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Libya

October 23, 2026

Tripoli 4:07 pm

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Analysis

What's at stake as Libya's eastern parliament approves Turkey maritime deal

Libya's eastern-based parliament's approval of a long-disputed maritime deal with Turkey marks a strategic win for Ankara as Saddam Hifter seeks Turkish backing for his presidential ambitions, according to analysts.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

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

A man walks outside a vegetable and fruit seller's shop in Libya's eastern town of Shahat, in the Jabal al-Akhdar (Green Mountain) region, on Feb. 10, 2022.

Libya grapples with mounting food costs, diminishing oil revenues

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Libyan GNU Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, April 12, 2021.

Cairo quiet as Ankara reaches out to eastern Libya

Cairo and Ankara are at odds over Libya and the wider Mediterranean region, but Ankara’s recent contacts with Cairo’s allies in eastern Libya might encourage rapprochement between the two regional powers.

Saif al-Islam Kadhafi, son of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, appears in front of supporters and journalists at his father's residential complex in the Libyan capital Tripoli in the early hours of Aug. 23, 2011.

Libyan court rules Gadhafi's son eligible to run for president

The court's decision comes a week after Libya's electoral commission disqualified Saif Al-Islam Gadhafi and 24 other candidates for president.

MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP via Getty Images

Libya's ex-interior minister registers to run for president

Bashagha joins a growing list of candidates that so far includes renegade leader Khalifa Hifter, eastern-based parliament speaker Aguila Saleh and the son of late dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

ABDULLAH DOMA/AFP via Getty Images

Libyan strongman Hifter announces presidential run

Libya's former eastern-based commander Khalifa Hifter declared his candidacy for the Dec. 24 elections, saying he'll seek to "lead our people in a fateful stage."

Libya

How Ankara-Abu Dhabi detente could affect Libya

Negotiations between Turkey and the UAE have focused mostly on increased trade, but several factors may lead Abu Dhabi to back away from supporting the Libyan insurgency.

Libya election

World powers warn Libya election obstructors could face sanctions

World leaders gathered in Paris on Friday for a high-level conference aimed at ensuring Libya's elections go ahead as planned.

A family member grieves next to the grave of his brother, Moaid Amer, who is amongst victims of Al-Kaneyat massacres, during burial in the cemetery of Tarhuna on March 5, 2021 in Tarhuna, Libya.

Libya Stabilization Act could have major impact on war-torn country

If signed into law, the bill — which orders a probe into war crimes and torture — would also threaten sanctions to those who provide arms to Libya's warring factions.

Libya parliament

Libya’s parliament passes key elections legislation

The breakthrough follows concerns last month that the House of Representatives' vote of no confidence could be further thwart progress towards national reunification.

Mass grave

UN probe finds Libya's warring parties likely committed war crimes

A team of investigators appointed by the Human Rights Council said the rival factions, foreign fighters and third countries involved in Libya's war have likely committed war crimes and crimes against humanity since 2016.

Libya's President Mohammad Younes Menfi (L) is pictured as he reviews a guard of honor during his meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Bellevue presidential palace, Berlin, Germany, Oct. 1, 2021.

Intel: Top general joins US diplomats in urging Libya’s reunification

AFRICOM's commander talked partnership opportunities with military officials in Tripoli last week, but Libyans must first bridge their divisions with nationwide elections.

An aerial image shows a picnic tables at a recreational area, built on the former military academy of late Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi's entourage of female bodyguards, known as "Amazons", between the port and the city centre of the capital Tripoli, on June 8, 2021.

Clashes in Libya’s capital raise concerns over stability ahead of elections

The UN's assistance mission to Libya expressed "grave concern" over the heaviest fighting in months.