North Africa

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…

When thousands of Sudanese took to the streets of Khartoum again to condemn a military coup in October, a protester was killed and dozens injured, according to a medical group. The protester was shot in the head as security forces fired live ammunition and tear gas at protesters marching in Omdurman, a twin town in the capital Khartoum, the Sudanese Medical Committee said. Security forces also dispersed protesters marching on the presidential palace in Khartoum, injuring many, the committee said.…

Libya's parliament said on Thursday that it would hold a session next week in which it would likely vote to confirm a new interim government, even though the current administration has promised it will not hand over power. One year after a unity government was installed in Tripoli and two months after a planned election was called off due to discussions about the rules, the dispute over how to proceed to overthrow Libya is back in disarray. Former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha, the man appointed by…

Libya's interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah announced plans for elections this summer, rejecting the eastern parliament's bid to oust him. Dbeibah, who heads the Government of National Unity (GNU) in the western part of the country, reiterated his promise to resign only after a national vote, defying the Eastern-based parliament's appointment of former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha to replace him as prime minister. Dbeibah also said that GNU will hold a parliamentary election followed by a…

The UN Special Adviser to Libya, Stephanie Williams, reiterated her call on Libyans to focus on the electoral process and maintain peace amid rising concerns for the country's future on Sunday. Last week, during a meeting with Libyan senior politicians, she highlighted the need for free and fair elections in Libya "in the shortest possible time". "I stressed the need for the various Libyan political forces to strive for the broadest possible consensus, through an inclusive and transparent process,"…

A new power struggle has deepened the Libyan crisis following the Tobruk - based House of Representatives' appointment of former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha as prime minister on Thursday, while incumbent Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah promised to remain in office until national elections are held. The failure to hold discussions on the legitimacy of the Libyan Government of National Unity (GNU), originally scheduled for December 24, has led to differences of opinion in the western part of the…

Free and fair elections in Libya should be held "in the shortest possible time," said UN Special Adviser to Libya Stephanie Williams as she met with senior politicians, stressing the need for calm. Williams said on Twitter that she met the Prime Minister of the National Unity Government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, and also Fathi Bashagha, named by the parliament of the East-based pro-Putist General Khalifa Haftar, to lead a new government in a process rejected by the government. incumbent Prime Minister.…

UN chief Antonio Guterres on Friday called for elections to be held in Libya as soon as possible after the country found itself with two competing prime ministers, which raises the specter of renewed violence. The Secretary-General reminded "all institutions of the primary objective of holding national elections as soon as possible", in a statement saying that he "notes" the name of the Libyan Parliament on a new Prime Minister. The UN chief's statement did not name either Libya's interim prime…

On Thursday, the eastern parliament in war-torn Libya appointed a former interior minister as prime minister, a serious challenge for the administration of interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. "The House of Representatives unanimously approved Fathi Bashagha to lead the government," Parliamentary spokesman Abdullah Bliheg said in a tweet. The move threatens to trigger a new power struggle between the eastern-based assembly and the Dbeibah administration based in Tripoli, in western Libya. The…