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Libya

October 22, 2026

Tripoli 2:13 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

Will new Sudanese regime stop arms flow to Gaza?

The toppled regime of Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir had turned a blind eye to the smuggling of weapons through Sudan to Gaza, and Hamas is hoping that any successor government will adopt a similar attitude.

Khalifa Haftar (C), the military commander who dominates eastern Libya, leaves after an international conference on Libya at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 29, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer - RC1C86F2EC00

US eyes bigger role for Libyan warlord as civil war looms

The United States has long struggled with how to handle Khalifa Hifter, as the former CIA asset has repeatedly threatened to march on the war-torn country’s capital.

General Khalifa Haftar (L), commander in the Libyan National Army (LNA), shakes hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting in Moscow, Russia August 14, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin - UP1ED8E0PWK6C

Moscow cultivates neutral image as Libya quakes

Despite the Russians' nominal condemnation of renewed fighting in Libya and continuing contacts with all the major players, Moscow doesn’t want to see Gen. Khalifa Hifter defeated.

An aerial view shows military vehicles on a road in Libya, April 4, 2019, in this still image taken from video. Reuters TV via REUTERS - RC1720685A20

The backstory to Hifter's march on Tripoli

Libya has been in a constant state of civil war for five years, and the unique patterns of the Libyan civil war must not be forgotten as we parse its latest developments. The recent march on Tripoli by Khalifa Hifter's forces is more about media optics and projecting power, than about precipitating a blood bath for control of the capital.

Retired four-star Army General John Abizaid testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing to be U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1BE3EFCA20

Intel: How the US is filling diplomatic gap with picks for Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Libya

New pact will open flow of Egyptian workers to Libya

Egypt and Libya recently signed an agreement to cooperate on screening Egyptian laborers so more of them can enter Libya as the security situation is gradually improving.

President of Libya High Council of State Khaled Al-Mishri poses for a family photo during the second day of the international conference on Libya in Palermo, Italy, November 13, 2018. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane - RC12A9144930

Whose side is Russia on in Libya?

The visit to Russia by Khaled al-Mishri, president of Libya's High Council of State and a former Muslim Brotherhood member, has raised speculation about Russian policy on a resolution for the Libyan conflict.

A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, touches down at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, April 9, 2016. The U.S. Air Force deployed B-52 bombers to Qatar on Saturday to join the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the first time they have been based in the Middle East since the end of the Gulf War in 1991. REUTERS/U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Corey Hook/Handout via Reuters THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTE

Plan to charge allies for US troop presence carries risks for Americans in North Africa

US President Donald Trump’s reported plan to charge allies for US military bases could make it harder to protect diplomats and embassies throughout Africa.

Egypt unimpressed by Libya's border wall

Libya has started construction on a one-kilometer wall along its border with Egypt that security experts say will not stop the smuggling of arms and militants.

Tobruk parliamentarian explains south Libya's support for Hifter

In an interview with Al-Monitor, a member of the Tobruk-based parliament talks about Gen. Khalifa Hifter’s operation to cleanse the south from armed gangs and secure oil fields.

Libyan court cracks down on Hamas activities

Four Palestinians have been hit with significant jail sentences after a military court in Libya declared them guilty of being affiliated with and aiding Hamas.

Is Libya's revolution anniversary cause for celebration?

It seems Libyans have nothing to celebrate on the eighth anniversary of its revolution.