Hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of the capital Tripoli and other Libyan cities on Friday, with many attacking and setting fire to government buildings, including the House of Representatives in the eastern city of Tobruk. “The people’s right to peaceful protest should be respected and protected, but rioting and acts of vandalism, such as the storming of the House of Representatives headquarters late yesterday in Tobruk, are completely unacceptable,” said Stephanie Williams, UN special adviser on Libya, on Twitter. . The Secretary-General follows with concern the demonstrations that took place in several Libyan cities, including Tripoli, Tobruk and Benghazi, on 1 July. Recognizing the right to peaceful demonstration, it calls on all demonstrators to avoid acts of violence and calls on the security forces to exercise maximum restraint. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all protesters “to avoid acts of violence and for security forces to exercise maximum restraint,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. “The secretary-general urges Libyan actors to unite to overcome the ongoing political impasse, which is deepening divisions and negatively affecting the country’s economy,” Dujarric said. Friday’s protests came a day after leaders of the Tripoli-based parliament and another legislature failed to reach an agreement on elections during UN-brokered talks in Geneva. The controversy now centers on the eligibility requirements for candidates, according to the United Nations. Libya failed to hold elections in December after challenges including legal disputes, controversial presidential nominations and the presence of rogue militias and foreign fighters in the country. The failure to hold the December vote was a major blow to international efforts for peace in the Mediterranean nation. It has opened a new chapter in its long-running political stalemate, with two rival governments now vying for power after tentative steps towards unity over the past year. Protesters, frustrated by years of chaos and division, demanded the removal of the current political order and the holding of elections. They also rallied against dire economic conditions in the oil-rich country, where prices for fuel and bread have risen and power outages are a frequent occurrence. Protesters also gathered in Tripoli and several cities in western Libya on Saturday, blocking roads and burning tires, according to a live broadcast on social media. There were fears that militias across the country could quell the protests, as they did in the 2020 protests, when they opened fire on people protesting poor economic conditions. Sabadell Jose, the European Union’s envoy to Libya, called on protesters to “avoid any kind of violence”. He said Friday’s protests showed people wanted “change through elections and their voices must be heard.” The US ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, urged Libyan political leaders and their foreign backers to work on a compromise to hold elections. “It is clear that no political entity enjoys legitimate control over the entire country and any attempt to impose a unilateral solution will lead to violence,” he warned on Twitter after a call with Mohamed Younes Menfi, head of Libya’s presidential council. Libya has been wracked by conflict since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country was then for years divided between rival administrations in the east and west, each backed by different militias and foreign governments. .
