On 22 May, Egypt’s Intelligence chief Major General Hassan Mahmoud Rashad met with House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Aqeela Saleh in Cairo to discuss the current political situation in Libya in the light of the current tensions and the unrest in Tripoli. The same day, Turkey’s National Security Council held a meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at which they agreed to intensify support for the security and stability of Libya, as well as Somalia and Sudan.
UNSMIL and other international actors stressed Libyans’ right to peaceful protest and warned against the use of violence against protestors. In an interview with Al Hadath on 22 May, SRSG Hanna Tetteh said, ‘We continue to emphasize that the right to demonstrate is a human right. It is a right that should be available to all citizens if they are unhappy with the way things are being run. They should not be met with violence if no violent acts occur during the demonstration. Even if there are disturbances, any response must be proportional and aim to protect lives and property.’