In western Libya, festive crowds gathered in public squares to watch anniversary fireworks, military parades and speeches. Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the interim prime minister recently selected by Libyan representatives in a UN-brokered process, enjoyed a walkabout in the capital, surrounded by his bodyguards, AFP journalists said. But much of Libya remains in the hands of a mosaic of neighbourhood militias born out of the rebel groups that toppled Kadhafi. Many of the foreign forces whose intervention helped fuel the conflict of recent years also remain in Libya. Asked if the UN had noticed any start of a withdrawal of foreign forces, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the world body was not aware of any pullout.

Source: Libya Today February 17, 2021 20:03 UTC