TANZANIA – The top U.N. official in Libya announced a new initiative Monday to overcome a three-year deadlock and move the divided oil-rich North African nation toward a national election.
The U.N. deputy special envoy for Libya, Stephanie Koury, told the U.N. Security Council that as a first step, the U.N. political mission in Libya known as UNSMIL intends to establish an advisory committee, with a deadline to develop options to resolve outstanding electoral issues and a road map for holding an election.
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“The committee will be composed of experts and respected personalities, who are reflective of the spectrum of Libyan political forces, social, cultural and geographical components,” she said.
Koury stressed that the committee isn't “a dialogue group to take decisions,” but to generate options for follow-on action by Libyan decision-makers.
Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The country split, with rival administrations in the east and west backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
The country’s political crisis stems from the failure to hold an election on Dec. 24, 2021, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah — who led a transitional government in the capital of Tripoli in the west — to step down.
In response, Libya’s parliament based in the east appointed a rival prime minister who was replaced, while the powerful military commander Khalifa Hifter continues to hold sway in the east.
Koury said the polarization and unresolved electoral issues are threatening Libya’s national unity and territorial integrity, crumbling the country's transitional architecture. And she said competition between armed groups for control of territory and access to Libya’s resources threatens stability.
Over the past several weeks, Koury said that she shared the initiative's broad framework with key Libyan actors and regional and international partners. On Sunday night, she presented UNSMIL’s plan to overcome political deadlock to the Libyan people.
The key objectives are stability, pursuing “Libyan ownership,” helping unify and strengthen Libyan institutions, and promoting the inclusivity of Libyan political forces and cultural groups.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, this month’s council president, said that a new political process is needed in Libya and otherwise it will face deeper divisions, a further erosion of sovereignty and a return to violence.
“We continue to believe the U.N. is the best-placed international actor to lead that process,” she said. “We call on the entire international community to stand behind these U.N.-led efforts.”
Libyan U.N. Ambassador Taher El-Sonni, who represents the internationally recognized government in the west based in Tripoli, said Security Council members should apologize to the Libyan people for repeating plans with slight changes that procrastinate and won’t lead to elections.
“A national dialogue remains the ideal process to overcome the differences and to reach a consensus on general elections as soon as possible,” he said. “Such consensus will address the pending issues to develop electoral laws that can be achieved and implemented.”