Libya, which is already politically unstable, is in danger of sliding into complete chaos: there are violent protests in several cities. Frustrated Libyans storm parliament in Tobruk. They suffer from poor living conditions and a bitter power struggle for leadership of the country.
In Libya, protests in several cities have raised concerns about further violence. In view of the “fragile situation”, the EU ambassador in the North African country, José Sabadell, urged restraint. “Protest must be peaceful and without any form of violence.” The UN special adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, also appealed to everyone involved to remain calm. Acts of violence such as the storming of Parliament are “completely unacceptable”.
In the city of Tobruk in the east of the country, angry demonstrators attacked parliament on Friday evening, threw stones and set fires, eyewitnesses reported. Video of a bulldozer ramming a gate of Parliament was shared on social media. Libyan media published a photo of the damaged building with black marks on the facade on Saturday.
According to eyewitnesses, there were also protests in other cities, including the capital Tripoli, the coastal cities of Misrata, Sirte and Benghazi, and Sabha in the south. Some protesters blocked roads and set tires on fire. They demanded a dissolution of the two governments that had been struggling for power for months and national elections, as well as better electricity supply and lower bread prices. According to official information, there were no dead or injured.
At noon the situation was generally calm. The news site Al-Wasat reported on a “Friday of Rage” – an allusion to the motto “Day of Rage” under which opponents of longtime ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi took to the streets in 2011. After the violent suppression of these protests and the fall of Gaddafi, a civil war finally broke out in the oil-rich country.
In Libya, the governments around Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbaiba and ex-Interior Minister Fathi Baschaga have been fighting for power for months. Talks between the warring factions about a possible presidential election and the legal basis for it ended in Cairo and Geneva without any result. The election was supposed to take place in December, but failed, among other things, due to the dispute over the admission of candidates.
