North Africa

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…

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,"…