Assassination in Libya Jars Unity Government  

Libya’s fragile cease-fire and recently founded unity government may be shorter-lived than even the most pessimistic expected, after a top military official was gunned down on Wednesday by members of a rival faction. Mahmoud al-Werfalli, a commander in the Libyan National Army supporting Libya’s eastern government, and who was recently indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, was shot dead outside a Benghazi hospital. The incident could threaten the latest United Nations-led effort to bring peace to the war-torn country. Last month, a Government of National Unity was formed, merging the eastern administration with its longtime enemy, the Government of National Accord, after years of civil war that involved major world powers and proxy battles. The interim regime will be tasked with establishing permanent constitutional institutions and holding general elections by the end of the year.