This week the UN Libya Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) selected a new transitional executive authority which was publicly accepted by Libya’s key stakeholders and the international community.
On 2 February, UN published its Panel of Experts report on Sudan which included details of the UAE’s involvement with the Libya National Army (LNA) and Darfuri rebel groups in Libya. According to the report, UAE military officers established direct relations with the main Darfurian movements in Libya, regularly meeting the movements’ commanders in Benghazi.
On 4 February, according to Agence France-Presse, the UN Security Council (UNSC) instructed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to deploy international monitors in Libya. The UNSC requested that an advance team is sent to the country, and that a report is provided within 45 days on a proposal to amend the mandate of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). The advance team is expected to comprise around 30 individuals.
On 5 February, using the second method of inter-regional lists, the LPDF elected Abdul Hameed Dabaiba as the new Prime Minister for Libya and Mohammad Menfi as the President of the three-man Presidential Council. Musa al-Koni and Abdullah Hussein al-Lafi were elected as the other members of the Presidential Council, representing the South and East respectively.
On 6 February, the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) agreed to clear mines from Sirte ahead of the reopening of the coastal road. Following its meeting in Sirte, the 5+5 JMC also called on the UNSC to require UN member states to withdraw all foreign fighters and mercenaries from Libya.