Newshub18 :Protests in Libya to reduce food prices, attacks on parliament and vandalism.
Protests have erupted across Libya in protest of rising commodity prices, the power crisis and political stalemate. Protesters stormed the parliament building in the eastern city of Tobru, setting it on fire. They demanded reduction in food prices and increase in electricity supply. Khabar Al-Jazeera.
Protesters stormed the parliament building on Friday, according to reports from several local television channels. They vandalized there.Several media reports showed smoke billowing from the parliament building as protesters set fire to tires. However, some media outlets reported that some parts of the parliament building had been burnt down. The parliament building was empty on Friday due to the weekly holiday.
According to the online news outlet Al-Wasat, there were protests in other cities early on Friday. Hundreds of protesters gathered in Central Square in the western city of Tripoli. They chanted slogans against the armed militias. He also demanded increase in power supply and reduction in food prices.
As seen in multiple photos of the Tobruk protests, protesters smashed parts of the gates of the parliament building with bulldozers. After that, the protesting people easily entered the parliament building. Some protesters were seen throwing official documents. Some of them had the green flag of Gaddafi era in their hands.
Load shedding has been going on in Libya for several days. The situation was further aggravated when some oil fields stopped generating electricity due to political conflict.
Lawmaker Balkheir Al-Shab told the country’s Al-Ahrar television channel, “We must admit failure. He should have left the political scene immediately. ‘
The Libyan parliament building, known as the House of Representatives, is located in the eastern city of Tobru, a few hundred kilometers from the capital, Tripoli. In 2014, three years after ousting longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, the country was politically divided into East and West.
Al-Wasat said protesters in Tobru had dissolved parliament and demanded new elections. At the same time, other protests protested the deteriorating quality of life.
The two governments are currently fighting for power in Libya. Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dibah is leading the government in the capital, Tripoli. Former Interior Minister Fathi Bashaga has claimed to be in power. Fathi is allied with the parliament located in Tobru.
The peace process began in 2020 in an effort to reunite Libya politically. But the election was supposed to be held in December but it did not happen. Later, the Eastern Parliament announced that the term of caretaker Prime Minister Abdul Hamid had expired. Parliament will appoint Fathi Bashaga in his place.
There have been several clashes between armed groups in Tripoli in recent weeks. This has led to fears of a new full-blown conflict. Clashes broke out earlier this month between militias loyal to Abdul Hamid and Fatah.At one point in the 2011 uprising, Muammar Gaddafi’s government collapsed in a battle with NATO-backed rebels. Gaddafi was shot dead after being captured by rebels. Since then, various factions of the country have been fighting against each other