Libya has been mired in chaos and repeated rounds of conflict since a Nato-backed uprising toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. UN’s top Libya envoy Stephanie Williams on Saturday said: “Riots and acts of vandalism” were “totally unacceptable”. Earlier this week, the UN-mediated talks in Geneva aimed at breaking the deadlock between rival Libyan institutions failed to resolve key differences. But voting never took place due to several contentious candidacies and deep disagreements over the polls’ legal basis between the rival power centres in east and west. In Tripoli, hundreds came out to demand elections, fresh political leadership and an end to the chronic power cuts.

Protesters setting fire to the Libyan parliament building in Tobruk after protests against the failure of the government on Friday –Reuters photoProtesters broke into Libya's parliament in Tobruk on Friday evening and set a fire in front of the building to express their anger towards Libya's warring political parties. According to a Reuters report published on Saturday, Libyan protesters has vowed to keep demonstrating until all the ruling elites quit power after rallies in most main cities on Friday culminated in a crowd storming the parliament building and torching parts of it. Scheduled national elections collapsed in December, leading rival political factions into a standoff over control of government that has pushed Libya back towards conflict while public services have deteriorated. Dbeibah said late on Friday that all Libya's political institutions should quit and hold elections, something most political leaders have said for years without making the compromises needed for a vote. Parliament speaker Aguila Saleh condemned "acts of sabotage" in the protesters' attack on the parliament building in Tobruk, saying it was punishable by law.

Libya rival leaders were under growing street pressure Saturday after protesters stormed parliament as anger exploded over deteriorating living conditions and political deadlock. UN-mediated talks in Geneva this week aimed at breaking the deadlock between rival Libyan institutions failed to resolve key differences. But voting never took place due to several contentious candidacies and deep disagreements over the polls’ legal basis between the rival power centers in east and west. The European Union’s envoy to Libya, Jose Sabadell, said Friday’s events “confirm people want change through elections”. But he urged peaceful protests, adding that “special restraint is necessary given the fragile situation”.

It has not held national elections since, its parliament and judiciary have no power and is ranked by Human Rights Watch as having one of the world’s worst human rights records. Sign for the transit centre in Gashora, Rwanda. Credit:Latika Bourke The UK has made much of the fact that Rwanda will welcome its unwanted migrants who arrive in Britain by boat, should their asylum claims prove invalid. Credit:Latika Bourke He declined to endorse or criticise the UK’s adoption of Australia’s approach, which while effective, has also been widely criticised for its human rights costs. The UK’s first deportation was held up by the European Court of Human Rights.

Popular protests in various cities and regions of Libya continue for the second consecutive day but with less intensity. In Misrata, the demonstrators closed the town hall while roadblocks have appeared in Tripoli in the areas of Swani Bani Adam and Ghout Al Shaal, west of the capital. The Baltris youth movement, one of groups behind organizing the demonstrations, said in a statement that it will raise the demand ceiling and continue to mobilize people in all cities and streets of Libya. Baltris leaders met with members of the Libyan Presidential Council, stressing that the tripartite body does not have the tools and the power to change the state of affairs in the country.

The interim prime minister of the Tripoli-based government, Abdulhamid Dbeibah, meanwhile voiced support for the protesters' concernsProtesters set fire to the Libyan parliament building after protests against the failure of the government in Tobruk, Libya on July 1. "We want the lights to work," chanted protesters, some of whom were brandishing the green flags of the Kadhafi regime. The interim prime minister of the Tripoli-based government, Abdulhamid Dbeibah, meanwhile voiced support for the protesters' concerns in a Twitter message. But the vote was never held due to several contentious candidacies and deep disagreements over the polls' legal basis between the rival power centres. Demonstrators rallied in other cities on Friday including Tripoli, where protesters held up crossed-out images of both Dbeibah and Bashagha.

Libya failed to hold elections in December, following challenges such as legal disputes, controversial presidential hopefuls and the presence of rogue militias and foreign fighters in the country. The failure to hold the vote was a major below to international efforts to bring peace to the Mediterranean nation. The protesters, frustrated from years of chaos and division, have called for the removal of the current political class and elections to be held. Libya has been wrecked by conflict since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The country was then for years split between rival administrations in the east and west, each supported by different militias and foreign governments.

Libya failed to hold elections in December, following challenges such as legal disputes, controversial presidential hopefuls and the presence of rogue militias and foreign fighters in the country. The failure to hold the vote was a major below to international efforts to bring peace to the Mediterranean nation. The protesters, frustrated from years of chaos and division, have called for the removal of the current political class and elections to be held. Protesters also rallied on Saturday in Tripoli and several towns in western Libya, blocking roads and setting tires ablaze, according to livestreaming on social media. The country was then for years split between rival administrations in the east and west, each supported by different militias and foreign governments.

(CNN) Hundreds of people stormed Libya's eastern parliament building in the port city of Tobruk on Friday, according to local media reports, the latest in a string of clashes between groups supporting rivaling leaders. The country's interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, the head of the UN-backed Government of National Unity (GNU), is based in Tripoli in the western part of Libya. The parliament building in Tobruk in the east of the country is the seat of a rival government led by Prime Minister Fathy Bashag. Libyan media, including LANA, the official news agency of the internationally recognized government, and Almarsad, a leading news outlet, reported that protesters entered the building in Tobruk on Friday. Several cities, including Tripoli, have witnessed demonstrations over deteriorating living conditions and calls for the dissolution of political bodies, the reports said.

