According To Un Envoy, Libyans Want Elections And Unity

According to the U.N. deputy representative on Wednesday, Libyans from different regions and all walks of life are tired of their country’s divisions and want political players to stop their years-long impasse and agree to organize national elections, which are a crucial step toward peace in the oil-rich North African nation.

Stephanie Koury informed the U.N. Security Council that she has been meeting with academics, women’s organizations, political figures, representatives of civil society, military officials, and others from the nation’s hostile east and west to hear their opinions. The “status quo is not sustainable,” she stated, and elections must be held before the political process can move forward.

When longstanding tyrant Moammar Gadhafi was overthrown and killed in 2011 by an uprising supported by NATO, Libya descended into anarchy. The nation divided amid the anarchy that ensued, with opposing regimes supported by foreign countries and renegade militias in the east and west.

The absence of elections on December 24, 2021, and Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s reluctance to resign from his position leading a transitional administration in Tripoli, the nation’s capital, are the main causes of the current political situation. The east-based parliament of Libya responded by designating a rival prime minister who was subsequently suspended. Prime Minister Ossama Hammad now rules the east, while Khalifa Hifter, the strongman in the military, still maintains his influence.