An injured man lies in a shelter for displaced people on the outskirts of Tripoli, Libya. (File photo)
The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, told the Security Council today that those in power in Libya are putting their personal interests ahead of the needs of the country. He stressed that the Libyan leadership must reach a political solution on the basis of negotiations and compromises.
Long-term stalemate
Since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, the oil-rich North African country has struggled with multiple crises. The confrontation between the internationally recognized Government of National Unity, located in the Libyan capital of Tripoli in the west, and the Government of National Stability, allied to the National Congress and the Libyan National Army in the east, has led to a protracted stalemate in Libya. This impasse continues to deepen the political, security and economic instability in the country.
In December 2021, Libya was forced to postpone key presidential and parliamentary elections due to legal disputes and other challenges. Since the postponement of the elections, Libya has fallen into an even more serious crisis.
In November 2023, in an effort to break the deadlock, Special Representative Batili invited the leaders of the five main existing institutions to talks, including the Government of National Unity, the National Assembly, the Supreme Council of State, the Libyan National Army and the Presidential Council.
There are many challenges
Since the end of 2022, UN-led efforts to help resolve Libya's political crisis through elections have faced national and regional resistance, demonstrating deliberate contempt for serious participation and the intransigence of permanent postponement, Batilli said. The challenges facing United Nations-led efforts are becoming increasingly prominent.
He said the Government of National Unity was a product of the peace process promoted by UNSMIL following the 2021 Berlin International Consensus. Despite being increasingly challenged by a growing number of opponents, it has become a major player in the West. However, extending its role beyond the promised elections exposes its limits and prompts its opponents to question its legitimacy. However, in the current transitional phase, it remains the internationally recognized government of Libya.
Battilly noted that ordinary people are increasingly concerned that the international consensus on Libya is eroding, as their country has become the scene of fierce confrontation between regional and international actors, driven by geopolitical, political and economic interests, and implicated in competition between Libya's neighbors outside of Libya. The renewed competition for Libya, its status and its vast resources, both at home and abroad, has made a solution increasingly elusive.
Batilli noted that any escalation of tensions in Libya would not only exacerbate instability in Chad, Niger and Sudan, but also plunge the entire Sahel region into turmoil.
Heavy responsibilities
Batilli said many foreign fighters and mercenaries come from Libya's southern neighbors, but the plan to withdraw them cannot be implemented due to the instability in these countries and the political impasse in Libya itself.
At the same time, he is concerned about the increase in abductions, disappearances and arbitrary arrests carried out by security forces in the eastern, southern and western parts of Libya, with impunity, which undermines fundamental freedoms and creates fear.
Batili was also deeply concerned about the dire situation of migrants and refugees in Libya, who were subjected to human rights violations throughout the migration process. On 22 March, mass graves were discovered in southwestern Libya, including the bodies of 65 migrants who had died while being trafficked across the desert. Batili called for greater regional cooperation to ensure the protection of migrants.
Batilly said that Council members must individually and collectively fulfil their responsibilities in word and deed, show solidarity and compel Libyan and regional stakeholders to support UNSMIL's efforts to restore the unity and legitimacy of Libyan institutions through political dialogue.
He stressed that peace and stability in Libya remain a sine qua non for stability in the Sahel and the wider region. Now more than ever, there is a need for renewed and concerted commitment by regional and international actors.
