Libya's instability will worsen further without a unified government and elections, UN envoy says
The top U.N. official in Libya is warning that the political, military and security situation in the oil-rich north African country has deteriorated “quite rapidly” and without renewed political talks leading to a unified government and elections there will be greater instability
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The top U.N. official in Libya warned Tuesday that the political, military and security situation in the oil-rich north African country has deteriorated “quite rapidly” over the past two months – and without renewed political talks leading to a unified government and elections there will be greater instability.
Stephanie Khoury painted a grim picture to the U.N. Security Council of rival government forces unilaterally making military moves toward each other in July and August, sparking mobilizations and threats to respond, and unilateral attempts to unseat the Central Bank governor and the prime minister in the country’s west.
Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. In the chaos that followed, the country split, with rival administrations in the east and west backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
The country’s current political crisis stems from the failure to hold elections 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 east-based parliament appointed a rival prime minister who was replaced, while the powerful military commander Khalifa Hifter continues to hold sway in the east.
