The UN Envoy and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily congratulated the Libyan people on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr.
In a statement published by UNSMIL, Bathily said “I would like to extend my heartfelt wishes to the Libyan people inside and outside the country. I hope that the joy of Eid, after the blessed month of Ramadan, will strengthen solidarity for peace and national unity among the Libyan people.”
He called on all political actors, military and security leaders, notables, societal representatives, institutions and authorities to “come together in a spirit of compromise for the sake of establishing a clear and unified pathway towards lasting peace, stability, and prosperity.”
He also called on women and youth to “seize the occasion of this celebration to renew their commitment to participate fully in the electoral process, as a meaningful contribution to rebuilding peace, security, stability and prosperity in their motherland.”
Bathily renewed his calls for the release of “those arbitrarily detained all over Libya as a critical foundation for confidence-building and for establishing a comprehensive, rights-based reconciliation.”
“This is also an opportunity to encourage all stakeholders to rally behind the UN’s comprehensive approach to enable national elections this year. The people of Libya are eager to turn the page of suffering and division, and open a new chapter of peace, stability, and prosperity in their country. Let’s not fail them,” he added.
Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December 2021, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, who is leading the transitional government, to step down. In response, the country’s eastern-based Parliament appointed a rival Prime Minister, Fathi Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.
