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A Canadian man whose family is trapped in a militant-controlled area in the Libyan city of Benghazi has travelled to Turkey in effort to assemble an aid shipment for civilians in the conflict-ridden neighbourhood.

Ali Hamza, of Mississauga, Ont., says he's made the journey with his wife and four children in a desperate attempt to help his 76-year-old mother and five siblings who are among families he says are going without sufficient food, water and medical supplies in the area of Ganfouda. Libya has been beset by violence and chaos since the ouster and death of longtime strongman Moammar Gadhafi in a 2011 civil war. The Benghazi neighbourhood of Ganfouda in particular has been besieged for months by Libyan army troops that answer to a powerful militarycommander.

Hamza has been calling on the Canadian government to speak out on what he calls a deteriorating situation, asking Ottawa to make a strong call for basic necessities to be allowed into Ganfouda and for the safe evacuation of besieged families through a neutralparty, in accordance with international law.

He also wants to see Canada express that it cares about the well-being and whereabouts of civilians who were promised safe passage and left Ganfouda in January. He alleges some of those people were mistreated and detained.

Global Affairs Canada says"Canada supports free and unimpeded access for humanitarian assistance and for civilians who wish to leave to do so in safety."

Spokesperson Austin Jean says Canada is "deeply concerned" with the ongoing armed conflict in Libya and its humanitarian impact on civilians, including in the district of Ganfouda.

But Hamza says Canada can say and do more.

"I found nothing happening. I said I have to make a move," said the 50-year-old. "I made this journey to Turkey to make myself available with my family to take an action that saves lives."

Hamza said he's heard of civilians in Ganfouda having to resort to eating leaves and drinking rainwater as supplies run out.

He's borrowed money and put the family SUV up for sale in order to have enough funds to provide 30 families with food, water and basic medication for at least 10 days.

Two men walked beside destroyed buildings after clashes between military forces loyal to Libya's eastern government and Islamist fighters, in Benghazi, Libya in this February 2016 file photo. (Esam Omran Al-Fetori/Reuters)

He's already met with a Turkish NGO known as the IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation to discuss getting aid to Ganfouda and said theywere trying to work with him.

"They said maybe we can cover your needs," Hamza recounted. "I said 'please, please, please contact Canada, tell them that a Canadian family is with you' and maybe a co-ordinated effort will ease the permission to bring the aid [into Libya]."

Hamza is also seeking a meeting with the head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, who recently publicly expressed his concern about Ganfouda.

"Deeply worried by reports of families trapped in line of fire with no food and water in Ganfouda," Martin Kobler said in a tweet on Wednesday, adding that he called for safe passage to be allowed to civilians who wished to leave.

Despite a UN-brokered peace deal reached a year ago, Libya remains divided between east and west, with no effective government and rival factions and militias each side with backing from different foreign countries.

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Mississauga man sells SUV, travels to Turkey in bid to save family trapped in Libya - CBC.ca

MOSCOW Fayez Seraj, the Libyan Prime Minister of the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli is scheduled to arrive in Moscow within days, Russia's Interfax news agency reported on Monday, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.

The visit is seen as a step towards overcoming a deadlock in the country between the Tripoli government and Khalifa Haftar, a military commander who is supported by factions based in the east of the oil-rich country.

"I think (Seraj's) visit may be paid in the upcoming days," Interfax quoted Bogdanov as saying.

On February 19, Seraj told Reuters he hoped Moscow might act as an intermediary between him and Haftar.

(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Vladimir Soldatkin)

MANILA The Philippines condemned on Monday the "barbaric beheading" of an elderly German captive by Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf militants who posted a video of the killing after a deadline for a $600,000 ransom passed.

GAZA Israeli aircraft carried out a series of strikes in Gaza on Monday, wounding at least four people, witnesses said, after a rocket fired from the Palestinian territory hit an empty area in southern Israel.

SEOUL South Korean intelligence believes suspects wanted for the murder of the half-brother of North Korea's leader included several officials who worked for the reclusive state's foreign and security ministries, according to lawmakers in Seoul.

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Libya's PM to visit Russia soon: Interfax - Reuters

A refugee camp in Tunisia is filled with Libyan refugees | Spencer Platt/Getty Images

They should not turn into concentration camps.

By Gaper Zavrnik

2/27/17, 11:09 AM CET

European Parliament President Antonio Tajani has called for the EUto setup refugee reception centers in Libya and to implement aMarshall Plan for Africa in order to curb migration to the bloc, Die Zeit reportedMonday.

The Libyan centers should not become concentration camps, but should have adequate equipment to ensurerefugees live in dignified conditions with access tosufficient medical care, Tajani said.

The Marshall Plan, inspired by U.S.financial support for the rebuilding of Western European countries after the end of World War II, should fund the launch of an education initiative, develop modern agriculture and set up joint ventures with two or more partners.

We either act now or 20 million Africans will cometo Europe in the coming years, Tajani said.

