On Saturday, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, said that the Libyan incumbent Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba, rejected the House of Representatives’ (HoR) decision to approve the budget submitted by Fathi Bashagha. He stressed that he would deliver power only to a newly elected government.
In his report to the Security Council on Libya, Guterres added, “I welcome the mutual participation and joint efforts of the Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of Libya, and encourage further practical steps to be taken towards unifying the military institution.”
Guterres noted that the Libyan National Army (LNA) intensified counter-terrorism operations by deploying additional units near the Libyan border, following the armed clashes in Chad near the Libyan southern border.
Guterres stressed that current political divisions contributed to creating a volatile security environment in Tripoli and western Libya.
He explained that “there is an increase in clashes between armed groups supporting each party in and around Tripoli, as the ongoing political crisis between Al-Dbaiba and Bashagha over the leadership of the executive authority has become more entrenched.”
Guterres noted that the High Council of State (HCS) was unable to convene due to divisions between members supporting the unity government and those backing Bashagha. The prolonged political stalemate negatively affects the security environment in Libya, as evidenced by the increase in clashes between armed groups.
The UN’s Chief added, “the UN remains committed to supporting the work of the ceasefire monitors in establishing a monitoring mechanism based in Sirte.”
Libya has been mired in conflict for long stretches since Moammar Gaddafi was deposed and killed in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011. Plagued by divisions between competing institutions in the East and West, Libya remains split between rival forces, with two opposing executives in place since February.