On Saturday, the Libyan Minister of State for Economic Affairs of the Interim Government of National Unity (GNU), Salama Al-Ghwail, said that the ongoing political division in the country negatively affects all development processes, as well as all agreements signed with other countries.
In an interview with the Russian news agency, Sputnik, the Minister added that the management of Libyan resources is not based on social justice. He noted that corruption, collusion, and the lack of a national strategy have prevented any tangible progress in development processes and projects.
The Minister of Economic Affairs stressed that Libya is not isolated from the international community, as it bears the repercussions of current world economic crises.
He stressed that Libya could have benefited from the rise in energy prices, but the halt of oil production in the last period has also negatively affected the internal situation and global production.
Al-Ghwail stressed that Libyan oil is still smuggled outside the country by outlawed gangs as a result of the state of insecurity and the absence of a real, unified decision, especially since oil in Libya is cheaper than water, as he put it.
He pointed out that the current division directly affects the agreements signed with several countries and makes them ineffective. Many of the countries cannot invest their money in light of the current deteriorating status quo in Libya, and the presence of armed militias across the country.
The Minister added that all the agreements that were signed are just like pulling the wool over the eyes and cannot be activated in the absence of a real plan.
On the 10th of February, the Libyan Parliament announced the unanimous appointment of Fathi Bashagha as the new Prime Minister. However, rival Prime Minister Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba warned that the appointment of a new interim government could lead to war and chaos in the country. He renewed his pledge to only hand power over to an elected government.
Tensions have been rising for months in Libya as two Prime Ministers vie for power; raising fears of renewed conflict two years after a landmark truce ended the attempt of the Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar to seize Tripoli by force.
Libya has been mired in conflict for long stretches since Muammar Gaddafi was deposed and killed in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011. Plagued by divisions between competing institutions in the East and West, Libya remains split between rival forces, with two opposing executives in place since February.