Libya

Government and Politics
Four years after Muammar Gaddafi's fall in October 2011, Libya remained deeply fractured with two rival governments - a self-declared one in Tripoli and an internationally recognized one in the east - each backed by coalitions of former rebels and militias. In July 2014, fighting intensified when Libya Dawn - the self-declared armed faction, took over Tripoli, set up its own government, and reinstated the old parliament, the General National Congress. In the chaos, Islamic State militants steadily expanded their presence, taking over the city of Sirte, attacking a hotel and prison in Tripoli, ransacking oilfields to the south of Sirte, and executing a group of Egyptian Christians in the first half of 2015.

War fatigue, promises of foreign aid, the strain on Libya's oil economy, and the common threat of Islamic State militants helped build momentum for a united government.

On December 17, 2015, delegates from Libya's warring factions signed a U.N.-brokered agreement to form a national government, after more than a year of negotiations.

Economy
Since the revolution of 2011 that ousted Muammar Gaddafi, Libya struggled with almost constant instability as heavily armed brigades of former rebels and their political allies squabbled for control. Oil production that accounted for most government revenue dropped to less than half of the 1.6 million barrels per day level prior to 2011.