5 – 11 February: Algeria meets with Haftar and Representatives of Libya’s Eastern Government

Feb 12, 2020 | International actors

On 5 February, the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sabri Boukadoum, arrived in Benghazi and met with the head of Libya’s parallel eastern Libya government, Abdullah al-Thinni, and the eastern Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hadi al-Huwaiq, to discuss the relationship between the two countries. Boukadoum also met with the head of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Khalifa Haftar, in Rajma.

On 6 February, the Government of National Accord (GNA)’s Minister of Interior, Fathi Bashaagha, met with a German government delegation which included German Ambassador to Libya, Oliver Owcza, deputy ambassador David Gudisch and German Director of the Department of Middle East and North Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Christian Buck. The meeting centred on reviewing the Berlin conference and efforts to prepare for the 5 +5 conference.

On 9 – 10 February, the United Nations (UN)-mediated “Economic and Financial Track” Dialogue took place in Cairo with 28 Libyan economic experts attending. The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said that participants agreed on the Terms of Reference for the Libyan Expert Economic Commission and its mechanisms. The participants concluded that the Commission was needed to work on issues of immediate concern until a unified national government is established – key issues included the negative economic impact of the oil blockade. According to UNSMIL, at the outset, the Commission will focus on improving revenue management and distribution, particularly how to enhance transparency and decentralization, as well as working to address the urgent banking crisis. The experts agreed to a next meeting in early March.

On 10 February, US Ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, met with Bashaagha. The US Embassy to Libya released a statement saying it “reaffirmed U.S. support for ongoing efforts by Libyan authorities to dismantle and disarm militias and armed groups. Such militias represent a serious threat to building a strong, democratic, and unified state in Libya.”