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  • Libya is on the brink of civil war. Four years since the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi,

  • Libya faces political turmoil and the growing threat of islamic extremists. The instability

  • has garnered international attention, with countries like Italy and Egypt wading in to

  • help secure the country. So what’s happening in Libya?

  • Last year, the central government was dissolved less than six months after being voted in.

  • Currently, Libya falls under two rival governments. The first, is an un-elected islamist party

  • in the nation's capital, Tripoli. The other is a quasi-elected House of Representatives

  • operating from Tobruk in the East.

  • In addition to these two governments, two militia groups are competing for dominance.

  • In Tripoli, the Libyan Dawn Coalition have established partial control. The group is

  • made up islamic militias and is reportedly financed by Qatar and Turkey. They are in

  • a head to head battle, with the self-proclaimed, Libyan National Army who wish to take down

  • all islamic militias. The Libyan National Army is based in Tobruk and Bayda and is not

  • only backed by the House of Representatives but also receives funding from Egypt, Saudi

  • Arabia and the UAE.

  • This complex power struggle between these four groups have resulted in violence, causing

  • ripples of tension throughout the Gulf region. But more importantly it has left the entire

  • state vulnerable, especially to jihadist groups like ISIS.

  • A recent video released by ISIS shows the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians who were

  • living in Libya. Reports suggest that dozens more Egyptians have been captured and it’s

  • suggested that ISIS is making bold strides into Libya while the state’s security is

  • at an all time low. Not only that, but it’s been reported that hundreds of smaller Libyan

  • islamic militia groups are joining with ISIS to bolster their own profiles.

  • So where does that leave Libya?

  • Well, so far the rival governments and militias have refused to unite against a common enemy

  • despite both the Dawn Coalition and the Libyan National Army condemning ISIS. With no cohesive

  • political structure in place, Libya has turned to its neighbors in the Gulf region for assistance.

  • In response, Egypt has launched a series of airstrikes on ISIS targets in Libya. But even

  • this action has stirred political turmoil. Because Egypt also backs the Libyan National

  • Army, the strikes have been heavily criticized by the Dawn Coalition.

  • While Libya continues to seek political stability post-Gaddafi, the country is extremely vulnerable.

  • Countries like Italy are now urging the UN to help find a political solution before ISIS’s

  • power in Libya gets out of control.

  • If you want to learn more about how Libya got so divided in the first place, check out

  • our video here. And subscribe for new videos every day. Thanks for watching.

Libya is on the brink of civil war. Four years since the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi,

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