EU officially effects sanctions on Abusahmain, Saleh, and Al-Ghweil

Three Libyan political leaders opposing the UN-backed unity government are from Friday subject to European Union’s economic sanctions, the EU official journal said.

Fearful of derailing peace efforts, EU governments hesitated for months before agreeing in March to move on with restrictive measures.

The asset-freeze measures were formally adopted on Thursday and took effect on Friday, two days after the members of the Libya’s unity government reached Tripoli by frigate, defying attempts to keep them out of the city.

The three men hit by the EU measures are Nouri Abusahmain, president of Libya’s General National Congress in Tripoli, one of two rival parliaments; Khalifa Al-Ghweil, prime minister of the Tripoli Salvation Government; and Aqilah Saleh, the president of Libya’s Tobruk parliament.

The EU official journal said they played a central role in obstructing the establishment of a unity government in Libya.