The Risks of Libya’s Return to Two Governments

The presence of two governments in Libya risks renewing violence in Tripoli and disrupting the energy-rich nation’s crucial oil and gas exports as the leader of each regime vies for domestic and international legitimacy. Libya’s House of Representatives (HoR), which is based in the eastern town of Tobruk, approved a new government on March 1 with former Libyan interior minister Fathi Bashagha as its prime minister. Incumbent Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, who heads the U.N.-recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) based in the western city of Tripoli, rejected the parliament’s decision, vowing to remain in power and rule from Tripoli. On March 1, Bashagha said that his new government plans to assume power peacefully in Tripoli, setting up a potential clash with Dbeibeh in the country’s capital. ...