The Washington Post:

One of Libya’s rival prime ministers said Wednesday he would seat his government in the central city of Sirte, after clashes forced him to abort his attempt the previous day to bring his Cabinet to the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

Oil-rich Libya has been wrecked by conflict since the NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011 and has for years since been split between rival administrations in the east and west, each supported by different militias and foreign governments.

Reuters:

Clashes rocked Libya’s capital early on Tuesday as the parliament-appointed prime minister, Fathi Bashagha, tried to take over government there but was forced back out by a rival administration that refuses to cede power.

Bashagha entered Tripoli overnight after two months of stalemate between Libya’s rival administrations, but withdrew hours later as fighting broke out.

The crisis risks plunging Libya back into prolonged fighting after two years of comparative peace, or returning it to partition between the eastern-backed government of Bashagha and a Tripoli administration under Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah.

Political deadlock has already led to a partial blockade of Libya’s oil facilities, cutting its main source of foreign revenue by half. Diplomacy to resolve the crisis or lay the ground for new elections is making slow progress.

Speaking from the central coastal city of Sirte, where the parliament last week said he should base his government while unable to work in Tripoli, Bashagha said he would not use violence to take over in the capital.

The Jerusalem Post:

Clashes erupted in Libya’s capital on Tuesday as the parliament-appointed prime minister, Fathi Bashagha, arrived to try to take control of the government from a rival administration that has refused to cede power.

The violence followed Bashagha’s entry into the city overnight accompanied by an armed faction. His office released a statement saying it would carry on its duties from inside the capital.

Reuters:

Libya’s parliament wants the government it has appointed under Fathi Bashagha to be based for now in Sirte, it said on Tuesday, amid a stalemate over control of the capital Tripoli where another administration refuses to hand over power.

The move represents the clearest acknowledgement since the parliament appointed Bashagha in March that he cannot take over in Tripoli yet with Libya paralysed by its crisis of two governments.

The National:

A Libyan military commander who lived for decades in the US state of Virginia failed to show up for a deposition on Monday in a federal lawsuit in which he is accused of war crimes.

Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar had been scheduled to appear for seven hours in a long-sought video deposition during which he would be asked about his role in the alleged extrajudicial killing and torture of Libyan civilians in the country’s decade-long civil war.

He has been named in three separate civil lawsuits in US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia. Mr Haftar tried unsuccessfully to have the lawsuits tossed out, claiming immunity as head of state.

Africanews:

Libya’s rival PM Fathi Bashaga on Wednesday named the coastal of Sirte as the seat of his administration.

Bashaga was appointed by the House of Representatives based in Tobruk in February, setting the former interior minister on a collision course with Abdelhamid Dbeibah, the prime minister of the Government of National Unity.

Dbeibah who governs from Tripoli dismissed Bashaga’s appointment and refused to vacate office.

There were fears that rival army factions would in a battle for control of Tripoli.

But Bashaga announced Wednesday that his outfit would exercise its functions from Sirte.

Bashaga enjoys backing from eastern Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, while Dbeibah is supported by army units loyal to the government of National Accord which sits in Tripoli.

With the appointment of Bashaga, the north African country slid back into a political crisis where two rival governments claim control.

The National:

Libya’s National Oil Corporation is resuming operations at the Zueitina oil terminal after the unit was shut down last month because of the ongoing political turmoil in the country.

The oil company declared “temporary lifting of the force majeure” at the terminal on Sunday to start loading tankers with crude oil to reduce stock and free up storage capacity, it said in a statement on its website.

Force majeure refers to an unforeseen set of circumstances preventing a party from fulfilling a contract.

“With the efforts of the … people of this country and in regular and continuous communication with all parties, the [Zueitina] oil terminal has temporarily resumed work, to load two tankers and allow for enough space to store the displaced volume of crude oil,” the company said.

