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Libya

October 22, 2026

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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

Pro-UN-backed government protesters hold placards and shout slogans during a demonstration in the Libyan capital Tripoli on April 1, 2016.
Hundreds of supporters of the Government of National Accord (GNA) rallied in the capital where the unity cabinet is striving to exert its authority, calling on a rival administration to depart. / AFP / MAHMUD TURKIA (Photo credit should read MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP/Getty Images)

Lobbying 2016: Libya seeks nation-building partner in Washington

Offshore oil platforms are seen at the Bouri Oil Field off the coast of Libya August 3, 2015. Oil prices lurched 5 percent lower on Monday to their lowest since January, taking global benchmark Brent below $50 a barrel as weak factory activity in China deepened a commodity-wide rout. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi MALTA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN MALTA - RTX1MWTJ

Libya's bungled oil deal

Rather than uniting Libya's feuding national oil companies and myriad rival militias, the United Nation’s clumsy attempts to restart oil exports have pushed them all into pitched battle.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, attends a hearing behind bars in a courtroom in Zintan May 25, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer (LIBYA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW) - RTR3QSD2

Will Gadhafi's son be Libya's next leader?

After his release, analysts are debating whether Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son of late leader Moammar Gadhafi, will be playing a role in Libya’s political scene from the inside or from abroad.

A Tunisian police officer stands guard near a police station after Monday's attack by Islamic State militants on army and police barracks in the town of Ben Guerdan, Tunisia, near the Libyan border March 8, 2016. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi - RTS9UV0

Why these Tunisian border towns have become IS recruitment hotspots

The trying economic situations in Tunisia’s border towns have pushed some of their young residents to join terrorist networks, while others seek illegal immigration via the sea to Europe.

Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni (L) listens during a news conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry at the foreign ministry in Cairo, Egypt, July 13, 2015. The visit comes two days after Islamic State claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack at the Italian consulate in central Cairo on Saturday, in an escalation of violence that suggests militants are opening a new front against foreigners in Egypt. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RTX1K80W

Egypt to focus on cooperation with Italy

After months of a quid-pro-quo attitude between Egypt and Italy, Egypt's legislators have decided to use a carrot instead of a stick to resolve ill will over the slaying of Italian student Giulio Regeni.

German Navy soldiers take part in a drill for a search and rescue operation during the visit of German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen aboard the German navy vessel Schleswig Holstein near the harbour of the Sicilian port city of Catania, Italy, July 4, 2015. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo - RTX2HJGL

The real reason the EU can't stop human smuggling from Libya

The EU’s Operation Sophia has so far failed to stop the smuggling of people from Africa to Europe, as the problem lies in Libya's tenuous government.

Then-General Khalifa Haftar speaks during a news conference in Abyar, east of Benghazi May 31, 2014. Growing frustration over the reality of life in eastern Libya, which contrasts with the promises of politicians, is feeding support for Haftar, who has set himself up as a warrior against Islamist militancy and who some also see as their saviour. Picture taken May 31, 2014. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori (LIBYA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR4QLTY

Is General Hifter becoming Putin's man in Libya?

Despite some speculation, Gen. Khalifa Hifter's sudden visit to Moscow says less about impending arms deals than about Russia's long-term strategy in Libya and the region.

Is Tunisia prepared for return of thousands of Islamic State fighters?

Thousands of Islamic State fighters are expected to return to Tunisia, where the authorities are uncertain how to deal with the risk they may pose.

A security officer stands with his weapon on a road leading to a police station in Benghazi December 4, 2014. Police stations, prisons and the local security headquarters have reopened in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi for the first time in over a year, officials said, after pro-government forces seized back part of the port city. Medics say around 450 people have been killed in a two-month offensive by pro-government forces which has restored some sense of normality in parts of the city, though fighting

Shocking murders expose Libyan government's weakness

Twelve men were killed in Tripoli upon their release from prison, raising questions about relations between the Government of National Accord and militias.

Forces aligned with Libya's new unity government are seen on the road as they advance on the eastern and southern outskirts of the Islamic State stronghold of Sirte, in this still image taken from video on June 9, 2016. Via REUTERS TV - RTSGPGM

Obama administration lays out $56 million plan for Libya

The United States is boosting its commitment to the new coalition government in Libya.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (L) and Mohammed Siyala, foreign minister in Libya's new U.N.-backed national unity government, smile after a joint news conference in Tripoli, Libya, May 30, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny - RTX2ETWP

Why Turkey is making a return to Libya

Given economic troubles at home, it is no surprise that Ankara has decided to reopen its embassy in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, which had been closed since 2014.

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton makes a speech during a campaign stop in Lynwood, California, United States, June 6, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake - RTSGAC9

Will Arab-American voters rally around Clinton?

Arab-Americans tend to vote Democratic in presidential elections, but will the community coalesce around Hillary Clinton despite the attraction of Bernie Sanders’ views on the Middle East?