Fathi Bashagha was due to take the oath of office in Tobruk, but the current Tripoli administration of Abdulhamid al-Dbeibahhas vowed not to cede power, amid a growing risk of fighting or a return to territorial division.to prevent ministers in the new government from reaching Tobruk and early on Thursday his office said two ministers were abducted as they tried to travel by land.
However, the United Nations cast doubt overnight on the validity of the parliament’s effort to install Bashagha, saying it was concerned by reports that Tuesday’s vote of confidence”fell short of the expected standards”. Groups located in the main oil producing regions have meanwhile warned they may block off Libya’s energy exports, which amount to 1.3 million barrels per day.Libya has had little peace or security since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising against Muammar Gaddafi and it split in 2014 between rival governments based in Tripoli, in the west, and in the east where the parliament is based.
Since then, the parliament has tried to take control of the process by saying Dbeibah’s term had expired and setting a course towards a referendum on an altered constitution and the elections in 2023.