North Africa

An armed convoy attached to Libya's parliamentary-backed Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha moved towards Tripoli on Thursday before returning when he was about to take the lead in the capital, despite the incumbent refusing to relinquish power. Parliament swore in Bashagha as prime minister a week ago, and he said on Tuesday that he would arrive in Tripoli within two days and promised to take over the government there in peace. An attempt to install Bashagha in the capital, however, could lead to clashes…

On tonight's show: Some 250 Ukrainian peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo prepare to return home to confront Russian forces. In addition, Egypt prohibits exports of basic products such as wheat and flour in an effort to secure food reserves. The…

Libya's interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah met with heads of diplomatic missions in the capital, Tripoli, on Tuesday to discuss the political situation in the midst of the eastern parliament's appointment of Fathi Bashagha as prime minister. A statement from the Unity Government noted that Dbeibah had told the Heads of Mission that the government was aiming to hold elections as part of the UN Roadmap. In response, the ambassadors told Dbeibah that the necessary work had to be done to hold…

Libya has appointed an ambassador to Qatar for the first time in six years, sources said on Tuesday. Mohamed al-Lafi, one of the celebrities in the western city of al-Zawiyah, was named ambassador to the Gulf nation, the source told Anadolu Agency (AA). Al-Lafi has been a delegate to the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum since 2020, which contributed to the formation of the current interim executive branch in Libya. He also held various government positions, including the Chief of Staff of…

The European Union and Italy expressed support for the democratic process and electoral efforts in Libya on Monday. The President of the High National Electoral Commission, Imad al-Sayeh, held separate meetings with the EU Ambassador's Head of Delegation to Libya Jose Antonio Sabadell and the Italian Ambassador to Libya Giuseppe Buccino Grimaldi in Tripoli. In his meeting with Sabadell, al-Sayeh discussed the latest developments regarding the electoral process and sought support for it, according to a…

A long ceasefire has revived Tripoli's Algeria Square, its roundabout replanted with grass and customers lingering into the night at Aurora Cafe, but Libya's new crisis with two governments threatens to undo that peace. Home to the town hall, the post office and a mosque transformed from the colonial-era Italian cathedral, Algeria Square plays a major role in the capital's social life. But it is also close to likely front lines in a battle that many Libyans fear may soon erupt. Opposition escalated…

Libya's parliament swore in a rival cabinet on Thursday in an attempt to oust the unity government, a move that has raised fears of another major schism in the war-torn country. The assembly, based in eastern Libya, had last month commissioned former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha to form a government. It raised the prospect of a settlement with the Western, Tripoli-based administration of Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah, who has refused to hand over power to anything other than an elected government.…

Moroccan journalist and human rights activist Omar Radi was sentenced on appeal to six years in prison for espionage and rape. Radi, a 35-year-old freelance journalist known as a vocal critic of the…

Fathi Bashagha, appointed by Libya's east as prime minister, said on Wednesday that he would not use force to take office in Tripoli despite the incumbent's promise to retain power. Parliament will swear in Bashagha as prime minister on Thursday, but the head of the current interim government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, has refused to relinquish control, raising the prospect of fighting. "It will not be used by force, either by us or the existing government," Bashagha told Reuters in an interview. "Tomorrow…

Libya met with rival governments on Tuesday after parliament approved a new cabinet in a challenge to Unity Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who has refused to relinquish power until the election. In a vote, some fears could help tip the conflict-ridden nation into a new round of violence; former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha's cabinet was approved by 92 of the 101 members present, said speaker Aguila Saleh. The House of Representatives (HoR) in the eastern city of Tobruk had appointed Bashagha…