Press Releases

Tripoli – 2020. UNSMIL condemns the destruction of the Zawit Bin Issa, Sufi shrine in the city of Sirte on 5 February 2020 and the reported arrest of a number of Sufis in Sirte. UNSMIL recalls that the incidents appear to violate the right to freedom of religion or belief and the right not to be…

At the invitation of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the Heads of the United Nations Missions in West Africa held their 35th High-level Meeting on 04 February 2020 in Dakar, Senegal…

HUDAYDAH, 4 February 2020 — The Head of the United Nations Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) and the Chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Abhijit Guha, said he was deeply concerned by the aerial strike that took place in Al Dahi district (north of…

Geneva, 3 February 2020 - The 5+5 Libyan Joint Military Commission is starting its meeting under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva today. Five senior officers appointed by the Government of National Accord (GNA) and five senior officers appointed by the Libyan National Army (LNA) are…

TRIPOLI/ GENEVA (27January 2020) –In a new report on the July 2019 airstrikes in Libya that killed at least 53 migrants and refugees at the Tajoura detention centre – one of the deadliest incidents since a new round of hostilities broke out in April 2019 – the UN has renewed its call on all parties…

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) deeply regrets the continued blatant violations of the arms embargo in Libya, even after the commitments made in this regard by concerned countries during the International Conference on Libya in Berlin, held on 19 January 2020. The 12 January…

UNSMIL expresses deep concern over current efforts to disrupt or impair oil production in Libya. This move would have devastating consequences first and foremost for the Libyan people who depend on the free flow of oil for their well-being. It will also have terrible knock-on effects for the country…

TRIPOLI, 17 January 2020 - Six months ago, Siham Sergewa, an elected member of the House of Representatives, was seized at night from her home in the heavily fortified Buhedima District of Benghazi. Since her violent abduction, Ms. Sergewa’s fate remains unknown. UNSMIL continues to follow up on the…

The Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mohamed Ibn Chambas, has over the past few weeks followed the positive evolution of the new democratic atmosphere in The Gambia. The Special Representative congratulates the Government of The…

On this day, we remember the hundreds of thousands of Haitians who lost their lives and the millions gravely affected by the devastating earthquake that struck their country ten years ago. We also honour the memory of one hundred and two United Nations colleagues lost that same day. I will never…