THE European Union slapped sanctions on three rival Libyan leaders yesterday for opposing the United Nations-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).

The EU named the three in its official gazette as Agilah Saleh Issa, Khalifa Ghweil and Nuri Abu Sahmain.

Mr Saleh Issa is president of the US-backed Council of Deputies in the eastern city of Tobruk, while Mr Ghweil is prime minister of its Tripoli-based rival National Salvation Government (NSG) and Nuri Abu Sahmain heads the General National Congress, the parliament backing the NSG.

The civil war between the two rival governments was complicated on Wednesday by the arrival in Tripoli of the Tunisia-based GNA’s prime minister Fayez al-Serraj.

The GNA promptly threatened sanctions against all factions who did not submit to its UN-mandated authority.

On Thursday, Libya’s UN envoy Ibrahim Dabbashi urged the security council to partially lift a freeze on the $67 billion (£47bn) Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) fund so that the money could be invested.

Mr Dabbashi claimed the fund was losing out on $2bn (£1.4bn) a year in potential profits.

Without an exemption, Mr Dabbashi said, the council would be responsible “for all the losses recorded by the Libyan body.”

Legal battles over the fund and other state assets of the devastated country, once Africa’s wealthiest nation, were fought in London and Malta last month.

However, the British Foreign Office ordered the court to halt proceedings, a request granted by Judge William Blair, brother of former prime minister Tony Blair.