On Saturday, the United States (US) Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, congratulated former Senegalese Minister and United Nations (UN) diplomat, Abdoulaye Bathily, on his appointment as the new Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya (SRSG) and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
“The US fully supports SRSG Bathily’s efforts to mediate the Libyan-led political process,” the US Ambassador said in a tweet.
Bathily brings 40 years of experience to the job of Special Representative and Head of Libya’s UN political mission.
He held various ministerial positions in Senegal, taught history for more than 30 years at the Universite Cheikh Anta Diop in the country, held senior UN positions including in Mali and Central Africa, and served as the independent expert for the strategic review of the Libya mission in 2021.
He also has a Ph.D. from Universite Cheikh Anta Diop and the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom and is fluent in English, French, Soninke, and Wolof.
Earlier today, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, announced the appointment of Bathily to be the new UN Envoy to Libya after the Security Council gave its approval.
The UN’s Chief’s decision to appoint Bathily as UN Envoy came after a nine-month search amid increasing chaos in the oil-rich North African nation.
Libya’s transitional government, which opposed Bathily’s nomination, reportedly sent a protest letter to Guterres. This raises questions about how effective the new Envoy can be in trying to resolve the country’s political and economic crisis.
The last UN Special Representative, Ján Kubiš, resigned on November 23rd, 2021, after 10 months on the job, and a number of candidates proposed by Guterres were rejected by council members, Libya, or neighbouring countries.
In December, Guterres appointed veteran American diplomat Stephanie Williams, a former UN Deputy Special Representative in Libya, as his Special Adviser — a job that did not require council approval.
She left at the end of July. The mission since then has had no leader as Libyans grapple with a constitutional and political crisis.
Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime leader Moammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.