Libyan rival leaders clash over diplomacy, military posts in widening rift

TRIPOLI – Libya’s competing power centres are locked in an escalating dispute over executive and military authority, underscoring the fragility of governance in the west of the country and raising concerns over renewed institutional fragmentation.

The head of the Presidency Council Mohamed al-Menfi has warned of “peaceful movement protected by the state” as tensions intensify with Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah’s Government of National Unity over control of foreign policy, administrative appointments and security structures.

In a post on X late on Friday, Menfi said restricting presidential powers to a “limited protocol framework” would obstruct reform and anti-corruption efforts, adding that Libya faced a choice between “force, legal correction through legislation or a peaceful movement under state protection.”

The remarks came amid a deepening dispute over the role of acting Foreign Minister Taher al-Baour, whom Menfi sought to suspend earlier this month, accusing him of exceeding his administrative mandate by engaging in foreign diplomatic contacts.

Menfi argued that such actions risked undermining Libya’s official diplomatic channels and “disrupting the coherence of state representation abroad.”

The Dbeibah government rejected the move, issuing a directive instructing Libyan embassies and diplomatic missions abroad to ignore any correspondence from internal authorities not routed through the Foreign Ministry.

It stressed that all official diplomatic communication must be centralised through the ministry, warning of disciplinary and legal measures against non-compliance.

The dispute escalated further after the Libyan Foreign Ministry confirmed that Baour travelled to Moscow and met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in what appeared to contradict Menfi’s attempt to suspend him.

The meeting reportedly covered Libya’s political and security developments and reaffirmed support for dialogue as the preferred path to resolving the country’s crisis.

At the same time, Menfi has attempted to reshape military leadership in western Libya, seeking to replace Major General Salah al-Namroush as commander of the western coastal military zone.

The move was met with resistance from military personnel aligned with Dbeibah’s defence establishment, with officers publicly rejecting what they described as interference outside established military norms.

The standoff has exposed fractures within Libya’s security apparatus, particularly in western regions where multiple armed coalitions operate under shifting political allegiances.

Reports from security sources suggest divisions are also emerging within the Presidency Council itself over proposed military appointments, including disagreement over potential replacements for Namroush.

According to these accounts, Council member Musa al-Koni supports Menfi’s position, while Abdullah al-Lafi is opposed, preventing consensus and delaying formal decisions.

The competing claims reflect broader institutional fragmentation in Libya, where rival authorities continue to dispute constitutional legitimacy and control over key state functions nearly a decade after the 2011 uprising.

Analysts warn that the latest escalation risks further entrenching Libya’s parallel power structures, particularly in the west, where armed influence and political rivalries remain deeply intertwined.

With diplomatic authority, security command and governance structures increasingly contested, Libya’s political crisis appears to be entering a new phase of institutional deadlock, with limited signs of convergence between rival camps.