Political stalemate'Escalating quickly'TRIPOLI: Protesters stormed Libya 's parliament in the eastern city of Tobruk on Friday and set parts of it ablaze, venting their anger at deteriorating living conditions and months of political deadlock.Black smoke billowed as men burned tyres and torched cars after one protester had smashed through the compound's gate with a bulldozer and others attacked the walls with construction tools, local media reported.The building was empty, as Friday falls on the weekend in Libya.Libya's House of Representatives has been based in Tobruk, more than 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) east of the capital Tripoli , since an east-west schism in 2014 that came three years after a mass popular revolution toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi .A separate legislature, formally known as the High Council of State, is based in Tripoli as the oil-rich North African country remains divided between rival administrations vying for control.Libya, sweltering in summer heat, has endured days of power cuts -- a situation worsened by the blockade of key oil facilities amid the entrenched political rivalries. "We want the lights to work," chanted protesters, some of whom were brandishing the green flags of the Kadhafi regime.The parliament condemned the "acts of vandalism and the burning" of its headquarters.The interim prime minister of the Tripoli-based government, Abdulhamid Dbeibah, meanwhile voiced support for the protesters' concerns in a Twitter message.The two governments have been vying for power in Libya for months: the one based in Tripoli, led by Dbeibah, and another headed by former interior minister Fathi Bashagha, appointed by the parliament and supported by eastern-based strongman Khalifa Haftar.Presidential and parliamentary elections, originally set for last December, were meant to cap a UN-led peace process following the end of the last major round of violence in 2020.But the vote was never held due to several contentious candidacies and deep disagreements over the polls' legal basis between the rival power centres.The United Nations said Thursday that talks between the rival Libyan institutions aimed at breaking the deadlock had failed to resolve key differences.Parliament speaker Aguila Saleh and High Council of State president Khaled al-Mishri met at the UN in Geneva for three days of talks to discuss a draft constitutional framework for elections.While some progress was made, it was not enough to move forward towards elections, with the two sides still at odds over who could stand in a presidential vote, said the UN's top Libya envoy Stephanie Williams.The prospect of elections appears as distant as ever since the parliament appointed Bashagha, arguing that Dbeibah's mandate had expired.After Bashagha failed to enter Tripoli in May, the rival administration has taken up office further east in Sirte, Kadhafi's coastal hometown.Recent weeks have seen repeated skirmishes between armed groups in Tripoli, prompting fears of a return to full-scale conflict.Demonstrators rallied in other cities on Friday including Tripoli, where protesters held up crossed-out images of both Dbeibah and Bashagha. "Popular protests have erupted across Libya in exasperation at a collapsing quality of life, the entire political class who manufactured it, and the UN who indulged them over delivering promised change," tweeted Tarek Megerisi of the European Council on Foreign Relations. "Things are escalating quickly and the response will define Libya's summer. "Libya's National Oil Corporation announced on Thursday losses of more than $3.5 billion from closures and declared force majeure on some sites, a measure freeing it of contractual obligations due to circumstances beyond its control.The NOC said output "dropped sharply" and exports had fallen to 365,000-409,000 barrels per day, a loss of 865,000 bpd compared with the average before April.Eastern-based strongman Haftar's forces control major oil facilities.A drop in gas production has contributed to Libya's chronic power cuts which can last around 12 hours a day.

Protesters stormed Libya’s parliament building in the eastern city of Tobruk on Friday, demonstrating against deteriorating living conditions and political deadlock, Libyan media reported. The parliament building was empty, as Friday falls on the weekend in Libya. But the vote never took place due to several contentious candidacies and deep disagreements over the polls’ legal basis between rival power centres in the east and west. The United Nations said Thursday that talks between the rival Libyan institutions aimed at breaking the deadlock had failed to resolve key differences. Protests took place in other Libyan cities on Friday including Tripoli, where protesters held images of Dbeibah and Bashagha crossed out.

TRIPOLI: Protesters stormed Libya’s parliament building in the eastern city of Tobruk on Friday, demonstrating against deteriorating living conditions and political deadlock, local media reported. Several television channels said that protesters had managed to penetrate the building and committed acts of vandalism, while media outlets showed images of thick columns of black smoke coming from its perimeter as angry young protesters burned tyres.

TRIPOLI: Protesters stormed Libya’s parliament building in the eastern city of Tobruk on Friday, demonstrating against deteriorating living conditions and political deadlock, Libyan media reported. Several television channels said protesters had managed to penetrate the building and committed acts of vandalism, while media outlets showed images of thick columns of black smoke coming from its perimeter as angry young protesters burned tyres. Other media reports said part of the building had been burned. The parliament building was empty as Friday falls on the weekend in Libya. Libya has endured several days of power cuts, worsened by the blockade of several oil facilities against the backdrop of political rivalries.

Protests in Libya (File image) Photo : APTobruk : Protesters stormed Protesters stormed Libya 's parliament building in the eastern city of Tobruk city on Friday, reported local media. People in the African country were protesting against deteriorating living conditions and a political feud. According to AFP, protesters vandalised the parliament building. Some parts of the parliament building were reportedly burnt. Meanwhile, on Thursday, the United Nations said that the talks to break the political deadlock between the rival factions failed.

It received the prestigious Bruno Kreisky Prize for Services to Human Rights in June. “This decision is based on several elements, including OLAF’s assessment, which did not find sufficient ground to open an investigation. In early 2022, we appointed a Belgian lawyer to defend our rights vis-à-vis the Commission. Now the mistake has been corrected, as it has been proven that there is no misuse of money or financing for terrorism. This is a message to the Israelis and the European Union, who built their positions on false Israeli reports against us.”