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The Guardian

Water supplies to the Libyan capital and surrounding cities have been cut off after an armed group stormed a control room, leaving millions of people without water as summer temperatures begin to climb.
The gunmen arrived on Sunday at the control room in Jafara run by a consortium known as the Great Man-Made River project, which transports water via a vast underground network of pipes from the Sahara into Tripoli, a city of more than two million people, and other coastal areas.
The group forced staff to shut down the water pipes connected to underground wells.
The group claimed to be supporters of Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter, the leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA).
Donald Trump indicates support for ‘Field Marshal’ Khalifa Hifter, Libyan strongman leading attack on Tripoli’s UN-backed government
Haftar’s force dominates the east and south of Libya and has been trying to take the capital from the UN-backed government of national accord (GNA).
The link with Haftar has been disputed, with some claiming the armed group is operating independently and the GNA is making a link to undermine support for the controversial general.
Haftar’s forces have been besieging Tripoli since April 4 with tacit support from countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, but it is generally accepted that the LNA’s plans for a quick victory and the defeat of the GNA have been thwarted.

The agency that oversees the water project, first commissioned by the former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, insisted it had never taken sides in the current civil strife but said water supplies should never be used to pursue any interest.
“Water is God’s gift to all and should not be used to dictate or bargain under any conditions at all,” the authority said.
As a result of the attack water will not just be cut to Tripoli, but also to Gharyan and some other western mountain cities.
It is not known how long it will take to restore supplies, but the incident underlines the vulnerability of Libya’s civil fabric to a prolonged war.
Chinese-made missiles and drones used in Libya conflict, UN experts find
The authority previously warned it was finding it difficult to repair leaks due to the fighting. Libya periodically suffers from water outages.
The GNA accused the armed group in coordination with Haftar’s forces of seeking to “lock the water from the capital to lower the morale of its inhabitants”.
It is likely that Haftar will disown the action, but the episode, however quickly it is resolved, may rebound badly on the warlord as he seeks to persuade the international community he can be the upholder of security against the criminal militias who have afflicted the weak GNA government in Tripoli.
It will also add to the sense that the siege is deepening a general lawlessness in Libya that others, including Islamic State, are beginning to exploit. There have been a number of IS hit-and-run attacks in the past month, mainly in the south of the country.
The east and west of Libya have been divided for much of the time since Gaddafi was ousted with the help of Nato-backed forces in 2011.


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Libya

Millions without water in Libya capital Tripoli as armed group cuts off supply

Fighters from UN-backed government forces distribute food and aid to people trapped near the al-Sawani frontline in Tripoli. Photo: Xinhua

A fighter loyal to Libyan internationally recognised government fires a 105 mm cannon at forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar outside Tripoli, Libya May 15, 2019. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Donald Trump indicates support for ‘Field Marshal’ Khalifa Hifter, Libyan strongman leading attack on Tripoli’s UN-backed government

A Libyan man carries a picture of Khalifa Hifter during a demonstration in Benghazi to support the Libyan National Army’s offensive against Tripoli. Photo: Reuters

FILE PHOTO: Members of Libyan internationally recognised government forces walk near a damaged tank belonging to Eastern forces in Al Hira area, southwestern Tripoli, Libya April 23, 2019. REUTERS/Hani Amara/File Photo

A member of the Libyan internationally recognised government forces prepares a missile during fighting with Eastern forces in Ain Zara, Tripoli, Libya April 20, 2019. REUTERS/Hani Amara

FILE - In this Sunday, April 14, 2019 file photo provided by Egypt's presidency media office, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, right, meets with the head of the self-styled Libyan National Army Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter in Cairo, Egypt. Hifter launched a surprise offensive against Tripoli on April 5 and is battling rival militias loosely affiliated with a weak U.N.-backed government. His forces boast MiG fighter jets supplied by neighboring Egypt, as well as drones, attack helicopters and mine-resistant vehicles. (Egyptian Presidency Media office via AP, File)

FILE - This Monday, April 8, 2019 file handout satellite image, provided by Maxar, shows Mitiga airport after a reported airstrike by the self-styled Libyan National Army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter, in Tripoli, Libya. Libya’s various militias, many of which are little more than criminal gangs, are mobilizing to fight over the capital. Hifter’s forces boast MiG fighter jets supplied by neighboring Egypt, as well as drones, attack helicopters and mine-resistant vehicles. (2019 Maxar Technologies via AP, File)

Fighters from the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army loyal to Khalifa Hifter attend their graduation ceremony at a military academy in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi. Photo: AFP

News

World

Middle East

Gunmen claiming to be loyal to Khalifa Hifter force shutdown in Tripoli and nearby cities
The battle for the Libyan capital has threatened to ignite a civil war on the scale of the 2011 uprising against long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi


Gunmen claiming to be loyal to Khalifa Hifter force shutdown in Tripoli and nearby cities.


War and conflict

Millions without water in Libya capital Tripoli as armed group cuts off supply

Gunmen claiming to be loyal to Khalifa Hifter force shutdown in Tripoli and nearby cities The battle for the Libyan capital has threatened to ignite a civil war on the scale of the 2011 uprising against long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi

Gunmen claiming to be loyal to Khalifa Hifter force shutdown in Tripoli and nearby cities

The battle for the Libyan capital has threatened to ignite a civil war on the scale of the 2011 uprising against long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi