After four days of angry protests by residents over shortages and deteriorating public services, the Tobruk government presented its resignation to the local parliament on Sunday. These institutions run the part of Libya controlled by Marshal Khalifa Haftar but are not recognized by the international community.
The resignation of the interim government led by Abdullah al-Thani was announced following an urgent call to the government by Aguila Saleh, the head of the Tobruk-based parliament. The government is holding vigorous discussions to establish a single, genuine government of national unity, to reformulate the Presidential Council, and to redistribute positions at the head of Libya’s sovereign institutions equitably among the three regions that make up Libya.
The parliamentary spokesman then announced that the decision regarding this government will be made at a session of the House dedicated to this issue without specifying a date. In the meantime, he continues to manage routine business.
The resignation comes at the end of four days of demonstrations in eastern Libya against deteriorating economic and social conditions. These demonstrations had begun in Tripoli and the west of the country last month. According to the demonstrators, the resignation is aimed at containing their anger, but it seems that it is already too late. For the first time, slogans hostile to the Khalifa Haftar camp were put up on the walls of Benghazi. Demonstrations denouncing corruption accused the marshal’s son of stealing public money.