Big-Picture Outlook
Power outages continued this week and are only likely to worsen as the national grid continues to be pushed to its limits. Protests began in western Libya, with some protesters attempting to disrupt energy flows and block access to government buildings.
However, despite continued stagnation in the political track, the security track saw significant progress as the Government of National Unity (GNU) Ministry of Defence and the Libyan National Army (LNA) announced a series of new joint initiatives.
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Major Events This Week
- Local groups in the Tripoli suburb of Janzour and the Tripoli neighbourhood of Souq al-Jouma have declared a campaign of "civil disobedience", conducting nightly protests during which they have blocked access to several government buildings.
- Protesters stormed the Mellitah Oil and Gas Complex, where they shut down production at the El Feel field in an attempt to halt exports to Italy. The GNU Ministry of Defence regained control of the complex after a few hours and restarted production.
- A U.S. Congressional delegation, consisting of Congressmen Austin Scott, Jimmy Panetta, and Salud Carbajal, met with LNA Deputy Commander Saddam Haftar and LNA Chief of Staff Khalid Haftar in Benghazi before meeting GNU Deputy Defence Minister Abdulsalam al-Zoubi in Misrata. Following the meetings, the GNU Ministry of Defence and the LNA announced a series of joint initiatives.
- The High Council of State (HCS) elected its current head, Mohammed Takala, to another one-year term. Takala is a close ally of GNU Prime Minister Dabaiba, and will likely continue the status quo. Notably, Takala faced strong competition from Abdul Qasim Qazit, who secured a significant number of votes. This is notable as the body generally favours the status quo, indicating potential frustration within the HCS.
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