Like most of its North African peers, Libya has been grappling with rising wheat costs  following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war. Combined with the April blockade of a number of oil plants, the country is particularly vulnerable and unable to benefit from the global rise in oil prices.

The current situation is rooted in the political divisions of the post-Gaddafi period. In February 2021, the international community welcomed the election of UN-backed prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh as a unifying figure after years of political divisions and bloody conflicts.

One year later, after the postponed elections of December 24, 2021, old wounds reemerged with two different governments — that of Abdul Dbeibeh and that of House of Representatives-designate prime minister Fati Bashagha — claiming the exclusive authority over the country, raising concerns of a new and large-scale armed confrontation between Libyan political factions. 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated the situation in Libya as it results in higher food prices and insecurity. Moreover, local militias close to General Khalifa Haftar who support Bashagha closed down some oil fields mid-April in an attempt to force Dbeibeh to resign. Since then, Libya's oil production has dropped below 1 million barrels per day, and according to recent estimates, the country is losing $60 million in revenue daily.