Libya Faces Escalation Threat Amid Renewed Violence and Political Chaos
Libya is experiencing heightened tensions as renewed violence and political disputes threaten to derail the UN-brokered transition and deepen the country’s instability.
The North African nation, struggling to recover from the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Moammar Gadhafi, remains divided between the UN-recognized government in Tripoli and a rival administration in the east led by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
Recent clashes have intensified, including a deadly conflict earlier this month east of Tripoli, where nine people were killed and dozens wounded in fighting between factions aligned with the Tripoli-based government of Abdulhamid Dbeibah.
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On Sunday, armed men briefly besieged the Central Bank of Libya in Tripoli, demanding the resignation of Governor Seddik Al-Kabir. U.S. Ambassador Richard Norland criticized the attempt, warning it could jeopardize Libya’s access to international financial markets.
The eastern parliament has declared the Tripoli government “illegitimate” and sought to strip the Presidential Council of its role as the high commander of the armed forces. According to Khaled Al-Montasser of the University of Tripoli, it appears aimed at pressuring the international community into new negotiations.
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya, which was founded in the aftermath of the 2011 civil war, expressed concern, stating that it was tracking any moves that “increase tension, undermine trust, and further entrench institutional divisions are worrying.”
Recent reports of eastern troops advancing toward southwestern Libya have amplified fears of renewed conflict.
