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Libya

October 21, 2026

Tripoli 5:03 am

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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 delegate from Libya takes part in the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum hosted in Gammarth on the outskirts of Tunisia's capital, on Nov. 9, 2020. In October, the two main sides in the complex Libyan conflict signed a landmark cease-fire agreement.

Intel: UN to send cease-fire observers to Libya

Libya's interim government welcomed the step and echoed calls for foreign forces to leave.

Libya's interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah (R) meets with Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Libya's capital, Tripoli, on April 6, 2021.

Libya and Greece agree to resume talks on Mediterranean Sea border

Libya's new unity government has had warm relations with Greece so far, but there are remaining issues on energy drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean that also involve Turkey and Egypt.

Michel and Dbeibah

European Union calls on foreign forces to leave Libya

EU Council President Charles Michel met with officials in Tripoli as more European officials are set to visit the capital this month.

Prisoners of war, loyal to the forces of Libya's eastern military strongman Khalifa Haftar, are pictured upon their release by the new Libyan unity government on March 31, 2021 in the port city of Zawiya, 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of the Libyan capital Tripoli, following the latest peace deal between the North African country's former rival governments. - The two sides have completed more than one prisoner swap this year as Libya's eastern administration officially handed over power to a new executive t

UN's Libya welcomes prisoner release as start of 'nationwide reconciliation'

Migrants arrive at a naval base in the Libyan capital of Tripoli

Shipwreck leads to at least five deaths off Libyan coast

Mediterranean crossings from Libya are continuing, despite dangers.

An anti-aircraft gun fires rounds in tribute during the funeral of General Wanis Bukhamada, commander of the "Saiqa" (Special Forces) of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar, in the eastern city of Benghazi on Nov. 1, 2020.

Libyan National Army prisoners of war released

The move was a further sign of reconciliation between Libya's rival administrations.

A picture taken on January 26, 2017 shows Mahmoud al-Werfalli speaking in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.

Libyan commander loyal to Hifter assassinated in Benghazi

Mahmoud al-Werfalli had been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and was under US and EU sanctions.

UN says Libya arms embargo 'totally ineffective'

A United Nations panel of experts accused several member states, including Turkey and Russia, of fueling the Libyan conflict.

Libya swears in new prime minister of unity government

Abdul Hamid Dbeibah has vowed to unify the war-torn country and lambasted the presence of foreign mercenaries.

A thaw in Turkey’s relations with Egypt?

Gulf Cooperation Council reconciliation may have set in motion Ankara’s desire for a reset with Cairo.

Libya's parliament approves interim government

The unity government is supported by both factions in the Libyan civil war and will lead the country to the December elections.

Libyan interim government formation stumbles on bribery allegations

Before even taking office, Libya’s interim government could soon be hit with a bribery scandal as the UN experts panel prepares to publish its findings.