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On Saturday, a senior UN official responsible for Libya condemned the attack on the parliamentary headquarters in the oil-rich country’s east, as part of protests in several cities the previous day against deteriorating political class and economic conditions.
Hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of the capital Tripoli and other Libyan cities on Friday, with many attacking and setting fire to government buildings, including the House of Representatives in the eastern city of Tobruk.
The UN Special Adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, tweeted: “People’s right to peaceful protest should be respected and protected, but acts of rioting and vandalism, such as the attack on the House of Representatives headquarters in Tobruk late yesterday, are totally unacceptable. of.” .
The Secretary-General follows with concern the demonstrations that took place on 1 July in several Libyan cities, including Tripoli, Tobruk and Benghazi.
The charred Libyan parliament building is seen in Tobruk, Libya, Saturday, July 2, 2022. Hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of the capital Tripoli and other Libyan cities on Friday, with many attacking and setting fire to government buildings, including representatives from the eastern city of Tobruk in the House of Representatives. (AP Photo)
He acknowledged the right to peaceful demonstrations, called on all protesters to refrain from violence and called on security forces to exercise maximum restraint.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on all protesters to “avoid violence and call on security forces to exercise maximum restraint,” said UN spokesman Stephen Dujarric.
“The Secretary-General urges Libyan actors to unite and overcome the ongoing political impasse that is deepening divisions and negatively affecting the country’s economy,” Dujarric said.
Friday’s protests came a day after parliamentary leaders and another Tripoli-based legislative chamber failed to reach an agreement on elections in UN-mediated talks in Geneva. According to the United Nations, the controversy now centers on the candidates’ eligibility requirements.
Libya failed to hold elections in December due to challenges including legal disputes, a controversial presidential candidate and the presence of rogue militias and foreign militants in the country.
The failure to hold the December vote was a major blow to the international community’s efforts to bring peace to the Mediterranean country. It has opened a new chapter in its long political stalemate, with two rival governments now claiming power after taking initial steps to unify over the past year.
Stephanie Williams, UN Special Adviser on Libya, stands for a photo in Cairo, Egypt, January 16, 2022. Two senior Libyan officials from the country’s rival camp failed to agree on a constitutional framework for national elections after two days of UN-brokered talks, Williams said on Thursday, June 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty, file)
Frustrated by years of chaos and division, protesters have called for the removal of the current political class and elections. They have also united against the dire economic conditions of the oil-rich country, where fuel and bread prices have risen and power outages are a regular occurrence.
Protesters also rallied on Saturday in Tripoli and several towns in western Libya, blocking roads and setting tires on fire, according to live broadcasts on social media.
There are fears that militias across the country could crush protests, as they did during demonstrations in 2020, when they opened fire on people protesting dire economic conditions.
The European Union’s envoy to Libya, Sabadell Jose, called on protesters to “avoid any form of violence”. He said Friday’s demonstrations showed that people want “change through elections and their voices should be heard”. US Ambassador to Libya Richard Nolan urged Libyan political leaders and their foreign supporters to reach a compromise for holding elections.
“It is clear that no single political entity has legitimate control over the entire country and any effort to impose a unilateral solution will lead to violence,” he said by phone with the head of Libya’s presidential council, Mohammad Younes Menfi. later warned on Twitter.
Libya has been plagued by conflict since World War I NATO– Supported an uprising that overthrew and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country has been divided over the years between rival governments in East and West, each supported by different militias and foreign governments.
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