[75][76] Following the overthrow and death of Muammar Gaddafi and the fall of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in 2011, political and military control in Libya were in a state of flux.

Fighting between different factions escalated in 2014, with the House of Representatives, based in the eastern city of Tobruk, being the main political force claiming to be the legitimate government of Libya.

[81] The Supreme Judicial Council of Libya, created in 2011,[82] retained its structure as a single national body despite the political split,[83] and in 2019 went through Libya-wide "transparent elections" and a "peaceful transfer of power".

[85] Ghassan Salamé, head of UNSMIL, stated on 4 April 2019 that the conference would be postponed because of the outburst of military events, but that it would be held "as soon as possible because we do not have the right to allow this historic opportunity to be corrupted.

At the same time, we cannot ask for the presence of the Conference, with the [cannons] firing and the raids ongoing, without making sure that all those who are willing to respond to this historic national duty from all regions of the country are able to ensure their safety and freedom by expressing their opinion.

"[73]On 4 April 2019, an audio recording was published on Facebook by Marshal Haftar declaring war on the UN-recognised Government of National Accord and announcing that the LNA would militarily take over the capital city Tripoli.

"[94] On 27 December 2019, Bloomberg News reported that Turkey intended to deploy its navy to protect Tripoli and send troops to help train GNA forces.

[108] During the late hours of the day a battle broke out over Tripoli International Airport, in which LNA forces were able to successfully capture the airfield and defend it from a GNA counter-attack.

[119] Colonel Mohamed Gnounou, the GNA military spokesman, announced that they started a counteroffensive to reclaim the territories in Tripoli taken by the LNA, dubbed "Operation Volcano of Rage".

Gen. Al-Mismari, accused former President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, of sending two planes loaded with 28 fighters, as well as a large amount of weapons and ammunition, from Khartoum to GNA-held Mitiga International Airport on 28 March.

[162] Fathi Bashagha, Interior Minister of the Presidential Council, stated on 12 April that the United Arab Emirates sent military equipment to the LNA at Benina International Airport in Benghazi.

[180] Detainees at the contested Qasir bin Gashir detention center told Al Jazeera that they have been abandoned by their GNA guards since the previous day and were left to fend for themselves in the crossfire.

[197] LNA drone aircraft, allegedly supplied by United Arab Emirates, have struck the GNA military camp in Sabaa district, south of Tripoli city center.

The representative in Libya of the World Health Organization, Syed Jaffar Hussain, said that the attack against the ambulance was a "shocking and intolerable violation of international humanitarian law.

"[207] A number of extremist armed groups announced that would not bound by any cease-fire agreement that may be signed between GNA Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and LNA commander Khalifa Haftar.

Al-Samoud Brigade from Misurata, led by Salah Badi who is under U.S. and U.N. sanctions,[208] said: "the true rebels will not accept any agreements with the war criminal Haftar," asserting that their fight against the LNA forces is "Jihad for God that will not stop until complete victory".

[227] On 29 July 2019, Ghassan Salamé, head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), proposed a three-point Libyan peace plan to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), which would "require consensus in [the UNSC] and amongst the Member States who exert influence on the ground" and require Libyans "to listen to their better angels" rather than "[fight] the wars of others and in so doing [destroy] their country.

[235] Airstrikes on Misrata Airport by the foreign warplanes, backed by the LNA, injured one member of staff and damaged two airplanes, said media office of Volcano of Rage Operation.

[239] Mohammed Gununu, spokesperson for the Libyan Army under the command of GNA, claimed that a Wing Loong drone, supplied by the UAE to the LNA, was shot down in Misurata.

[247] Turkish-backed Syrian rebels, Sultan Murad Division and Sham Legion, were fighting for the GNA in "Al-Takbali" camp in Salah al-Din area in southern Tripoli, being transported through Mitiga and Misrata International Airports.

[249] The Turkish Ministry of National Defense stated: "We strongly condemn the attack by Haftar's forces, the enemies of peace, on the Military Academy in Tripoli aiming to realize their unlawful intentions.

[263] UNSMIL reported violations of the arms embargo, stating that during the previous ten days, "numerous cargo and other flights [had] been observed landing at Libyan airports in the western and eastern parts of the country providing the parties with advanced weapons, armoured vehicles, advisers and fighters.

[295] Ahmed Mismari, the spokesman for Libya's eastern-based forces announced that they will cease fire for Ramadan, after suffering setbacks during weeks of intense fighting against the internationally recognized government.

[309] The mayor of Bani Walid, said that Russian Wagner Group mercenaries allied to the LNA retreated from Western Libya to an unconfirmed destination along with their heavy equipment.

[323] On June 11, the United Nations expressed concern regarding reports of the discovery of eight mass graves in the town of Tarhuna; according to GNA officials, 160 bodies were discovered and retrieved by the Libyan Red Crescent.

She stated, "The use of artillery and other imprecise weapons such as GRAD-style rockets in civilian areas is prohibited under international humanitarian law and such indiscriminate attacks can amount to war crimes.

Maria do Valle Ribeiro, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, said that as an attack against critical civilian infrastructure, the incident could qualify as a war crime.

[342] The European External Action Service commented on the civilian deaths at Murzuk and referred to the legal principle that "indiscriminate attacks on densely populated residential areas" may constitute war crimes.

[242] On 26 June 2019, four Libyan families filed a lawsuit in the United States (US) federal court against Haftar for war crimes that took place during the 2019 Western Libya offensive, seeking US$125 million in damages and compensation.

[360] United Nations Secretary General António Guterres stated on Twitter that he hoped for confrontation around Tripoli to be avoided and that the UN was committed to facilitating a political solution.