Libya's Bashagha Admits his Government Failed to Enter Tripoli

Fighters affiliated with the Dbeibeh government train on securing Tripoli, Libya (AP)
Fighters affiliated with the Dbeibeh government train on securing Tripoli, Libya (AP)
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Libya's Bashagha Admits his Government Failed to Enter Tripoli

Fighters affiliated with the Dbeibeh government train on securing Tripoli, Libya (AP)
Fighters affiliated with the Dbeibeh government train on securing Tripoli, Libya (AP)

Libya’s parliament-appointed prime minister, Fathi Bashagha, has admitted the government’s failure to conduct its daily business from the capital Tripoli nearly eight months after its formation.

Bashagha said in a speech in Benghazi, after concluding his tour abroad, that the cabinet will exercise its duties from Sirte and Benghazi, adding that the government rejects sedition.

He asserted that the government works for all Libyans, accusing some parties of wanting to create chaos and division.

Bashagha stressed that the government would serve all Libyans to achieve national reconciliation, despite many difficulties.

The government tried to stay in Tripoli to carry out its duties but wanted to avoid bloodshed and sedition, and decided to return peacefully despite people's suffering in the capital and the Libyan West in general, explained Bashagha.

According to local media, Bashagha is scheduled to visit Cairo after meeting in Qobba with Speaker Aguila Saleh.

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry of the Dbeibeh government announced that its Undersecretary for Public Affairs, Mahmoud Saeed, received a Libyan prisoner from the Ukrainian-Polish border, according to the prisoner exchange agreement signed with the Ukrainian government.

The ministry explained that a government committee recently deported and evacuated all the Libyan community in Ukraine, after a series of negotiations with the Ukrainian authorities last March.

All members of the Libyan community were deported and returned safely.

In addition, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) renewed its commitment to achieving peace in Libya through an inclusive Libyan-led and owned process.

Noting in a brief statement on the International Day of Peace, UNSMIL asserted it continues to work with all Libyan actors to advance the peace process and the elections the Libyan people demanded.

In New York, the head of the Presidential Council, Mohammed Menfi, participated in the consultative meeting held by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz with African leaders, including President of Senegal, Macky Sall, in his capacity as President of the African Union (AU), and Chairperson of the African Commission, Moussa Faki.

Menfi praised Germany's role in supporting the political track in Libya through the Berlin conferences and the cooperation between Germany and Africa to support Libya's stability.

He also touched on the challenges of food security in Africa, especially in light of the current international crisis, and the importance of cooperation to overcome this crisis.

Menfi explained that after reaching stability, Libya could play a significant role in oil, energy, and environment, providing economic and investment opportunities, stopping illegal migration, and settling sustainable development in Africa.



Assad Intelligence Archive Sparks Controversy in Iraq

Archive image of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad shaking hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Damascus (X) 
Archive image of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad shaking hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Damascus (X) 
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Assad Intelligence Archive Sparks Controversy in Iraq

Archive image of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad shaking hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Damascus (X) 
Archive image of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad shaking hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Damascus (X) 

A recent visit to Damascus by Izzat al-Shabandar, the special envoy of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, has stirred political tensions in Baghdad amid speculation that he was handed sensitive intelligence files from the Syrian regime.

The trip, which included a meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, has drawn criticism from within Iraq’s Coordination Framework, with some figures accusing the prime minister of using the visit to obtain the so-called “Assad intelligence archive” for political leverage ahead of parliamentary elections set for November.

The archive is believed to contain compromising material on Iraqi political and paramilitary figures, some of whom opposed Saddam Hussein’s regime or supported Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war. Reports suggest that such information could be used in electoral rivalries.

Al-Sudani’s coalition, the Reconstruction and Development Alliance, has denied any such intentions. Coalition member Abdulhadi al-Saadaoui dismissed the rumors, stating: “The prime minister has no need for such tactics, especially given his broad popularity and growing support across Iraq.”

Since Assad’s fall in late 2024, speculation has grown around the fate of Syria’s intelligence files. Critics, including MP Youssef al-Kilabi, claim they could be exploited to damage opponents. Al-Kilabi alleged in a post on X that the archive had been handed to an Iraqi guest by former Syrian leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani.

Shabandar responded in a post of his own, saying he respected those who offered reasoned criticism, but dismissed what he called “electronic flies and stray dogs barking for their masters,” suggesting political motives behind the backlash.