Libya extends deadline for unity government

The body tasked with naming a unity government for Libya under a U.N.-backed plan to resolve the country’s political crisis has until Sunday to form a national unity government.

The nine-member body was supposed to present a new lineup for the power-sharing authority on Wednesday.

It is headed by businessman Fayez al-Sarraj, who is to become prime minister under a UN-brokered deal signed by a minority of lawmakers from the country’s two rival parliaments in December.

An initial lineup of 32 ministers had been rejected last month by the country’s recognised parliament, who need to approve any unity government before it begins work.

The country has been racked by political divisions and violence as numerous factions and militias have competed for power following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Islamic State militia have taken advantage of the turmoil to establish a stronghold in the coastal city of Sirte. The northern African nation has had two rival governments, one based in the capital Tripoli and the other in the east since the summer of 2014.