After six years of bitter civil war, Libya this week got a government of unity at last, but uniting this shattered country will be more difficult.
The Government of National Unity, a transitional administration, was sworn in on Monday and is now in charge of keeping the peace long enough for elections for a permanent government to be held in December.
It will not be easy.
UN special envoy to Libya Jan Kubis welcomed the birth of the new government.
“Today’s swearing-in session illustrates the eagerness and the determination of Libyans to overcome their differences,” he said.
The UN played an important role in creating the new government, which has become Libya’s fifth transitional government in the decade since the revolution that overthrew Muammar Qaddafi.
A UN-chaired forum negotiated the formation of the government over four, often torturous, months, moulding it to replace Libya’s two rival governments – one in the west and another in the east. Those governments had been at war since 2014, operating parallel administrations and armies.
Now, both are set to dissolve.
The new prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, promised on Monday that the government will be one “of all Libyans”, ensuring his 33-member Cabinet is drawn from groups across the country.
For the moment, at least, he has parliament’s backing, with members voting 132-2 to endorse his Cabinet, although the 54 politicians who did not show up to vote hints that not everybody is satisfied.
The first problem for Mr Dbeibah, 61, a wealthy businessman from the city of Misurata, is what to do about a front line that snakes down the middle of country near the coastal city of Sirte.
The front line congealed last summer after rival forces fought themselves to a standstill. Earthworks and fortifications dot the line and the main coastal highway connecting east and west Libya remains blocked.
For the moment, the rival forces remain in place, but a UN-brokered ceasefire agreed to in October has stayed intact. The UN has deployed a small observation team to assess whether a larger monitoring effort can be deployed. In Geneva, a joint military commission consisting of five officials from each former government has so far been successful in providing a talking-shop to quickly solve ceasefire breaches.
Mr Dbeibah will also be cheered by the recent reunification of the central bank, which had been divided between east and west. Another boost is that Libya’s oil production is strong, with its fields for the moment free of the blockades and strikes that have often restricted output.
But running a government containing all factions will likely make decision-making cumbersome, particularly because it must decide what kind of constitution will govern the permanent government to be elected in December. There is strong support for a referendum on this constitution to be held in the summer.
Tripoli, meanwhile, continues to be dominated by more than a dozen powerful militias who periodically skirmish with each other. The militia chiefs will need to be convinced to hand over power to regular army and police agencies to give the capital security.
The capital’s administration must also find a way of ending frequent shortages of electricity and water. More than 1.3 million of Libya’s 6.5 million people depend on the UN for humanitarian aid.
Another priority is ensuring the departure of an estimated 20,000 mercenaries. On Friday, the UN Security Council called for mercenary withdrawal “without delay” and Mr Dbeibah has labelled the mercenary presence a “stab in our back."
While the ceasefire is holding, terrorism remains a threat. At the weekend, the Libyan National Army, commanded by Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar, raided an ISIS hideout in the south of the country, announcing the capture of its “most prominent leader”, Mohamed Milhoud Mohamed.
One key test of Mr Dbeibah’s government will be whether its unity remains intact when he makes the inevitable tough decisions about demobilising armies and where the budget is spent.
Another potential problem is a UN report alleging corruption in the formation of the new government which was given to the UN Security Council, but has yet to be made public.
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Kanye%20West
%3Cp%3EYe%20%E2%80%94%20the%20rapper%20formerly%20known%20as%20Kanye%20West%20%E2%80%94%20has%20seen%20his%20net%20worth%20fall%20to%20%24400%20million%20in%20recent%20weeks.%20That%E2%80%99s%20a%20precipitous%20drop%20from%20Bloomberg%E2%80%99s%20estimates%20of%20%246.8%20billion%20at%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3Cbr%3EYe%E2%80%99s%20wealth%20plunged%20after%20business%20partners%2C%20including%20Adidas%2C%20severed%20ties%20with%20him%20on%20the%20back%20of%20anti-Semitic%20remarks%20earlier%20this%20year.%3Cbr%3EWest%E2%80%99s%20present%20net%20worth%20derives%20from%20cash%2C%20his%20music%2C%20real%20estate%20and%20a%20stake%20in%20former%20wife%20Kim%20Kardashian%E2%80%99s%20shapewear%20firm%2C%20Skims.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Revival
Eminem
Interscope
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
