Tunis, Tunisia, Jan 9: The EU urged Libyan politicians to back a unity government Friday, as the ISIS claimed suicide bombings that killed dozens and sparked fears of a jihadist expansion on Europe’s doorstep.
The deal aims to bring together rival administrations that split the country in August 2014 — when an Islamist-backed militia alliance overran Tripoli, forcing the internationally-recognised government to take refuge in the east — and tame chaos that has plagued Libya since 2011.
The EU’s push is the latest in longstanding diplomatic efforts to bring together the country’s warring factions, with European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini also pledging to give Libya 100 million euros ($108 million) to battle ISIS.
The funds would be available from the first day the unity government comes to power because the security situation “needs to be tackled immediately”, she said.
Mogherini made the remarks in Tunis, where she separately met with Fayez al-Sarraj, a businessman named in a UN-brokered national unity government as prime minister designate, as well as other Libyan lawmakers.
Her remarks came as ISIS claimed responsibility for a truck bomb attack on a police training school which left more than 50 people dead, according to a security source, as well as buildings charred and cars turned into twisted wrecks.
It was the deadliest single attack in Libya since the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
