Is Libya heading for chaos?

Libyans are struggling to avoid more violence after the country’s elected parliament was declared invalid.

The ruling by the Supreme Court on Thursday was immediately rejected by the internationally recognised parliament that has moved to the city of Tobruk.

The decision came a day after gunmen stormed Libya’s biggest oilfield and shut down production at the facility in the country’s remote south.
 
Until the court’s ruling, Libya has had two rival governments struggling for power. The other government is now based in Tripoli and is controlled by fighters calling themselves Operation Dawn, who seized the capital in August.
 
The ruling only threatens to divide the country even further. And adding to the uncertainty are regional powers that back opposing sides, fuelling the fighting with their military support.
 
So, can Libyans avoid a power struggle that threatens to kill more people? Or will the chaos only deepen?
 
Presenter: Martine Dennis
 
Guests:
 
Anas El Gomati- political analyst and Director of the Tripoli-based Sadeq Institute.
 
Manal Omar- associate Vice President with the Center for Middle East and North Africa with the U.S. Institute of Peace. She is also a former International Adviser for the National Libya Stabilization Team in Benghazi in 2011.
 
Ali Khedery- political analyst and former senior adviser with the U.S. Central Command department