The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) reported in an analytical paper on the details and reasons for the failure of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), and its ineffectiveness in resolving the crisis.
The USIP affirmed that the UN Mission has “worked to find a way to balance the interests of the Libyan people, political elites, and powerful external actors to devise a political settlement and resolve the conflict.”
But UNSMIL’s many critics, including Libyans, believe the Mission has underachieved and been tainted by scandals.
Critics claim that the Mission “lacks the diplomatic, political, or military heft to force combatants to make concessions, or hold external parties accountable. As a result, several prominent Libyans have called for UNSMIL to be dissolved, arguing that Libyans can settle their disputes without the intervention of the UN.”
Others, frustrated with UNSMIL’s lack of progress, “would like to see the mandate of the mission changed to reflect the challenges of the current conflict — not the conflict as it existed in 2011,” according to the USIP.
UNSMIL was created as the Libyan opposition began to consolidate military victories, following the largely leaderless popular uprising in 2011.
It was to help stabilize the country; initiate political dialogue to foster reconciliation, lay the ground for elections and a new constitution; protect human rights; help Libya’s economy recover; and coordinate international support.
However, UNSMIL was never empowered to fulfil all elements of its mandate, most notably, the ability to “restore public security and order,” according to the USIP.
The formation of a formal government exacerbated regional discontent. The split in 2015 between the western Government of National Accord, and the eastern Libyan Parliament has occupied much of the discourse.
The report added that local-level tribal and armed groups divisions have been at least as significant as the national dispute. At that level, powerful armed groups vie for power and material interests, further complicating attempts at reconciliation and unity.
The report explained that UNSMIL’s lack of success “cannot be laid solely at the feet of those Libyan political elites that have refused to prioritize the needs of the nation above parochial and personal self-interest.”
USIP noted that there will be another opportunity to revise UNSMIL’s mandate in 2023. This is either when the current mandate expires, or if its Head, Abdoulaye Bathily were to resign (out of frustration or because of outside pressures). At which point the UNSC should consider revising some of the existing mandate language.
USIP urged for removing language related to the implementation of the Libyan Political Agreement entirely, and that the preambular paragraphs “should explicitly recognize that both legislative bodies are operating without a valid mandate.”
“An explicit recognition by the UN that these legislative branch bodies are, in fact, not legitimate could shame political leaders into making the kinds of concessions necessary to execute free, fair, and inclusive national elections with respectable voter turnout,” it added.
