A Western-backed deal to salvage Libya is falling apart

WHEN Fayez al-Serraj returned to Libya in March the situation looked unusually hopeful. For two years, rival governments in the east and west of the country had fought over a disputed election. In December representatives from both sides of the country (but not their leaders) agreed to a UN-backed peace proposal. Powerful players in the war withheld their support, but they could be brought in later, said advocates. The deal, known as the Skhirat agreement after the Moroccan town in which it was signed, empowered Mr Serraj (pictured), then a relatively unknown politician, to form a government of national accord (GNA). His smooth arrival in Tripoli, the capital, in March seemed to herald a brighter future.

It has not turned out that way. The new government, though ostensibly backed by some powerful militias, has failed to gain broad support. The eastern parliament, called the House of Representatives (HOR), has refused to approve the body, as required under the Skhirat agreement. Remnants of the old government and legislature in the west, known as the General National Council (GNC), unsuccessfully attempted a coup in Tripoli last month.