Libya

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced yesterday that Stephanie Williams will be his Acting Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) with immediate effect. … The UN statement said that Ms. Williams brings more than 24 years of experience in Government and International Affairs. She had served as Deputy Special Representative (Political) in UNSMIL since 2018.

French President Emmanuel Macron met Monday, March 9 with Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar, who insisted he would commit to a ceasefire with the United Nations-recognized government in Tripoli as long as its allied militia fighters pledge to sign on as well.

After serving more than two years as the UN’s Special Representative in charge of finding a way to a lasting peace in war-torn Libya, Ghassan Salamé - who also heads up the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) - handed in his resignation on Monday, citing failing health caused by the immense stress of the job.

U.N.-mediated political talks aimed at resolving the crisis in Libya have ended in disarray, with nothing accomplished except an agreement to meet again next month.

Peace talks between the government of Libya and rival military commander Khalifa Haftar collapsed on Monday after 10 months of conflict, the parties announced.

The head of Libya’s internationally recognized government has criticized the international community for not supporting the Libyan people and Government of National Accord, who are under attack by rebel forces. He spoke at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The rebel group, the Military Command Council for the Salvation of the Republic (CCMSR), acknowledged the deadly fighting, saying its forces had conducted a “strategic pullback”.

European Union foreign ministers agreed Monday to launch a revamped mission to try to monitor and enforce an international weapons embargo on warn-torn Libya … But few observers believe the new mission will have much impact as EU naval assets will be deployed at least 100 kilometers away from the Libyan coast.

Libya’s internationally recognized government on Tuesday suspended talks hosted by the United Nations to halt warfare over the capital after eastern forces shelled Tripoli’s port, killing three people and almost hitting a highly explosive gas tanker.

The UN-backed arms embargo in Libya has become a joke and the country’s financial position is deteriorating rapidly, the UN deputy special envoy for Libya, Stephanie Williams, has said after foreign ministers met in Munich to try to enforce a ceasefire between the two warring sides.