The collapse of talks on a Libyan unity government and Egypt’s military intervention have diminished hopes for a political solution; IS Jihadists are exploiting the void. Despite the restart of an oil export terminal, attempts to keep oil flowing continue to face major challenges.
Despite some signs of progress in the early weeks of 2015, by late February the prospects for a political solution to the conflict in Libya had taken several steps backwards. The release of a video by the Islamic State (IS) showing the beheading of a dozen Egyptians was followed on 20 February by a triple IS bomb attack killing at least 45 people in Al-Qubbah in the northeast. Three days later, the internationally recognized government in Tobruk withdrew from UN-brokered talks on the creation of a government of national unity, blaming the Qubbah attacks. (CONTINUED - 1992 WORDS)
