The Libyan Parliament issued a new law on reorganizing the General Intelligence Service (GIS) and referred the decision to the Head of the agency for immediate implementation.
The law stipulates that the GIS aims to “preserve the security and safety of Libya, protect state secrets, and prevent them from leaking. As well as monitoring foreign institutions and entities, following up on suspicious activity hostile to Libya’s security, and working to secure the country’s interests abroad.”
Under the new law’s provisions, “all property and assets that were owned by the dissolved External Security Agency and the National Authority for National Security will devolve to the new agency.”
The GIS is based in Tripoli and is headed by Hussein Al-Ayeb, who works closely with the Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba.
Libya has been chaotic since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
Libya is currently facing a political crisis after the Libyan Parliament swore in a new Prime Minister, former Interior Minister, Fathi Bashagha in February 2022. Members of Parliament argued that Dbaiba’s mandate expired when the elections failed to take place.
Dbaiba has refused to cede power, amid the fallout from a failed attempt to hold national elections in December 2021.
Libya has been locked in a political stalemate since late 2021 when the scheduled elections were cancelled because of disputes over the rules and the eastern-based Parliament, withdrew support from the interim government.
On 27 February, the UN Envoy to Libya announced an initiative aimed at enabling legislative and Presidential elections this year, and will set up a high-level steering panel, he told the United Nations Security Council earlier this month.
The proposed mechanism will bring together all relevant Libyan stakeholders, including representatives of political institutions, major political figures, tribal leaders, civil society organizations, security actors, women, and youth representatives.