UNITED NATIONS (AP) — UN Special Envoy for Libya Abdoulaye Batilislamming the country’s fighting parties and their foreign backers United Nations Security Council A meeting was held on Tuesday before it was confirmed he had submitted his resignation.
former Senegalese The minister and United Nations diplomat, who has held the post for 18 months, said he had done his best to get Libya’s five leading politicians to resolve disputes over electoral laws and form a unity government to lead the country in long-delayed elections. .
UN Libya envoy doubles down on talks as elections continue to be delayed
But Batili said his attempts were “met by stubborn resistance, unreasonable expectations and a disregard for the interests of the Libyan people.” He warned that these entrenched positions, coupled with a “divided regional and global landscape”, could drive further instability and insecurity in Libya and the region.
Abdoulaye Bathily, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Libya, speaks during a meeting with Arab foreign ministers in the capital Tripoli, Sunday, January 22, 2023. Batili lashed out at a meeting of the country’s feuding political parties and their foreign backers at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, before confirming he had submitted his resignation. (Youssef Murad/AP Photo)
The clearly frustrated U.N. envoy also warned that oil-rich Libya “has become a playground for fierce competition between regional and international actors motivated by geopolitical, political and economic interests and by extension Libya competition outside the United Nations and with its neighbours,” he accused these actors of undermining the United Nations’ efforts.
Council diplomats said Batili did not inform the council that he had submitted his resignation in a public meeting or in a subsequent closed-door meeting. But later, in response to a reporter’s question, he said, “Yes, I did submit my resignation to the Secretary-General,” without giving any reason.
Libya descended into chaos in 2011 after a NATO-backed uprising overthrew and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi. In the ensuing chaos, the country was divided, with governments in the east and west split with support from rogue militias and foreign governments.
The country’s current political crisis stems from the failure to hold elections on December 24, 2021, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who leads the transitional government in the capital Tripoli, to step down.
In response, Libya’s eastern parliament appointed a rival prime minister, Fathy Bashagha, but suspended him in May 2023. Powerful military commander Khalifa Hifter continues to have influence in the east.
Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia have backed Haftar for years, while troops based in Tripoli have been backed by Turkey, Qatar and Italy, particularly during Haftar’s unsuccessful attempt to capture the capital in 2019.
Libya’s strategic location on the Mediterranean Sea and its political chaos have made the country a major route for African migrants and people smugglers trying to reach Europe. Islamic State and other extremist groups have also taken advantage of the chaos, and while some are behind bars in Libya, they remain a threat, particularly from the country’s restive western and southern borders, where the groups have gained support.
Batili said that last month, the situation in Libya worsened due to two major factors.
The first, he said, is “the lack of political will and sincerity among the main actors in Libya who are satisfied with the current deadlock that has existed in Libya since 2011”.
The second, he said, is the ongoing fight for Libyan territory, making it a battleground for different foreign actors and Libyan armed groups.
Batili pointed to moves in recent months with the goal, if not the declared goal, of “undermining the UN-led process” to form a unity government.
He specifically mentioned a meeting in Cairo on 10 March in which three leading politicians reportedly reached an agreement without the involvement of the United Nations and without the support of other parties who were not invited. .
He said: “Unilateral, parallel and uncoordinated initiatives will cause unnecessary complications and entrench the status quo.” As long as this continues, “we will not be able to make progress.”
Batili stressed that “the unity of the international community is the key to resolving the Libyan crisis.”
He said the Security Council, which authorized NATO’s 2011 intervention, must show unity and “force” Libyan and regional “stakeholders” to support U.N. efforts to unite Libya through political dialogue.
The Security Council also has a “moral responsibility” to end the crisis by telling everyone – the “so-called national leaders” in power today and their foreign backers – to give the Libyan people a chance to chart a new course through elections and politics. Rebuild the country, Batili said.
He said Libya is the richest country in the region and has the resources to achieve prosperity, stability and peace without the need for regional or international intervention.
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Batili also stressed that peace and stability in Libya are crucial to the stability of neighboring Western Sahel and the wider region.
“New and coordinated commitments among regional and international actors are more urgent than ever,” he told the Security Council.