The battle was part of another attempt to take the city by fighters supporting Fathi Bashagha who was appointed by the House of Representatives in February as prime minister to replace the incumbent Abdel Hamid Dubaiba...
On 13 July the Tripoli-based prime minister Abdel Hamid Dubaiba sacked the country's oil chief NOC boss Mustafa Sanallah replacing him with the Colonel Gadaffi-era governor of the central bank Farhat Bengdara...
Bashagha commands significant support in his base of Misrata and a force supporting him there recently won a face-off with force supporting Tripoli rival prime minister Abdel Hamid Dubaiba compelling it to withdraw...
In Tripoli Abdel Hamid Dubaiba the prime minister selected in February 2021 by the UN's Libya Dialogue Political Forum (LPDF) and approved by the House of Representatives (HoR) remains in power although his support base is fracturing...
In April the National Oil Corporation (NOC) declared force majeure after protestors demanding that interim Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dubaiba hand power to his successor-designate Fathi Bashagha blockaded the Sharara and El Feel oilfields in south-western Libya and the Zueitina oil terminal south of Benghazi...
This suits Abdel Hamid Dubaiba the prime minister appointed by the HoR a year ago because he has no intention of leaving Tripoli or renouncing power in favour of Bashagha...
The price of bread in Libya has more than doubled in the past few weeks which could undermine the position of Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dubaiba head of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli...
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In a point-blank challenge to Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dubaiba's government in Tripoli the parliament in the eastern city of Tobruk the House of Representatives (HoR) endorsed a new government on 1 March to be led by former interior minister Fathi Bashagha (AC Vol 63 No 1 Political leaders versus the polls)...
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Also three of the most prominent presidential candidates – warlord General Khalifa Haftar current Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dubaiba and Seif el Islam el Gadaffi son of the former dictator – are unacceptable to too many people with the means to prevent the polls (AC Vol 62 No 24 Everyone wants to be president)...
And then on 21 November the interim prime minister Abdel Hamid Dubaiba despite earlier promising not to stand for the presidency submitted his nomination papers on 21 November...
Speaker Saleh is expected to be another leading candidate but he too is widely despised particularly after getting the HoR to withdraw confidence from the government of Abdel Hamid Dubaiba whose appointment to head a unity government in February was considered a major breakthrough (AC Vol 62 No 4 Fortune favours new regime)...
The GNU headed by Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dubaiba likewise speaks approvingly of elections but wants to stay in power (AC Vol 62 No 7 Dubaiba's honeymoon)...
It was the LPDF that nominated Abdel Hamid Dubaiba for the premiership...