On Friday, Member of the Libyan Parliament, Misbah Douma denounced foreign interference in Libya.
In a tweet, Douma said: “He (Dbaiba) does not have the heart of someone who does not bemoan a divided homeland, ruled by foreign interventions.”
“We must unite in order to restore the state and leave political differences aside. Otherwise, the crisis and conflict will continue indefinitely,” Doma added.
On Thursday, a senior adviser to the US Mission at the UN, Jeffrey DeLaurentis said that “Libyans are losing what little hope they have that the dire political and humanitarian situation in their country will be resolved anytime soon.”
Addressing the Security Council, the US diplomat said that “ordinary people are losing hope that their country can be free of corruption and foreign influence.” This follows clashes in Tripoli last week between supporters of rival Prime Ministers, Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba and Fathi Bashagha, which left 32 people dead.
The Libyan public, the US diplomat added, “doubts that the armed forces can be unified, and that foreign fighters, forces, and mercenaries will be withdrawn. They are deprived of basic public services while the powerful cut deals to divvy up hydrocarbon revenues in accordance with their own interests, particularly to militias controlled by various factions, robbing the Libyan people of their national wealth.”
The UN has made little progress in Libya since mediating a ceasefire and agreeing on a framework for national elections in 2020. It has failed to appoint a new special envoy to the country since November 2021. Elections scheduled for 24 December 2021 remain elusive, amid disagreements over the constitution and the eligibility of candidates.
Tarek Megerisi, an expert on Libya at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told the UNSC that the clashes were the first instance of heavy weaponry and artillery being used in Tripoli, since 2020.