Can a new administration reunite war-torn Libya?
Warlords and foreign powers will try to scuttle the UN’s fourth attempt to establish a government
THE DRIVE from Benghazi to Tripoli, Libya’s capital, should take ten hours. But the coastal road connecting the two cities has been impassable for most of the past decade because of an on-and-off civil war. Since Libyans toppled Muammar Qaddafi, their old dictator, in 2011, various groups have fought for control of the country—and for parts of the road. Today, near the road’s mid-point outside Sirte, militias, boulders and landmines block the way.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Fourth time lucky”
From the February 13th 2021 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Middle East & Africa
The Gaza ceasefire is stoking violence in the West Bank
Hamas and the Israeli far right both want to destabilise the West Bank
Turkey is determined to expand its influence in the new Syria
That could cause tensions with the Arab world—and Israel
The start of a fragile truce in Gaza offers relief and joy
But the ceasefire is not yet the end of the war
West African booze is becoming a luxury product
Female entrepreneurs are leading the charge
The Trump effect could upend the Middle East
Will Israel and Donald Trump use the threat of annexation to secure a new grand bargain?
After 15 months of hell, Israel and Hamas sign a ceasefire deal
Donald Trump provided the X factor by putting heat on Binyamin Netanyahu, who insists the war isn’t over yet