International actors

On 11 January, Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), was formally received aboard the Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia’s only aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean. On 14 January, Haftar summoned the senior LNA commanders from the east, west and south of Libya for a high-level meeting with HoR President.

On 9 January, the Italian Foreign Ministry announced it was sending its ambassador back to Libya. It is the first Western diplomatic mission to reopen in the country.  The statement said the ambassador would present his credentials to the GNA on 10 January and would start work in Tripoli immediately.

Internationally, diplomacy efforts are gaining pace with Russia demanding a formal political role for Marshall Haftar, Algeria trying to broker dialogue between Haftar and the Islamists, and Egypt trying to pursue demands for amending the LPA and reforming the GNA.

Last week, US AFRICOM concluded Operation Odyssey Lightning in Sirte while support is being given to the Stabilisation Facility for Libya. On 23 December, an internal Libya flight was hijacked and flown to Malta, where the hijackers were apprehended.

Last week, the UN held a conference in Tunis to discuss how the international community can support the GNA’s fledgling presidential guard. A number of high-level diplomatic events in Egypt, Russia and Algeria also took place that may indicate a shift towards a more Haftar-inclusive approach to the Libyan peace process at an international level.  

On 6 December, UN Envoy to Libya Martin Kobler told the UN Security Council (UNSC) that although the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) was ‘the only solution’ to the Libyan problem, its terms were ‘not set in stone’. This raises the possibility that the terms of the LPA may be renegotiated. Any reworking of the LPA […]

UN envoy to Libya continues his efforts to get the LPA accepted by the HoR before the 17 December deadline, however says that certain points such as controversial article 8, which would prevent Haftar from controlling the LNA, may be re-negotiated

The international community continues to show its support for the GNA as the ‘only’ solution to the Libyan political impasse while Haftar is strengthening his relationship with Russia and asking for arms to help the LNA defeat ISIS

Rome meeting on Libya’s economic situation ended in an agreement to make funds available for the PC, while UN envoy holds talks with anti-GNA HoR members in Egypt, hinting at rapprochement between UNSMIL and HoR.