flights to Mitiga then resumed on Sunday morning. The counter-offensive by the GNA forces meant that they regained control of Ain Zara, south of Tripoli, moving the front line a few kilometers further south. UN: over 32 thousand displaced The number of displaced people has risen to 32.100 since the start of the armed clashes in the Tripoli area, which have already caused 227 deaths and 1.128 injuries: the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha ). The displaced are concentrated mostly in areas between Abuselim, AlHadba, Khallet Ferjan to the south of the capital, and Ain Zara, Souq al-Juma'a and Tajoura, to the east.
Lorenzo Cremonesi, correspondent for the Corriere della Sera in Tripoli, recounts the US inversion to General Haftar
The White House announces that President Donald Trump earlier this week spoke by telephone with Haftar "recognizing the merit of having a significant role in the fight against terrorism and securing Libyan oil resources". The statement states that the two have also "discussed a common framework for building the Libyan transition towards a stable and democratic political system". In this way the United States aligns together with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, France and Russia which, albeit in different ways, support Haftar. A move that instead isolates Italy, which has remained faithful to UN policy in supporting the legitimacy of the Sarraj government together with the condemnation of the sudden choice to abandon the negotiating table and move on to the language of force.
American moves need further reading. In the first phase of the crisis, the State Department aligned itself with the UN in condemning the Haftar attack. And in the last few days the UN special envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salamé, reiterated the need to return to the negotiating table using very harsh words against the strong man of Cyrenaica. Nor is it excluded in Tripoli that Trump's choices may not undergo further changes, as has happened recently on the Syrian scenario, where the announcement to abandon the Kurds to their fate has then turned into the continued American armed support for the their enclave in the north-east of the country.