Libyan government announces counteroffensive against Haftar forces
After the forces of renegade General Khalifa Haftar captured some parts near Libyan capital Tripoli, the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) announced a counteroffensive.
Dubbed as “Operation Volcano Anger”, the counteroffensive will aim to “purging all Libyan cities of aggressor and illegitimate forces”. Since last week Haftar’s forces have launched an offensive on Tripoli that aims to topple the GNA government.
The announcement to conduct a counteroffensive operation comes after Haftar’s forces conducted an air raid on Tripoli suburb.
Analysts point out there could be two reasons behind Haftar’s offensive. One, Haftar already controls Eastern Libya and would want to strengthen his grip over the country by taking over Tripoli. And secondly, it is plausible that Haftar is not interested in capturing Tripoli, but is just demonstrating his strength before the UN-led negotiation talks begin. By unleashing this offensive, Haftar might just be strengthening his bargaining hand at the table.
Former Maldives president returns to politics with landslide victory
Former president of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed returned to active politics with a bang. In the legislative elections, his party, Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) won two-third of the seats in the 87-member Parliament. This victory would put Nasheed as the in-charge of the national Parliament. Nasheed was until November 2018 a “fugitive in exile”.
After winning the election, Nasheed promised expansive reforms and an end to corruption. “Our foremost duty to the Parliament is to bring peace to the government,” said Nasheed.
The electoral results saw Nasheed’s rival and former president, Abudulla Yameen’s party getting reduced to a mere four seats. Yameen had already been ousted in the Presidential elections held in September last year.
Beyond the shift in domestic politics, Nasheed’s landslide is also likely to bring about a shift in the country’s foreign policy. During Yameen’s regime, Nasheed emerged as a massive critic of Maldives’ extreme reliance on Chinese investments. Nasheed would now attempt to gradually move the country’s foreign policy away from Beijing’s tight grip.
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