Bashagha: Holding Elections in Libya Impossible with Two Govts

Head of Libya’s government of stability Fathi Bashagha. (Government of stability)
Head of Libya’s government of stability Fathi Bashagha. (Government of stability)
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Bashagha: Holding Elections in Libya Impossible with Two Govts

Head of Libya’s government of stability Fathi Bashagha. (Government of stability)
Head of Libya’s government of stability Fathi Bashagha. (Government of stability)

Head of Libya’s government of stability Fathi Bashagha stressed on Wednesday that holding presidential and parliamentary elections in the country will be impossible amid the presence of two rival governments.

He declared that Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah's Government of National Unity (GNU) had lost its legitimacy in wake of the 2020 Geneva agreement.

He remarked, however, that the United Nations still recognizes it. A new round of dialogue will ensure the GNU’s removal from power.

The dialogue, revealed Bashagha, will be held before the end of the month.

He did not provide further details about the alleged talks.

Moreover, he stressed that the GNU “failed miserably” in fulfilling its task of holding elections and carrying out reforms.

Libya must have only one government that can ensure that elections are held, stated Bashagha.

He also underlined the need to unify all state institutions, including the military.

He made his remarks hours after the UN mission in Libya denied claims about the formation of a new “legislative” body, which is affiliated with it, that would seek to come up with solutions to Libya’s crises.

“The United Nations Support Mission in Libya has received some enquiries regarding the alleged formation of a new legislative body aimed at establishing a way forward by an unknown organization claiming to be affiliated with the United Nations,” tweeted the mission.

“UNSMIL confirms that this body is not related to the UN or the Mission in Libya. All news and announcements about UNSMIL’s work are published on the official social media channels and website,” it added.



Drone Strikes Target Army Celebration in Central Sudan, Say Witnesses

A man walks while smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo
A man walks while smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo
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Drone Strikes Target Army Celebration in Central Sudan, Say Witnesses

A man walks while smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo
A man walks while smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo

Drone strikes targeted the Sudanese town of Tamboul, southeast of the capital Khartoum, on Wednesday during a celebration organized by the army, two witnesses told AFP.

One Tamboul resident said chaos had erupted in the central square where "hundreds of people had gathered" for the ceremony as air defenses responded.

There were no immediate reports of casualties from the strikes, the first in Al-Jazira state in months, and neither the army nor its RSF foes issued any comment.

Al-Jazira was Sudan's pre-war agricultural heartland, AFP reported.

It had been largely calm since the army recaptured it from the Rapid Support Forces in January in the same counteroffensive that saw it retake Khartoum in March.

According to the United Nations, around a million people have returned to their homes in Al-Jazira since January.

Wednesday's celebration in Tamboul was due to be attended by Abu Aqla Kaykal, the commander of the Sudan Shield Forces, an armed group currently aligned with the regular army which has been accused of atrocities while fighting on both sides of Sudan's devastating war.

His defection back to the army's side late last year helped pave the way for its gains of recent months.

Since it began in April 2023, the war between the regular army and the RSF has killed tens of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.

The army now controls the centre, north and east of Sudan, while the RSF hold nearly all of the west and parts of the south.