The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has appealed for calm as street demonstrations spread across Libya in protest over power cuts and the failure to hold national elections.
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U.S. Ambassador and Special Envoy to Libya Richard Norland said he received a call from the Libyan Presidential Council’s President Mohamed al-Menfi Saturday evening and “used the opportunity to convey deep U.S. concern about the political, economic and financial stalemate that resulted in scenes of turmoil such as those we saw Friday across the country.”
The Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, has announced its support for thousands of Libya who took to the streets across the country since Friday demanding better living conditions.
95 asylum seekers and refugees were evacuated from Libya to in Italy, announced the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Thursday.
Popular protests in various cities and regions of Libya continue for the second consecutive day but with less intensity.
Fury at Libya’s feuding leaders boiled over on Friday as protesters stormed the parliament building in the eastern city of Tobruk and staged the biggest demonstration for years in the capital Tripoli, in the west.
Commenting on Friday’s demonstrations that took place in several Libyan cities, Stephanie Williams, UN Special Adviser on Libya, said “the people’s right to peacefully protest should be respected and protected but riots and acts of vandalism such as the storming of the House of Representatives headquarters late yesterday in Tobruk are totally unacceptable.”
The National Oil Corporation (NOC), Libya’s state-owned oil company, declared on Thursday force majeure in Sidra, Ras Lanuf and El-Feel oilfields due to shutdowns which caused $3 billion loss (16 billion Libyan dinars).
Libya’s House of Representatives said on Thursday that it failed to reach agreement with the High Council of State on eligibility requirements for elections candidates during the two-day talks between the leaders of both chambers in Geneva.
Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Thursday that it plans to reopen the Mabruk oilfield in the first quarter of 2023 with production up to 25,000 barrels per day.