Libya's internationally-recognized government has ordered Air Libya (7I, Tripoli Mitiga) and Afriqiyah Airways (AAW, Tripoli Mitiga) to suspend their respective services to Sudan with effect from February 28. The former serves El Fasher and Khartoum from Kufra while the latter serves Khartoum from Misurata.
In his announcement, Colonel Abdul Hakim al-Obeidi, the spokesman for the Libyan Interior Ministry, said the suspension had been brought on by security concerns.
Last week, a Libyan army unit retook control of the Bouzrik security outpost, located 200 kilometers from the southern town of Kufra, after it fell into the hands of Sudanese rebels affiliated with the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM). At least twenty rebels were killed with six captured during the operation. The rebels used the base as a staging point to rob and kill travellers heading to Libya's northern cities.
