Libya

Washington is negotiating an accord that would piece Libya’s divided national institutions back together. But its political aspects have sown fierce controversy. Rather than risk the country’s tenuous peace, U.S. mediators should seek broader buy-in, focusing on budgetary and military issues in the interim.

Without waiting for the rival leaders in Tripoli and Benghazi to settle their political feuds, Chinese companies are building up a corporate bulwark in Libya. In the west, the Central Bank will use some of Beijing’s financial systems; in the east, Chinese investors are planning an ambitious industrial project.

While Libya has made strides in advancing its ambitious political road map — aimed at unifying the country’s divided institutions and paving the way for elections — widespread electricity shortages, economic turmoil and security flareups are driving public frustration at the slow pace of progress, the senior United Nations official in Tripoli warned the Security Council today.

The Africa Defense Forum has reported accelerated Russian moves to strengthen Moscow’s military presence in Libya, saying Russia plans to fund and carry out infrastructure projects and provide personnel at six Libyan air bases, in what it described as part of Moscow’s efforts to expand its influence in North Africa and the Sahel.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) welcomed the technical military meeting hosted in the city of Sirte on Sunday, describing it as a new step that reflects the commitment of Libyan military leaders to continue efforts toward unifying the country’s military institution and strengthening confidence-building measures.

Pakistan has quietly begun mediating between Libya's rival eastern and western power centres, two Pakistani sources said, in a previously unreported Pakistani effort that would further raise its diplomatic profile if it succeeds.

Amid a flurry of regional diplomacy and intelligence manoeuvring, Libya’s political crisis stands at a critical juncture. A new United States-backed initiative aiming to end the country’s institutional divide and unify its executive authorities has gained notable traction in the east, in effect putting the ball in the court of western Libyan factions.

The UN's special representative for Libya said Thursday that a surge in disinformation and hate speech targeting migrants, refugees and humanitarian workers is threatening the country's "fragile" political progress. … She said false claims about UN intentions in Libya have stoked hostility and led to attacks on UN facilities.

Briefing the Security Council on Thursday, Hanna Tetteh, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Libya and head of the UN Support Mission (UNSMIL), said the political process had regained momentum, though progress remained fragile. She described the UNSMIL-facilitated road map – covering elections, institutional unification, security, economic reform and national reconciliation – as “not merely a political imperative” but “a viable path” out of the country's institutional paralysis.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) expressed its deep concern yesterday over reports of continued mobilization of armed groups, along with the alarming increase in assassinations in and around the city of Zawia, which it said threatens to ignite a new wave of violence and further endanger civilians.