Maghreb Edition

Libya’s Woes and Rivalries: a Divided Congress, the Militias and the Federalists

Posted On 11 July 2014

Number of times this article was read : 365

The North Africa Journal | Tension remains high in Libya. Factions with opposing ideologies and strong men at their top are facing each others with devastating potential for the future of the country.

In the Sirte region, tension has recently reached its highest level when troops from two feuding parties faced each other’s along the Oued Lehmar, which acts as the historical natural border of Cyrenaica on its western front, separating it from its rivals linked to Greater Tripoli. On one side were men from the Libya Shield Force militia of the center of Doraa. They were acting on behalf of the central government as enforcers seeking to discipline the Eastern Federalists. On the other side were the forces of the east, united under the Federalist Ibrahim Jathran, who has championed the autonomy movement in Libya. Continue here | Click here to subscribe | Contact us to discuss this topic

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The North Africa Journal is a leading English-language publication focused on North Africa. The Journal covers primarily the Maghreb region and expands its general coverage to the Sahel, Egypt, and beyond, when events in those regions affect the broader North Africa geography. The Journal does not have any affiliation with any institution and has been independent since its founding in 1996. Our position is to always bring our best analysis of events affecting the region, and remain as neutral as humanly possible. Our coverage is not limited to one single topic, but ranges from economic and political affairs, to security, defense, social and environmental issues. We rely on our full staff analysts and editors to bring you best-in-class analysis. We also work with sister company MEA Risk LLC, to leverage the presence on the ground of a solid network of contributors and experts. Information on MEA Risk can be found at www.MEA-Risk.com.