The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the National Accord Government (GNA) began to take measures to restore international media offices in Libya and provide a safe environment for foreign journalists to do their work.
This initiative comes as part of positive changes that Libya’s capital of Tripoli is witnessing to restore stability, build institutions and hold elections, requiring foreign media to follow up the development. Due to Libya’s deteriorating security situation since 2011, diplomats and foreign media pulled out from the country.
In April 2011, photojournalists Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros were killed in an explosion in the western Libyan city of Misurata while covering the conflict. Two other photographers were injured.
Freelance journalist James Foley was captured by pro-regime forces in Libya in 2011, while covering the war. Although he was freed, he was later killed in Syria in 2012.
In 2014, the United States and Britain shut down their embassies in Tripoli and evacuated their diplomats due to significant deterioration in security in Tripoli as fighting intensified between rival militias.
An armored vehicle, which was evacuating British diplomats to Tunisia, was attacked on July 27, 2014, close to Camp 27, the base of an Islamist militia to the west of the country.
Meanwhile, Germany, France and the Netherlands and other countries urged their citizens to leave the country.
