Benghazi reacts to selection of interim govt

A senior official in Libya's east-based government on Friday hailed the move towards unity among the country's warring factions as a "step in the right direction." Delegates from the North African country's factions on Friday selected four leaders to guide it through to national elections in December in a major - if uncertain - step toward unification.

Abdisalam al-Badri, the east-based government's deputy prime minister, said he hoped this would return Libya to being "a sovereign and independent state where no one interferes in its internal or external affairs." Al-Badri added that change wouldn't be easy, noting that "occupiers from all corners of the earth" on Libyan territory needed to leave. Since 2015, Libya has been divided between two governments, one in the east and another in the west of the country, each backed by a vast array of militias.

In April 2019, Khalifa Hifter, a military commander allied with the eastern government, launched an offensive to seize the capital, Tripoli. His campaign failed after 14 months of fighting and last October, the UN convinced both parties to sign a cease-fire agreement and embark on a political dialogue.

On the streets of Benghazi, there were mixed feelings about the country's new interim government. Local resident Moataz Belaid said things couldn't get worse than before, stressing that the coming months would be a test for the new Presidential Council. Osama Al-Warfali, however, suggested both regional and local powers would reject the new arrangement, which would lead to a "stronger and fiercer civil war."