United Nations

Libya can once again see two rival administrations and a return to instability, the UN political chief warned on Wednesday and called for elections to be held as soon as possible to unite the war-torn country. Deputy Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the UN Security Council that she was encouraged by the support for a UN initiative to convene a joint committee of Libya's rival House of Representatives and senior ministers with the aim of reaching an agreement on both "on a constitutional basis…

Libya can once again see two rival administrations and a return to instability, the UN political chief warned on Wednesday and called for elections to be held as soon as possible to unite the war-torn country. Deputy Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the UN Security Council that she was encouraged by the support for a UN initiative to convene a joint committee of Libya's rival House of Representatives and senior ministers with the aim of reaching an agreement on both "on a constitutional basis…

Libya's interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah met with heads of diplomatic missions in the capital, Tripoli, on Tuesday to discuss the political situation in the midst of the eastern parliament's appointment of Fathi Bashagha as prime minister. A statement from the Unity Government noted that Dbeibah had told the Heads of Mission that the government was aiming to hold elections as part of the UN Roadmap. In response, the ambassadors told Dbeibah that the necessary work had to be done to hold…

The UN expressed concern on Thursday after Libya's eastern parliament voted to install a government that replaces the unity government, a move that threatens to create violence between the two sides and return to the territorial division. An e-mail from the UN Secretary-General's spokesman said that there were reports that the vote did not meet the standards of transparency and procedure and that there were intimidation acts before the session. The UN is instead focused on renewing its aspirations…

The UN Special Adviser to Libya, Stephanie Williams, reiterated her call on Libyans to focus on the electoral process and maintain peace amid rising concerns for the country's future on Sunday. Last week, during a meeting with Libyan senior politicians, she highlighted the need for free and fair elections in Libya "in the shortest possible time". "I stressed the need for the various Libyan political forces to strive for the broadest possible consensus, through an inclusive and transparent process,"…

Leaders and revolutionaries of the force that supports the Libyan army on Saturday condemned the election of Fathi Bashagha as head of the new government, a move that risks triggering a new power struggle in the war-torn nation. In a statement read on Martyrs' Square in the capital Tripoli, they said that the support force condemned "the absurd situation that contradicts the results of the political dialogue forum and wants the country to enter a new transition phase." Decisions taken in the House of…

Free and fair elections in Libya should be held "in the shortest possible time," said UN Special Adviser to Libya Stephanie Williams as she met with senior politicians, stressing the need for calm. Williams said on Twitter that she met the Prime Minister of the National Unity Government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, and also Fathi Bashagha, named by the parliament of the East-based pro-Putist General Khalifa Haftar, to lead a new government in a process rejected by the government. incumbent Prime Minister.…

Registration for the upcoming December elections in Libya was closed, the country's election commission said on Tuesday when doubts grew as to whether Libya would be able to move towards normalization despite a month-long pause in the fighting. Commission chief Imad al-Sayeh told reporters in Tripoli that some 2.83 million people in the North African country had registered to vote and urged citizens abroad to register as of Wednesday. Libya, home to some 7 million people, has taken preliminary steps…

The first day of new UN-led talks between delegates from war-torn Libya failed to reach an agreement on a constitutional framework for holding elections as planned in December, the UN said. The UN support mission in Libya said that the participants in Wednesday's meeting held via video conference discussed four proposals, the content of which was not revealed. "A final decision on the constitutional basis" for legislative and presidential elections would be taken at the next meeting, UNSMIL said,…

Rebels killed six civilians and injured several others on Saturday in an attack on a village in the northeastern part of the volatile Central African Republic, according to the UN peacekeeping mission. "This morning at dawn, elements from 3R (Return, Reclamation, Rehabilitation) launched a large-scale attack on C. African army positions in the village of Mann," said the spokesman for the UN's 12,000 strong MINUSCA mission. "Six civilians were killed and several were injured," he added. The village is about 550…