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Libya

October 10, 2026

Tripoli 4:27 am

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US Department of State's senior advisor to the President for Arab and African Affairs Massad Fares Boulos attends a conference for the support of peace and prosperity in the Great Lakes region, in Paris, on October 30, 2025. The international community gathered in Paris on October 30, 2025 to raise awareness about the dire humanitarian situation in the Great Lakes region, aiming to raise hundreds of millions of euros despite a drastic decrease in international aid, particularly from the United States. (Phot

Interview

Trump's Africa adviser denies Libya plan would entrench rival families

The reported unification plan for Libya has been met with pushback in a country torn apart by rival factions and foreign interference.

A commercial vessel is anchored off Yemen's coast at Bab al-Mandeb, in the straits connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean on Sept. 12, 2026.

Explainer

Saudi Yanbu halt deepens oil strain as Europe scrambles for crude

European crude importers are racing to secure new oil shipments as markets brace for the loss of up to 4% of global supplies into October following attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure.

Saddam Hifter meets with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin

Russia’s Putin hosts Saddam Hifter amid instability in Libya: What to know

Moscow has built a strong relationship with Libya’s eastern camp, as Washington and Ankara pursue efforts to reunify the country’s political and military institutions.

Latest News

Analysis

Libya’s oil revival faces new test as violence returns amid US peace push

Libyan firefighting teams attempt to extinguish a fire at the Zawiya refinery, the second-largest oil refinery in Libya, with a refining capacity of 120,000 barrels per day, after a tank belonging to the state-owned Libyan Brega Oil Company was attacked by unknown perpetrators, in Zawiya, Libya, on Aug. 11, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Turkey’s Fidan heads to Libya as US-backed unification push gathers pace

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan met with Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity of Libya, in Tripoli on Aug. 11, 2026.

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

Mohamed Eljarh

Can holding elections help ease divisions in Libya?

In an interview with Al-Monitor, the head of the High National Elections Commission talks about the need to hold elections in Libya and the challenges facing the commission in this regard.

Tunisian officials kidnapped by armed militia at the Tunisian Consulate in the Libyan captial, Tripoli, arrive at Aouina military airport in Tunis on June 19, 2015, following a week-long captivity. Tunisia said it was shutting its consulate in conflict-hit Libya as the 10 staffers who were abducted were released and heading home. AFP PHOTO / FETHI BELAID (Photo credit should read FETHI BELAID/AFP/Getty Images)

Kidnapping business thrives in Libya

Kidnappings are on the rise in Libya, with hundreds who have disappeared since the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi’s regime in 2011, while the UN-backed Government of National Accord does not seem to be offering much help.

Holding Libyan elections this year could be disastrous

There's a lot of pressure to hold elections in Libya this year, but many observers fear the country is still too unstable to pull it off without making the situation even worse.

New Italian government brings uncertainty for Libya

After the March 4 elections in Italy, a new government could be formed with new policies on migration and Libya.

Libyan displaced from the town of Tawergha protest in their camp in Benghazi, Libya February 4, 2018. Picture taken February 4, 2017. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori - RC126EB72FD0

Thousands forced from Libyan town stopped just short of home

Despite an agreement for the return of some 600 families to their hometown of Tawergha after seven years of displacement, delays have left them in yet another makeshift camp just miles from home.

Members of the audience wave Amazigh flags during Libya's first festival of the Amazigh songs in Benghazi December 15, 2011. REUTERS/Esam Al-Fetori (LIBYA - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - GM1E7CG0KSM01

Amazigh awakening: Libya’s largest minority wants recognition

Amazigh leaders are threatening to boycott parliamentary elections and a constitutional referendum if their rights and culture are not officially recognized.

A road sign shows the direction of Libya near the border crossing at Dhiba, Tunisia April 11, 2016. Tunisia's 2011 uprising created fertile ground for jihadist recruiters. Hundreds of Islamist militants were freed from prison as part of an amnesty for those detained under Ben Ali. Ultra-conservative salafists began to flex their muscle, seizing control of mosques and clashing with secularists. As Tunisia's politics have stabilised, the government has reasserted control, taking back mosques, banning the loc

Pentagon partners with Germany on Tunisia border security

The Pentagon is sending nearly $20 million in high-tech help to the North African country as civil war rages in neighboring Libya.

How my hometown became major smuggling route in Libya

Libya's interior has become a hub for human smugglers who utilize the uncontrolled roads to transport migrants wishing to travel to Europe by sea.

Migration from Libya down but threat of torture, death remains

Despite the risks of getting caught and tortured or killed, migrants still chance the route to Europe through Libya, where the volatile security situation can work in their favor.

Interview

Can Cairo talks succeed in uniting Libya's divided armed forces?

In an interview with Al-Monitor, the spokesman for the Libyan armed forces led by Gen. Khalifa Hifter speaks about the UN-sponsored elections and Egyptian efforts to unite the army, as Libya further sinks into chaos and division.

Khalifa Hifter

Khalifa Hifter

Commander of the Libyan National Army

France’s 'diplomatic signaling' on Syria

A recent Paris meeting on chemical weapons signaled a French attempt to regain a diplomatic foothold in Syria, but also acknowledged Russia as the main arbiter of the Syrian crisis.

With countering migration in mind, Italy to deploy troops to North Africa

As elections are approaching in Italy, questions arise about why parliament approved the increase of Italian troops in North Africa.