Libyan rivals hold new round of talks in Morocco

Representatives of rival Libyan camps on Friday began talks in Morocco, as part of ongoing efforts to bring an end to nearly a decade of conflict.

Oil-rich Libya has been riven by civil war since the NATO-backed uprising that ousted long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) is based in the capital, while a House of Representatives, which does not recognise the Tripoli administration, is based in the east.

A fragile ceasefire between the two sides agreed in Geneva last October, has largely held despite threats by eastern military strongman Khalifa Haftar to resume fighting.

The meeting in the Moroccan coastal town of Bouznika- south of the capital Rabat, brings together 13 representatives from the Tobruk-based House of Representatives and 13 from the Tripoli-based High Council of State, which advises the GNA.

The GNA has said the talks would centre on appointments to the country’s key institutions such as the electoral commission, the central bank and the anti-corruption commission.

Libyan envoys at UN-backed talks in Egypt had agreed on Wednesday to hold a constitutional referendum before elections slated for December 24.

At separate talks in Geneva earlier this week, Libyan representatives voted to pass a mechanism to choose an interim executive to govern until the December polls.

Olajumoke Adeleke