Libyan official Mohammed Al Menfi has urged the country's feuding politicians to work in the national interest and take part in elections in December or face the risk of a return to civil war.
Mr Al Menfi, Chairman of Libya’s Presidential Council, told the UN in New York that Libya was at a “fate-defining moment” after an eastern-based parliament this week withdrew its support from the country’s unity government.
“We are faced with serious challenges and quick-paced developments … which could, in turn, undermine the looming elections and bring us back to square one,” he told the gathering of world leaders.
Mr Al Menfi urged “leaders of relevant political and military institutions to facilitate reaching an agreement on effective guarantees to maintain the political process and conducting safe, transparent, fair elections, with results acceptable to all”.
Unless Libya’s politicians operate with a “spirit of compromise” by “placing the interest of the state above all”, they could send the country back into civil war.
“We either succeed in the democratic transition by means of fair, transparent elections … then move towards a sustained stability and prosperity, or we fail and relapse into division and armed conflict,” Mr Al Menfi said.
On Wednesday, eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar paved the way to stand for president in the planned December 24 legislative and presidential election.
Field Marshal Haftar said he would step down from his military role for three months.
Libyan media said the move opened the way for him to run as a presidential candidate under a controversial new law.
National elections have been promoted as a way to end Libya’s decade-long crisis, but bitter arguments over legitimacy may unravel the months-long peace process.
The election was mandated last year by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, a UN-selected assembly that set a road map for peace in Libya through a unity government and a nationwide vote.
The Libyan Parliament passed a vote of no confidence in the unity government this week, another blow to UN-backed peace efforts.
Eighty-nine of the 113 members who attended the session in the eastern city of Tobruk voted to withdraw support from the Tripoli-based administration of interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
The UN estimates there are more than 20,000 mercenaries, including Russians and Syrians, in Libya, and foreign troops, most of them Turkish.
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
The years Ramadan fell in May
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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