Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 18th Feb. UN head Antonio Guterres on Friday called the leaders to overcome the current political impasse in Libya can unleash much-needed progress in tackling crises at a high-level meeting of the African Union in Addis Ababa on Libya.
“What is urgently needed is the political will to break the protracted political stalemate and achieve progress on multiple fronts,” he said.
He said progress is sorely needed towards holding elections and advancing gains in security, national reconciliation and human rights.
Guterres added that the UN continues to be committed to Libyan-owned and Libyan-led solutions.
He noted that the UN has been “totally committed to overcoming the misunderstandings of the past”, he outlined priorities areas for action.
“We have no agenda and no goal but one: to secure the right of the Libyan people to live in peace, to vote in free and fair elections, and to share in the prosperity of their country,” he said.
He stressed that the challenges are dire.
A UN human rights fact-finding probe in late January included testimony of extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, human trafficking, internal displacement, and the existence of mass burial sites.
In December 2021, legal disputes and other challenges forced the cancellation of historic presidential and parliamentary elections.
Guterres said that to address this pressing issue, his Special Representative has engaged the Libyan parties and international partners to agree on a constitutional basis for elections by the end of February.
“I share the growing frustrations of the Libyan people,” he said.
“The absence of elections worsens economic insecurity, heightens political instability, risks renewed conflict, and raises the specter of partition.”
He added that without agreement, the United Nations, in close collaboration with key Libyan stakeholders, the African Union, and international partners, should propose and pursue alternative mechanisms towards finding solutions.
“There is no alternative to elections,” he stated. “They remain the only credible pathway to legitimate, unified governance.”
He noted 2020 ceasefire agreement continues to hold, commended progress on security challenges. Efforts include the work of the “5+5’ Joint Military Commission, convened by the Special Representative, which represents “an instrument of hope for all Libyans”, he said, as well the African Union’s engagement and support.
“The next priority of the Joint Military Commission must be the complete withdrawal of foreign fighters and mercenaries from Libya,” he said.
He recalled that external interference had fuelled Libya’s descent into conflict.
Guterres welcomed the meeting in Cairo between the military commission and representatives of Libya, Sudan, and Niger, the decision to establish a coordination and information sharing committee marks “an important step towards greater stability and peace in Libya and the wider region”.
He said progress towards national reconciliation is also a priority.
SG pointed out to the AU’s ongoing efforts to support an inclusive process.
He outlined serious human rights concerns, he said migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers continue to suffer abuses with impunity.
Thousands who attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea are returned to Libya and detained in inhumane and degrading conditions with restricted humanitarian assistance, with thousands more unaccounted for.
He reiterated his call for all countries involved to respect the integrity of international refugee law, and for Libyan authorities to find rights-based alternatives to detention.
“The United Nations and the African Union together with other key regional actors and organizations – must work together to support the Libyan people in realizing their legitimate aspirations to a more peaceful and prosperous future,” he concluded.
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