Libya’s interim government quits after protests

UN demands investigation into security forces’ handling of protests in Marj

Abu Dhabi: The eastern-based interim government of Libya, headed by Abdullah Al Thani, on Sunday presented its resignation to the House of Representatives following three days of protests in several eastern cities.

The resignation was presented during an urgent meeting between the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, and Al Thani, in which they discussed the demands of the protesters, according to a statement.

Abdullah Belhaiq, spokesman of the Libyan Parliament, clarified that the interim government’s decision came in an emergency meeting, which Saleh called to discuss the conditions of deteriorating services and living conditions, especially the continuous power cuts.

Protests broke out in a number of cities in eastern Libya against lack of basic services, mainly electricity, healthcare and funds in local banks.

Belhaiq said the General Electricity Company’s engineers and officials blamed the electricity crisis on the shortage of fuel supplies for power plants, stressing that there were no technical problems in the company.

Amid insecurity and escalating violence, Libya remains politically divided between eastern and western governments, both competing for dominance.

Meantime, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya demanded, on Sunday evening, a comprehensive and immediate investigation into the security forces’ handling of the protests in the eastern city of Marj,