Four Top Ministers Resign From Libya Unity Govt

Four high-ranking members of the Libyan unity government have been announced to have resigned, according to a statement by the UN-backed “unity government.” The four were identified as the finance minister, justice minister, industry minister, and reconciliation minister.

Other reports indicated that the four were “fired” by the unity government, though the indications were that none of the four had ever actually agreed to join the government in the first place, and were part of the “cabinet” formed in Tunisia.

The Tunis cabinet was formed at the behest of the UN, and included figures from both the Tripoli and Tobruk parliaments, with an eye on convincing both parliaments to endorse the new government. Ultimately, neither parliament has.

The four ministers identified today are all from the eastern part of the country, and associated with the Tobruk parliament, which itself is “UN-backed,” but which has repeatedly declined to endorse the unity government. The original UN plan was for the Tobruk parliament to become the de facto Libyan lower house of parliament under the unity government, with the Tripoli parliament serving as an advisory council.