Divided Libya dogged by confusion over new moon

Walid Abdullah

TRIPOLI (AA) – Libya’s Tripoli-based government on Tuesday officially announced the end of the Ramadan fasting month and the start of the Eid al-Fitr holiday -- only to reverse the decision hours later.

In an initial announcement Tuesday morning, Libya’s Religious Endowments (Waqf) Authority, which is affiliated with the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, announced that the post-Ramadan Eid al-Fitr holiday would officially begin on Wednesday.

But only hours later, the same body -- citing the appearance of the new moon in several parts of the country -- reversed the decision, saying the three-day Eid al-Fitr would, in fact, officially kick off on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, religious authorities in the eastern city of Al-Bayda, the seat of a rival Libyan government, issued their own decree -- likewise citing the appearance of the new moon -- also proclaiming Tuesday as the first day of Eid.

Libya’s political stage has been dogged by confusion since 2011, when a NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of long-serving leader Muammar Gaddafi after four decades in power.

Since then, the country’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power: one in capital Tripoli, which enjoys UN recognition, and another in Al-Bayda.