UN envoy lashes out at Libya’s feuding parties and their foreign backers, then says he’s resigned

UNITED NATIONS — The UN envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, lashed out at the country’s warring parties and their foreign backers at a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday before confirming he had resigned.

The former Senegalese minister and UN diplomat, who held the post for 18 months, said he had done his best to get Libya’s five main political actors to resolve contentious issues over electoral laws and form a unified government to rule the country to lead for a long time. -postponed elections.

But Bathily said his efforts “were met with stubborn resistance, unreasonable expectations and indifference to the interests of the Libyan people.” And he warned that these entrenched positions, reinforced by “a divided regional and global landscape,” could push Libya and the region into further instability and insecurity.

The UN envoy, clearly frustrated, also warned that oil-rich Libya “has become the playground for intense rivalry between regional and international actors, motivated by geopolitical, political and economic interests, but also by competition that extends beyond Libya and is related to its neighboring country.” And he accused these actors of undermining UN efforts.

Bathily did not inform the Security Council, either during the open meeting or the closed session that followed, that he had submitted his resignation, council diplomats said. But then, in response to a question from a reporter, he said: “Yes, I have submitted my resignation to the Secretary General,” he said, without giving any reason.

Secretary-General António Guterres accepted Bathily’s resignation and said he is grateful “for his tireless efforts to restore peace and stability in Libya,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. In the chaos that followed, the country split, with rival governments in the east and west, backed by 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 led a 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 hold sway in the east.

For years, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia supported Hifter, while the Tripoli-based armies enjoyed the support of Turkey, Qatar and Italy, especially during Hifter’s failed offensive to take the capital in 2019.

Libya’s strategic location on the Mediterranean Sea and political chaos have made the country a key route for African migrants trying to reach Europe and for people smugglers. Islamic State and other extremist groups have also exploited the chaos and although some are in prison in Libya, they remain a threat, especially from the restive western and southern borders where these groups have gained support.

Over the past month, Bathily said, the situation in Libya has deteriorated due to two main factors.

The first is “the lack of political will and good faith among major Libyan actors who are comfortable with the current impasse, which has been going on in Libya since 2011,” he said.

The second is the ongoing struggle for Libyan territory, which has made it a battleground for various foreign actors and Libyan armed groups, he said.

Bathily pointed to initiatives in recent months, the aim of which, even if not disclosed, is to “disrupt the UN-led process” to form a unified government.

He mentioned a meeting in Cairo on March 10 where three key political players reportedly reached an agreement that the UN was not part of, and which was not supported by the other parties who were not invited.

“One-sided, parallel and uncoordinated initiatives contribute to unnecessary complications and to the consolidation of the status quo,” he said, and as long as these continue “we cannot move forward in any way.”

Bathily emphasized that “the unity of the international community is the key to solving the Libyan crisis.”

He said the Security Council, which authorized the 2011 NATO intervention, must show unity and “compel” Libyan and regional “stakeholders” to support UN 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 the opportunity to chart a new course by through elections and elections. rebuild the country, Bathily said.

Libya is the richest country in the region and has the resources to be prosperous, stable and peaceful – without regional or international intervention, he said.

Bathily also emphasized that peace and stability in Libya are crucial for the stability of the neighboring Western Sahel and the wider region.

“More than ever, the renewed and coordinated commitment of regional and international actors is absolutely necessary,” he told the council.