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UN Welcomes Municipal Council Elections in Western Libya

Libyans walking near a laundry shop in Tawergha, near Misrata, and Stephanie Williams in the frame. AFP
Libyans walking near a laundry shop in Tawergha, near Misrata, and Stephanie Williams in the frame. AFP
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UN Welcomes Municipal Council Elections in Western Libya

Libyans walking near a laundry shop in Tawergha, near Misrata, and Stephanie Williams in the frame. AFP
Libyans walking near a laundry shop in Tawergha, near Misrata, and Stephanie Williams in the frame. AFP

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has welcomed the election of four municipal councils in western Libya.

“UNSMIL welcomes the first four municipal council elections in 2021 that are taking place in the municipalities of Hay al-Andalus and Swani Bin Adam of Greater Tripoli, as well as Qasr al-Akhyar and Zlitin, in the west,” the mission said in a statement.

Acting Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Libya Stephanie Williams has hailed the determination of the Libyan people to exercise their democratic rights.

She also praised the efforts made by the Central Committee for Municipal Council Elections (CCMCE) to carry out the elections in full compliance with COVID-19 precautionary measures and in accordance with the recommendations of the National Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.

In a statement on Friday, Williams encouraged all registered voters, “in particular women, youth and vulnerable groups to participate in the polls, while taking all precautionary measures, to contribute to peaceful and inclusive electoral processes.”

The mandate of most of the 116 municipal councils in Libya has expired, according to Law No. 59 of 2012.

According to head of the CCMCE Salem bin Tahia, elections took place in a positive environment and in line with an unviolated integrated security plan.

“These were the first elections held in 2021,” Xinhua quoted Salem as saying.

“We aim to re-elect 30 municipal councils in various Libyan cities this year,” he added, pointing out that Zlitin municipality saw the highest turnout at 42 percent while Hay al-Andalus saw the least turnout with 22 percent.

Meanwhile, forces loyal to Fayez al-Sarraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA) considered the elections a “lesson” for Libyan National Army (LNA) Commander Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

GNA army spokesman Colonel Mohammad Qanunu accused Haftar of militarizing the municipalities since 2016 by overthrowing elected mayors and appointing soldiers instead.

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Syria Extends the Deadline for a Probe into Coastal Unrest

A man takes a picture with his mobile phone as people gather to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the chemical attack for the first time after the fall of the Assad government in the town of Douma, in the eastern Ghouta region, near the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP)
A man takes a picture with his mobile phone as people gather to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the chemical attack for the first time after the fall of the Assad government in the town of Douma, in the eastern Ghouta region, near the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP)
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Syria Extends the Deadline for a Probe into Coastal Unrest

A man takes a picture with his mobile phone as people gather to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the chemical attack for the first time after the fall of the Assad government in the town of Douma, in the eastern Ghouta region, near the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP)
A man takes a picture with his mobile phone as people gather to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the chemical attack for the first time after the fall of the Assad government in the town of Douma, in the eastern Ghouta region, near the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP)

Syria’s presidency announced on Friday that it would extend a probe into the killings of Alawite civilians in coastal areas that left scores dead after clashes between government forces and armed groups loyal to former President Bashar al-Assad spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks.

The violence erupted on March 6 after Assad loyalists ambushed patrols of the new government, prompting armed groups to launch coordinated assaults on Latakia, Baniyas, and other coastal areas.

The violence brought fear of a renewed civil war and threatened to open an endless cycle of vengeance, driving thousands of Alawites to flee their homes, with an estimated 30,000 seeking refuge in northern Lebanon.

On March 9, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa formed a fact-finding committee and gave it 30 days to report its findings and identify perpetrators. In a decree published late Thursday, Sharaa said the committee had requested more time and was granted a three-month non-renewable extension.

The committee’s spokesperson, Yasser Farhan, said in a statement on Friday that the committee has recorded 41 sites where killings took place, each forming the basis for a separate case and requiring more time to gather evidence. He said some areas remained inaccessible due to time constraints, but that residents had cooperated, despite threats from pro-Assad remnants.

In a report published on April 3, Amnesty International said its probe into the killings concluded that at least 32 of more than 100 people killed in the town of Baniyas were deliberately targeted on sectarian grounds — a potential war crime.

The rights organization welcomed the committee’s formation but stressed it must be independent, properly resourced, and granted full access to burial sites and witnesses to conduct a credible investigation. It also said the committee should be granted “adequate time to complete the investigation.”