Conference in Berlin also calls for phased withdrawal of all foreign forces from the country

Foreign powers and Libya’s new interim government of national unity have called for nationwide elections on 24 December and the phased withdrawal of all foreign forces, starting with some mercenaries in a matter of days.

There are thought to be as many as 20,000 foreign fighters in the country on both sides of its civil war, including Syrians under Turkish control, Turkish government forces, Russians in the Wagner Group and Sudanese forces.

Dozens of bodies have been spotted near a capsized vessel which had about 130 people on board

At least 120 asylum seekers are feared dead after their rubber boat capsized in stormy seas off the coast of Libya while they were attempting to reach Europe, charities and the UN migration agency say.

Dozens of bodies were spotted near a capsized vessel on Thursday, which had about 130 people on board, a rescue charity said.

Move follows almost a decade of division, with no stable government since fall of Gaddafi in 2011

Libya’s parliament has brushed aside allegations of corruption to endorse a new, unified government in which a woman was appointed as foreign minister for the first time.

Libya has been unable to form a stable unified government since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with divisions between the east and west of the country leading to fighting and institutionalised division.