Uncertainty surrounds a planned peace summit, aimed at helping to bring to an end the civil unrest in Libya.
Scheduled for April, the Sirte National Reconciliation Summit is backed by the UN and the African Union.
But experts doubt it will produce any effective outcomes, saying that personal interests are standing in the way of peace in Libya.
Othman Ben Sassi, a political analyst and former member of Libya’s disbanded post-2011 National Transitional Council, said that Libyans had lost faith in the reconciliation process.
"Talks have just turned into a mere routine," he told The National from Tripoli.
The aim of this political elite is not true state building but maximising personal gains
Othman Ben Sassi,
member of Libya’s National Transitional Council
"People have lost their trust in the entire political elite."
Mr Ben Sassi spoke after the abrupt cancellation of another reconciliation meeting, which had been expected on Wednesday and Thursday in the Tunisian capital, Tunis.
More than 100 politicians from Libya's House of Representatives and High Council of State had been expected to take part.
No official explanation has been given for the cancellation, with local reports citing "lack of appropriate permissions" to hold the meeting.
Since the overthrow of Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s regime by rebels – backed by western air strikes – in 2011, Libya has been rocked by unrest.
The country remains divided because of a continuing rivalry between two governments, one based in the west in Tripoli and another in the east in Benghazi, and different armed factions’ attempts to seize control of the oil-rich North African state.
Elections were expected to take place in 2021, before those fell through due to disagreements about the electoral law and who should be allowed to stand in the polls.
The UN and other regional powers such as the African Union have since been attempting to find common ground for the political actors, in the hope elections could take place in the near future.
Observers say there is no political will for reconciliation among Libya's political actors, with some benefiting from the turmoil.
"The aim of this [ruling] political elite is not true state-building, but it is rather about maximising personal gains," Mr Ben Sassi said.
Latest figures from the Finance Ministry of the Tripoli-based National Unity Government show that about $3 million was allocated as salaries for both its legislative and executive bodies, in the first nine months of 2023.
While government officials' salaries continued to rise in recent years, the average public sector salary remains around $240, according to salary tracker Bdex.
North Africa expert and senior fellow at the John Hopkins University Foreign Policy Institute, Hafed Al Ghwell, told The National that a comprehensive national reconciliation in Libya is not possible as long as the country remains reliant on an inherently-flawed leadership structure.
"They [politicians] do not have a political agenda and all they are doing is fight over money," he said.
Long-lasting peace
As the reconciliation process continues to encounter difficulties, Libyans are calling for free and fair elections.
For Tripoli resident Sara Elwheshi, 26, a chance to have a say in her country’s political future is all she wants.
“Since 2011 we have been suffering from a crisis that has affected, in one way or another, societal conditions and caused a tragic decline in public services such as education and health," she told The National.
Ms Elwheshi believes that the only resolution to the country’s stalemate is a comprehensive political reconciliation.
“Elections are an essential part of the democratic process and the Libyan people have the right to determine its political future,” Ms Elwheshi said.
Libyans say long-delayed parliamentary elections could be the breakthrough their country needs to mitigate its current crisis.
The longer it takes, however, the riskier it becomes for Libyans who are already bearing the brunt of the political instability.
“People are living in a volcano zone, we might keep going on with our lives for years but that volcano will still be there and could erupt at any given moment,” Mr Ben Sassi said.
In a UN Security Council meeting earlier this month, the UN's envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, emphasised the need for Libyan politicians to put aside personal differences and interests and move towards elections.
“Key Libyan institutional stakeholders appear unwilling to resolve the outstanding politically contested issues that would clear the path to the long-awaited elections in Libya,” he told the Security Council.
Despite the stagnation of the current status quo, Libyans continue to believe that a successful peace process will eventually unfold.
“There is always hope, even if the steps falter and we face some complications, improving the situation is neither far away nor impossible,” Ms Elwheshi said.
Mohamed Al Menfi, chairman of Libya's Presidential Council said in January that he was hopeful the Sirte summit would bring about a comprehensive and inclusive reconciliation, as well as determine the most adequate mechanisms for such process.
However, both Tripoli and Benghazi have not been transparent about the kind of mechanisms they want to unify the country's divided political system.
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Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
(All games 4-3pm kick UAE time) Bayern Munich v Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg v Mainz , Eintracht Frankfurt v Freiburg, Union Berlin v RB Leipzig, Cologne v Schalke , Werder Bremen v Borussia Monchengladbach, Stuttgart v Arminia Bielefeld
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
THREE
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
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Started: October 2023
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Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
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- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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