Fighting broke out on Monday between the powerful 444th brigade and the Rada Force or the Special Deterrence Forces (SDF), both working under Libya’s so-called National Unity Government (GNU) led by Abdul Hameid Dbeibah

The failure of the two rival administrations in Libya to agree on a new electoral law is delaying the national elections and endangering the fragile ceasefire achieved through UN mediation in November 2020

UNSMIL head Abdoulaye Bathily has been meeting with Libya’s rival political and military leaders in order to find a consensus on holding elections, with emphasis on the expulsion of all foreign mercenaries from the war-torn country

The elections scheduled on December 24 last year were postponed due to disagreements over electoral law and the candidature of interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah

This was the second attempt by Fathi Bashagha to get hold of capital Tripoli since he was elected as prime minister by the Tobruk-based Libyan parliament in February

While Bashagha was appointed as prime minister this year in February by the Tobruk-based Libyan parliament, the Abdul Hamed Dbeibah-led government has refused to resign and hand over power

The eastern based-parliament announced that candidates can start submitting their applications for the role of interim prime minister. The move came just over a month after the presidential elections scheduled for December 24 were postponed

The state of elections in Libya is unclear after yet another deadline expired this week. Meanwhile, the future of the UN special mission in Libya (UNSMIL) also hangs in the balance due to differences between the US and Russia

The Libyan election committee has proposed January 24 as the new date for the elections due to unresolved disputes regarding the electoral laws and the presence of foreign troops in the country

Today’s episode looks at the slow vaccination rate in Africa, the postponement of elections in Libya, and an end to the Kellogg’s strike

The talks between the different groups seek to reach an agreement on a constitutional framework for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections

The ICC has reiterated calls by the United Nations last week urging Libyan armed factions and foreign fighters to free people that are being illegally detained in the country’s official and unofficial detention centers