The Washington Post:

The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Friday to extend the U.N. political mission in Libya for three months, with the United States and Britain accusing Russia of blocking a longer and more substantive mandate that would include promoting reconciliation of the country’s rival governments now claiming power.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Moscow insisted on a three-month extension to pressure U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to urgently appoint a new special representative to head the mission, known as UNSMIL. The former U.N. special envoy, Jan Kubis, resigned on Nov. 23 after 10 months on the job.

Nebenzia said in the absence of a new envoy, the U.N. mission “has been unable to provide substantial support for the political process in Libya for more than six months.” He blamed some unidentified members of the Security Council who he claimed “are not ready to accept a scenario where UNSMIL is guided by an African representative,” saying their opposition is “non-constructive” and “a manifestation of neo-colonialism.”

The Libya Observer:

The US said it is deeply concerned by the continued oil shutdown, which is depriving Libyans of substantial revenue, contributing to increasing prices, and could lead to electricity blackouts, water supply problems, and fuel shortages.

“The damage the shutdown is causing to oil infrastructure will cost Libya additional millions, risks an environmental disaster, and could impact the country’s ability to utilize this infrastructure in the future to reach its full production potential. Responsible Libyan leaders must recognize that the shutdown harms Libyans throughout the country and has repercussions across the global economy, and should end it immediately.” The US embassy said in a statement.

Asharq Al-Awsat:

The Libyan government, chaired by Fathi Bashagha, held its first official meeting in the southern city of Sebha after failing to enter the capital, Tripoli.

The Washington Post:

Rival Libyan officials wrapped up weeklong talks in the Egyptian capital without an agreement on constitutional arrangements for elections, the United Nations said Tuesday.

Twelve lawmakers from Libya’s east-based parliament and 12 from the High Council of State, an advisory body in the capital of Tripoli in western Libya, took part in the U.N.-brokered talks that concluded Monday in Cairo.

The U.N. special adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, said the officials agreed to reconvene next month after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan.

See also: Shutdown Of Libya Oil Sites Spreads To Second Terminal

ABC News:

Tribal leaders in southern Libya shut down the county’s largest oil field, authorities said Monday, the latest closure of an oil facility amid a bitter standoff between two rival governments.

Oil production at the Sharara field has been stopped and the state-run National Oil Corp. declared force majeure at the field, which produces around 450,000 barrels a day. Force majeure is a legal maneuver that enables a company to get out of its contractual obligations because of extraordinary circumstances.

The corporation called the shutdown of the field an “absurd move” that mirrors the ongoing standoff in the country. The closure will likely create a fuel crisis in the oil-rich country, as the field is one of the main sources of domestic fuel.

The corporation did not name those people behind the closure, but its announcement came a few hours after tribal leaders in the desert town of Ubari, about 950 kilometers (590 miles) south of the capital, Tripoli, said they shut down the field in protest against the government of embattled Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.

Reuters:

Representatives of Libya’s two rival governments began talks in Egypt on Wednesday aimed at reaching agreement on holding national elections, the United Nations Mission in Libya said.

Libya has had two competing governments since March when the eastern-based parliament appointed Fathi Bashagha to replace the Tripoli-based prime minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, renewing a standoff between the east and west of the country.

Dbeibah, who was chosen as interim prime minister a year ago in U.N.-backed talks, has refused to cede power to Bashagha.

The North Africa Post:

The new Libyan Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha banned on Tuesday implementation of any decrees or instructions issued by the outgoing Government of National Unity (GNU), led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, Libya Update reports.

The former interior minister addressed a letter to the heads of institutions, departments, bodies, agencies, public companies, state-owned commercial companies, and mayors of municipalities, informing them that it is strictly forbidden to make any modification or change in whole or in part in the legal and administrative positions of the boards of directors of those institutions.

The letter also warned legally competent authorities to initiate any procedures in this regard, indicating that the heads and directors of departments and offices at units and related administrative bodies must refrain from issuing any official documents.

Anyone who violates the provisions of his publication falls under full legal responsibility and exposes himself to disciplinary and criminal accountability, the letter warns.

