Unrest In Libya As Protesters Storm Parliament Building: 5 Points

After more than a decade of turmoil, unrest intensified in Libya with little progress made at UN-mediated talks in Geneva earlier this week to reach an agreement on a constitutional framework for national elections.

On Friday, protesters stormed the parliament building, triggering condemnation from the United Nations. The country – once said to have the highest standards of living in Africa – has increasingly witnessed chaos and rising prices of essentials ever since Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after NATO-backed intervention in 2011. Blockade of oil facilities and power cuts have worsened the situation for locals.

Here are five things we know so far:

1. Hundreds of protesters marched in the streets of the capital, Tripoli and other Libyan cities with several attacking and setting fire to government buildings on Friday, reported news agency AP.

2. Demonstrators broke into the building that houses the eastern Libya-based parliament in Tobruk and set fire to parts of it. Several videos that were circulated on social media showed protesters filing past burning piles. As Friday was the first day of the weekend in Libya, the building was likely empty when parts of it were set ablaze, AP reported.

3. A senior UN official for Libya on Saturday condemned the storming of the parliament’s headquarters. “The people’s right to peacefully protest should be respected and protected but riots and acts of vandalism such as the storming of the House of Representative’s headquarters late yesterday in Tobruk are totally unacceptable,” UN special adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, wrote on Twitter.

4. The protests come a day after the leaders of the parliament and another legislative chamber based in Tripoli failed to reach an agreement on elections during UN-mediated talks in Geneva. The dispute centers on the eligibility requirements for candidates, according to the United Nations, reported AP.

5. Libya had failed to hold elections in December due to legal disputes, controversial presidential hopefuls, and the presence of rogue militias and foreign fighters in the country – leading to a major blow to international efforts to bring peace to the Mediterranean nation. Demonstrators have called for the removal of the current political class and are demanding for the elections to be held.