The Ministry of Finance aligned to the internationally recognized Libyan government based in Tripoli and led by Faiez Serraj announced yesterday that the Serraj government has approved a raft of public spending cuts.

Belgium has ignored the Libyan delegation that arrived in Brussels last week, a source from the Belgian government told Ean Libya.

Libyan tribesmen staged a demonstration at the eastern oil port of Hariga on Thursday in protest against the appointment of a government minister, a leading member of the tribe said, Reuters reports.

Libya’s UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj changed the interior minister and reshuffled other cabinet posts on Sunday in a move seen as a bid to broaden his support nationwide and bolster security in the capital after weeks of clashes, Reuters reports.

The Ministry of Finance released Monday a report about the number of Libya’s state workers and pay after matching them with the national ID number.

A government official was kidnapped when an unknown armed group stormed the finance ministry (GNA) in Tripoli’s Dahra district yesterday afternoon. The gunmen, believed to be part of a militia, attacked during working hours and dragged the head of the budget administration, Nuri Erhuma, out by force.

Faiez Serraj, the head of the Presidency Council, has appointed an acting minister and a deputy for the ministry of finance. He has also appointed deputy ministers for the foreign and local government ministries.

The Presidential Council of the Government of National Accord Decree No. (4) of 2016 on the establishment of the Government of National Accord    The Presidential Council  Upon review of: The interim Constitutional Declaration issued on 3 August 2011, and its amendments; The Libyan Political Agreement signed on 17 December 2015; …

In Palestine, good financial oversight of the security sector is crucial to enhancing accountability of the security forces, and guarding against corruption. However currently, financial oversight institutions and departments do not follow unified processes. Instead, these bodies have developed their own procedures and methods for implementing financial oversight. This can potentially open up opportunities for mismanagement and corruption. It also makes oversight of security forces by the Palestinian State Audit and Administrative Control Bureau (SAACB - the Palestinian independent state audit institution) difficult and time consuming. In 2013, DCAF and SAACB set about to assess the problems of financial oversight in Palestine, and the training needs of those working in financial oversight institutions. Together they formed a task force of representatives from key financial institutions that conducted several meetings and discussions. As a result, it identified a number of areas in which technical support needs to be provided to financial staffers in order to improve their capacities. DCAF and SAACB then set about addressing these findings though trainings, the supply of international expertise and legislative assistance. The findings are detailed in Strengthening Financial Oversight Institutions in the Palestinian Security Sector: A Training Needs Assessment, which is currently available in English and Arabic.

Libya’s public finances, wracked by a dramatic loss in oil revenue that has been exacerbated by a power struggle between rival governments, are foundering.