Libya

Turkey's Intelligence Chief Makes a Strategic Visit to Libya Amid Political Turmoil In a notable diplomatic move, Turkey's top intelligence officer embarked on a mission to Libya, where supporters of the Tripoli administration grapple with a political deadlock. This impasse has not only halted the nation’s oil exports but also threatened four years of relative calm. According to a Turkish security insider, Ibrahim Kalin, the head honcho of Turkey's National Intelligence Agency (MIT), met with Prime Minister Abdulhamid…

At least one person died and 22 others were reported missing after a boat carrying irregular migrants trying to reach Europe capsized off the Libyan coast on Tuesday, Libyan authorities said. The coast guard in the eastern Libyan city of Tobruk said the boat was carrying 32 migrants and that nine had been rescued. Survivors are taken to a port in Tobruk, the coast guard says. In recent years, the North African nation has emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in…

Libyan lawmakers voted to end the term of the Tripoli-based government led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah on Tuesday. In a statement, parliamentary spokesman Abdullah Belhaiq said the assembly voted to consider the eastern Libya-based cabinet of Osama Hammad as "the legitimate government until a new unified government is elected." The parliament also appointed its speaker, Aguila Saleh, as commander of the Libyan armed forces in place of the presidency's advice. There was no immediate…

Libya's interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah met with US Ambassador Richard Norland on Thursday to discuss developments in the war-torn nation. "The current political situation with a special focus on preventing outbreaks of violence was discussed," Norland said on Twitter. "I called for the immediate reopening of Libya's airspace for domestic flights," Norland said, stressing the importance of "participating in mediation efforts in good faith to help Libya maintain stability." The meeting also…

Libya can once again see two rival administrations and a return to instability, the UN political chief warned on Wednesday and called for elections to be held as soon as possible to unite the war-torn country. Deputy Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the UN Security Council that she was encouraged by the support for a UN initiative to convene a joint committee of Libya's rival House of Representatives and senior ministers with the aim of reaching an agreement on both "on a constitutional basis…

Libya can once again see two rival administrations and a return to instability, the UN political chief warned on Wednesday and called for elections to be held as soon as possible to unite the war-torn country. Deputy Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the UN Security Council that she was encouraged by the support for a UN initiative to convene a joint committee of Libya's rival House of Representatives and senior ministers with the aim of reaching an agreement on both "on a constitutional basis…

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…

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,"…

Leaders and revolutionaries of the force that supports the Libyan army on Saturday condemned the election of Fathi Bashagha as head of the new government, a move that risks triggering a new power struggle in the war-torn nation. In a statement read on Martyrs' Square in the capital Tripoli, they said that the support force condemned "the absurd situation that contradicts the results of the political dialogue forum and wants the country to enter a new transition phase." Decisions taken in the House of…

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…