The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) announced a new political initiative aimed at resolving Libya’s ongoing political crisis. The initiative will involve a technical committee of Libyan experts tasked with identifying key milestones and priorities for establishing a consensus-based government.
The announcement was made by Stephanie Khoury, the acting head of UNSMIL, in a video statement shared on the mission’s platforms. Khoury confirmed that she would provide further details of the political process in a briefing to the UN Security Council on Monday.
Khoury outlined the initiative’s key objectives, including maintaining stability, preventing conflict, unifying state institutions, facilitating elections, and addressing longstanding contentious issues. As an initial step, the technical committee will address disputes in electoral laws and develop options, including proposals for guarantees and reassurances within a set timeframe. The committee will also establish a governance framework, define milestones, and prioritize actions for a consensual government, all while safeguarding the interests of the Libyan people.
In addition to the political steps, UNSMIL will amplify the voices of Libyan citizens by ensuring broad participation from political parties, women, youth, cultural groups, and community leaders. The mission will also focus on driving economic reforms, unifying military and security institutions, and supporting national reconciliation.
These efforts are part of a larger plan to pave the way for elections that could end Libya’s ongoing power struggle. The country remains divided between two rival governments: the internationally recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) based in Tripoli, led by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, and a rival government in Benghazi, headed by Osama Hammad, which controls the eastern and southern regions.
Libyans continue to hope that elections will resolve the political and armed conflicts, bringing an end to the transitional phase that has persisted since the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.
