The Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah escaped an assassination attempt on February 10, in the midst of a power struggle among rival factions to gain control of the government.
An anonymous source close to the PM stated the assailants shot at Ddeibah’s car from another vehicle as he was returning home, further describing it as a clear assassination attempt, as the attackers fled the scene. The incident is referred to the prosecutor, pending further investigation, CNN reports.
If the assassination attempt is confirmed, it is likely to further divide a nation already deeply divided, with the chance to further exacerbate the crisis over control of Libya.
On Tuesday, Dbeibah said he would not hand over power, in defiance of efforts to appoint a new interim government.
“I will not allow a new transitional period,” he said. “The Government of National Unity will continue until handing over power to an elected administration,” Middle-East Online says.
He warned that naming a new primer minister will lead the country back to “division and chaos” after nearly two years of relative calm. He called for street protests to denounce the appointment of a new transitional government.
The military has gathered more fighters and equipment in the capital in recent weeks, raising fears that the political crisis could lead to conflict, the same source says.
There has been little peace or stability in Libya since the NATO-backed uprising against Moammar Gadhafi in 2011 and is divided in 2014 between warring factions in the east and the west.
As part of a peace process, Dbeibah was appointed head of the UN-backed Government of National Unity (GNU) in March. The goal was to bring together the country’s divided institutions and oversee election preparations in time for elections in December.
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