Heads of Libyan armed groups meet with Moroccan officials

By Ebu Bekir Askin

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - The leaders of Tripoli-based armed groups held talks with Moroccan officials Thursday, discussing the political crisis in Libya.

During the meeting in Morocco, the sides discussed solutions to the political crisis between Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and the Parliament-appointed government of Fathi Bashagha, according to the al-Wasat news portal.

The leaders of the armed groups said the national unity government led by Dbeibeh should remain in power until the end of 2022 and that this would be a good start for holding elections, it reported.

Dbeibeh has previously said he would only cede authority to a government that comes through an “elected parliament,” raising fears that the oil-rich country could slip back into a civil war.

Oil-rich Libya has been mired by conflict and violence since the overthrow of strongman Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.