BENGHAZI, Libya: Libya’s parliament wants the government it has appointed under Fathi Bashagha to be based for now in Sirte, it said on Tuesday, amid a stalemate over control of the capital Tripoli where another administration refuses to hand over power.
The move represents the clearest acknowledgement since the parliament appointed Bashagha in March that he cannot take over in Tripoli yet with Libya paralyzed by its crisis of two governments.
Deadlock between Bashagha and Abdulhamid Al-Dbeibah, who was appointed prime minister last year, risks igniting a new round of conflict in Libya after two years of comparative peace, or splitting its territory again between rival camps.
Both sides are backed by armed factions and any attempt by Bashagha to force his way into Tripoli could trigger fighting across western areas of Libya.
The parliament will hold its own next session in Sirte, a central coastal city close to the frozen frontline from Libya’s last conflict, in support of Bashagha’s government, said the chamber’s spokesperson Abdullah Belhaiq.
Libya has had little peace since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising against Muammar Qaddafi and it split in 2014 between warring factions in the west, where Tripoli is located, and in the east, where the parliament moved.
Dbeibah’s government was installed last year to run all of Libya for an interim period as part of a peace process that was meant to include national elections in December.
However, after the election process collapsed amid disputes over the rules, the eastern-based parliament said Dbeibah’s term had expired and moved to appoint its own administration.
Dbeibah says his government is still valid and that he will hand over power only after an election.
Libyan parliament says Bashagha government should start work in Sirte
https://arab.news/y7s6s
Libyan parliament says Bashagha government should start work in Sirte
- The move represents the clearest acknowledgement since the parliament appointed Bashagha in March
- Both sides are backed by armed factions and any attempt by Bashagha to force his way into Tripoli could trigger fighting across western areas of Libya
US resumes food aid to Somalia
- The United States on Thursday announced the resumption of food distribution in Somalia, weeks after the destruction of a US-funded World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse at Mogadishu’s port
NAIROBI: The United States on Thursday announced the resumption of food distribution in Somalia, weeks after the destruction of a US-funded World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse at Mogadishu’s port.
In early January, Washington suspended aid to Somalia over reports of theft and government interference, saying Somali officials had “illegally seized 76 metric tons of donor-funded food aid meant for vulnerable Somalis.”
US officials then warned any future aid would depend on the Somali government taking accountability, a stance Mogadishu countered by saying the warehouse demolition was part of the port’s “expansion and repurposing works.”
On Wednesday, however, the Somali government said “all WFP commodities affected by port expansion have been returned.”
In a statement Somalia said it “takes full responsibility” and has “provided the World Food Program with a larger and more suitable warehouse within the Mogadishu port area.”
The US State Department said in a post on X that: “We will resume WFP food distribution while continuing to review our broader assistance posture in Somalia.”
“The Trump Administration maintains a firm zero tolerance policy for waste, theft, or diversion of US resources,” it said.
US president Donald Trump has slashed aid over the past year globally.
Somalis in the United States have also become a particular target for the administration in recent weeks, targeted in immigration raids.
They have also been accused of large-scale public benefit fraud in Minnesota, which has the largest Somali community in the country with around 80,000 members.
