Libya’s enduring calamity
A new unity government seems destined to deliver neither unity nor government
Libya now has a third government – and it is about to enter the fray. The UN hopes it will restore stability to the country, but it may worsen the chaos. Either way, oil production – now at a five-year low of less than 300,000 barrels a day – is unlikely to recover soon. Islamic State (IS), thriving on the political disorder, has closed in on Libya’s last remaining onshore oil producers. Tired of waiting for the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR) to endorse a unity government, the UN, US and EU in mid-March officially recognised a new government of national accord (GNA). Libyan opponents immediately dismissed it as a “foreign imposition”. The UN’s GNA gambit is risky. A 17 December
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
