Libya

Special Representative and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Ghassan Salamé, told Council members via videoconference from Tripoli, that the mission was working to both “prevent recent developments and tensions on the ground from escalating”, and “pivot to stability and a political compact” which would end the country’s crisis.

An agreement by Libya’s Prime Minister and a key rival military leader to improve political stability across the country through new general elections, has been welcomed by the UN Secretary-General.

Unity government leader Fayez al-Sarraj and rival strongman Khalifa Haftar meet in Abu Dhabi to agree on "the need to end the transitional phase through general elections".

The United Arab Emirates is bringing together players in Libya’s conflict and the state oil firm to try to reopen the El Sharara oilfield, the North African country’s biggest, diplomats and other sources said on Monday. The UAE is the biggest backer of Khalifa Haftar, a key figure and commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) force, which this month took control of two oilfields in Libya’s south, El Sharara and the nearby El Feel facility.

The World Bank Group announced yesterday a new strategy of support for Libya focused on restoring key services to citizens and promoting economic recovery as a critical contribution to the ongoing peace process.

Fighting has broken out over the future of Libya’s largest oil field, as forces loyal to the UN-recognised Tripoli-based government battle Libyan National Army (LNA) forces led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the leading figure in fractured Libya’s east.

At least 69 municipal councils out of 120 in Libya may not hold elections in March due to a lack of funding by the UN-backed government according to the head of the elections committee. … UNSMIL along with the United Nations Development Programme has been offering technical and logistical support to the elections committee since March 2018.

The forces controlling eastern Libya regard UN envoy Ghassan Salame as an enemy contributing to the North African nation’s violent crisis, a spokesman said. The strong criticism followed the UN Libya mission’s expression of “deep concern” about a deployment of troops from the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by Khalifa Haftar, to southern Libya.

Germany is suspending participation in Operation Sophia, the EU naval mission targeting human trafficking in the Mediterranean. The decision reportedly relates to Italy's reluctance to allow rescued people to disembark.

Despite years of promises to address the “vulnerable heart” of Libya – the country’s south – conditions around its water and oil resource wealth have continued to deteriorate at “an alarming rate”, the United Nations envoy for the country told the Security Council. … While UNSMIL has built a taskforce to tackle the situation, and agencies are helping, “it is the Libyan authorities who must shoulder the burden” he stated.