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Antonio Tajani calls for EU to open refugee reception centers in Libya - POLITICO.eu

Just weeks after the people of Libya found themselves subject to Donald Trumps travel ban, the countrys women experienced a terrible sense of dj vu.The military governor in eastern Libya, Abdul Razzaq al Nadhuri, appointed byGeneral Khalifa Haftar, decreed that women under the age of 60 could not travel outside the country without a male guardian.

The ban has prompted resentment and criticism online. Libyan human rights activists called the ban a gross violation of fundamental rights, in direct contravention of Libyas interim constitutional declaration, and made without authorisation, mandate or jurisdiction. In an extraordinary appearance on national television, the governor justified the ban on the basis that Libyan women represent a threat to national security.

After days of women protesting in the streets of Benghazi, the governor issued another decree cancelling the previous announcement, only to enforce a wider ban on all women and men between the age of 18 to 45. None can travel outside of Libya without a security clearance.

The justification this time was to stop Libyans from joining terrorist groups. This is quite bizarre given that after the revolution, the problem has been terrorist groups coming into Libya, rather Libyans joining them. Since the revolution, Libya has become a hotbed for many global terrorist groups like Ansar Sharia and Isis due to the lack of secure borders. With the continuous and uncontrolled flow of arms fuelling the civil war and the deteriorating humanitarian conditions, Libyans find themselves forced to travel if they can afford it to get even basic medical treatment. Libyan activists too have been forced to leave their country under the threat of terrorist attack and persecution.

Coming almost exactly six years from the start of the protests initiated by women in Benghazi that led directly to the Libyan revolution, the claim that women represent a threat to national security could perhaps be taken as a strange compliment to the effectiveness of womens political activism in Libya.

Though just as women had become symbols of a better future for Libya, two brutal acts came to symbolise the countrys fall into chaos. In June 2014, the lawyer and activist Salwa Bugaighis wasassassinated by gunmen after returning home from voting in the general election. Just three weeks later, Fariha Al-Berkawi, one of 33 women elected to Libyas parliament, was also gunned down.

Ever since, women activists and human rights defenders have been the targets of attacks and threats ranging from character assassination, to assault, to actual assassination. Civil society activists have also been subject to a systematic crackdown and repressive measures by the disputing governments of Libya.

As I write, civilians in Abu Salim, Tripoli, are under indiscriminate shelling as rival militias including those loyal to the internationally recognised National Accord Government continue to fight. While in the east, where the Libyan National Army now has the backing of Russia, we have seen the shame of the travel ban.

It is a depressing story that after a revolution fought for dignity, freedom and social justice, and all the lives sacrificed for these causes, Libyans are struggling for their basic human rights and safe corridors through violence.

This is yet another reminder of the failure of the international community in addressing the needs of countries in transition, instead applying the so-called democratic tool kit as a blueprint. Libya needed, and still needs, a comprehensive strategy that addresses the roots causes of its conflict unchecked militarisation.

If the international community continues to pay lip service to womens rights and a political solution without really addressing the real issue at stake, more womens rights defenders and human rights activists will be silenced, if not sacrificed.

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This is the other travel ban against Libyans that people aren't talking about - The Independent

Sabha Central Hospital has buried 20 unidentified bodies out of 50 that have been piling up at the hospital's morgue.

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Tobruk Central Hospital condemned today the physical assault on a Syrian doctor while on duty, demanding all the authorities to exert their efforts to protect the hospital and bring the perpetrator to justice.

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Libyan oil output has dropped to 630 thousand bpd this week after exceeding 750 thousand bpd last week, due to technical measures in some of oilfields.

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Jamal Al-Jaafari has been elected as Chairman of Libyan Football Federation.

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Libyan Airlines is due to resume flights from/to Taminhint Airport in Sabha as from March 1st.

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The Russian Foreign Ministry said the Head of UN-proposed Presidency Council Fayaz Sirraj is due to visit Russia in the coming days, in an effort to bridge the gap between him and rogue General Khalifa Haftar.

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President of the High Council of State Abdul-Rahman Al-Swaihli held talks on Sunday with the Italian Ambassador to Libya Giuseppe Perrone economic cooperation between the two countries and resumption of Italian companies to the stalled projects in Libya.

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Algerian authorities handed over 65 camels to Zintan on Monday after a camel herder stole them and fled to Algerian territories a month ago.

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The Renewable Energy Body of the Electricity Company started Sunday transporting 80-ton wind turbines from Al-Khums Port to Shaafeen Park Reserve in Msallatatown where they would be installed for Libyas first power farm with a capacity of27 MW.

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TheLibya Club for Tours has organized a trip for 35 families to the mountain town of Jadu in western Libya. The families toured the tourist attractions in the town and surrounding areas as part of the clubs efforts to boost domestic tourism.

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News Roundup - Mon, Feb 27, 2017 - The Libya Observer