By Ibrahim Majbari / AFP TRIPOLI: Tribesmen and politicians in Libya’s oil-rich east have polarized public opinion, raised fears that the country might break apart and prompted some of his sharpest statements yet from the interim leader. Analysts say the problem lies not with the federalism they are proposing but with the unilateral way in which …

By Dominique Soguel / AFP TRIPOLI: Libyan leader Mustapha Abdel Jalil on Wednesday said he would defend national unity “with force” if necessary, after tribal leaders and a political faction declared autonomy for an eastern region. “We are not prepared to divide Libya,” Abdel Jalil said as he called on leaders in the eastern Cyrenaica region …

By AFP JEDDAH: The Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) urged Libyans on Wednesday to remain united after tribal leaders and a political faction declared autonomy for an eastern region. OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu urged Libyans “to preserve national unity and territorial integrity of Libya,” in a statement received by AFP. Ihsanoglu also “renewed …

By Rami Al-Shaheibi / AP BENGHAZI, Libya: Tribal leaders and militia commanders declared a semiautonomous region in oil-rich eastern Libya on Tuesday, a move opponents fear will be the first step toward outright dividing the country six months after the fall of Moammar Qaddafi. Libya’s National Transitional Council, the interim central government based in the capital …

By Maggie Michael / AP BENGHAZI: A large map of Libya hangs on the wall in the home of Idris Al-Rahel, with a line down the middle dividing the country in half. Al-Rahel, a former army officer, leads a movement to declare virtual autonomy in eastern Libya, where most of the country’s oil fields are located. …