A senior United Nations official for Libya has condemned the storming of the parliament’s headquarters by angry demonstrators as part of protests in several cities against the economic turmoil and the political deadlock in the country.
On Friday, hundreds of protestors marched in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, and other cities in Libya. Some attacked and set fire to government buildings, including Tobruk’s House of Representatives.
“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,” Stephanie Williams, the UN special adviser on Libya, posted on Twitter on Saturday.
“It is absolutely vital that calm is maintained, responsible Libyan leadership demonstrated, and restraint exercised by all.”
Friday’s protests came a day after the leaders of the parliament and another legislative chamber based in Tripoli failed to reach an agreement on elections during UN-mediated talks in Geneva. According to UN, the dispute is now about the eligibility requirements for candidates.
After legal disputes, controversial presidential candidates, and the presence foreign fighters and rogue militias in Libya, elections were not held in December.
International efforts to bring peace to the Mediterranean country were severely hampered by the failure to hold the election. It has opened a new chapter in its long-running political impasse, with two rival governments now claiming power after tentative steps towards unity in the past year.
Abdulhamid Dbeibah, interim Prime Minister, leads a Tripoli-based government while Fathi Bashagha, former Interior Minister, draws support from the Tobruk House of Representatives as well as military renegade Khalifa Haitar.
Source: rnewtimes