Vested with power of Prime Minister last month by the country’s parliament (House of Representatives), Bashagha has been unable to take office in capital Tripoli after outgoing Dbeibeh vowed to fight any attempt by in-coming Premier’s team to take over institutions.

Nasdaq:

The United States is proposing ways for Libya to manage the flow of oil revenue to help it through a political crisis as two rival prime ministers vie for power, Washington’s ambassador to Tripoli said on Thursday.

Rival factions have argued over who gets to control oil production, sales and revenues for years, fuelling the political chaos and violence that has ravaged Libya since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising.

The U.S. proposals aim to stop the crisis spilling over into economic warfare that would deprive Libyans of salaries, subsidised goods and state investment and hit global energy markets, ambassador Richard Norland told Reuters.

Any threat to Libya’s output, which has topped 1.3 million barrels per day in recent months, would hit markets already reeling from the Ukraine crisis.

UN News:

Amid a political impasse that threatens to see Libya fractured again by two parallel governments, the priority must be maintaining hard-won gains and fulfilling the electoral aspirations of nearly three million registered voters, the UN political affairs chief told the Security Council on Wednesday.

The Libya Observer:

Identical sources from Benghazi confirmed that armed gunmen loyal to Khalifa Haftar stormed Tuesday morning the headquarters of the Government of National Unity (GNU) and dismissed all employees before it had handed it over to the Deputy PM of the Bashagha government that was appointed by the House of Representatives (HoR) Ali Al-Gotrani.

Al-Hadath TV, owned by Haftar’s son, said the incident was a peaceful and legal handover of power between GNU officials and the new government, adding that the secretary of Hussein Al-Gotrani: Deputy PM of the GNU, Rida Al-Fartis, supervised the handover.

Meanwhile, Deputy PM of the GNU Hussein Al-Gotrani denied resignation or being pressured to do so, saying that despite being outside of Libya currently, he is still in his position and in support of PM Dbiebah’s initiative regarding elections.

“The GNU will only hand over power to an elected government. The Benghazi government headquarters is under my control and all employees listen to my instructions.” Al-Gotrani added.

See also: US Judge Reinstates War Crimes Lawsuit Against Libya’s Khalifa Haftar

Financial Times:

The leader of a new Libyan government has vowed to relocate from the country’s east to Tripoli within “days” to replace a rival administration, despite concerns that such a move risks stoking a fresh bout of fighting in the oil-rich north African state.

Fathi Bashagha’s government was approved by the Libyan parliament this month, establishing a rival to an interim administration in Tripoli that failed to hold December elections. He told the Financial Times this week that he planned to move to the capital in the most “peaceful way possible”, insisting that his government would not be involved in “any violence or conflict”.

“We will be arriving in Tripoli in the next few days and there will not be another parallel government,” Bashagha said in a telephone interview from Tobruk, where the House of Representatives is based. “The reason why we have not entered Tripoli just yet is to avoid what you have pointed out [the risk of conflict].”

The Bashagha-led government, which is backed by Khalifa Haftar, the renegade military officer who controls eastern Libya, is seeking to replace the interim administration based in Tripoli led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh. Both have the backing of armed factions and a stand-off between them risks triggering the bitter factional divisions that have blighted the country since disputed 2014 elections. Bashagha said he had reached out to forces on the ground and the political elite to avoid confrontation. Analysts said any move on Tripoli would raise the stakes in the political stand-off.

Al Jazeera:

Libya’s parliament-appointed Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha said that armed groups backing him have withdrawn from positions around Tripoli, after the UN warned of a new escalation in the divided country.

Libya has had rival administrations since the eastern-based assembly swore in Bashagha as prime minister earlier this month in a challenge to interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. Dbeibah has refused to hand over power to Bashagha, arguing that his own administration, installed last year under a United Nations-led peace process, had a mandate to rule until elections.

Pro-Bashagha forces had deployed on the eastern edges of Tripoli on Thursday, prompting the UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to warn against any escalation. But Bashagha’s office said in a statement in the early hours of Friday that the groups had “opted not to use arms, and to return to their bases”.