The recent briefing by Stephanie Williams, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Libya, to the Security Council has ignited widespread controversy. Williams unveiled a new political initiative aimed at breaking the current deadlock, ending the division, and steering Libya toward elections.
This move has drawn significant criticism, with many questioning the UN’s ability to overcome the stagnation in the Libyan file and achieve the formation of a new government and holding elections.
The Mission: Part of the Problem, Not the Solution
The House of Representatives criticized the policies and positions of the UN mission towards the crisis in Libya, stating that it has become “part of the problem, not the solution.” The House warned that continuing this approach will only “exacerbate and prolong the crisis.”
This statement came in response to Williams’ briefing to the Security Council, where she announced a new plan to revitalize the political process in the country. The plan involves forming an Advisory Committee representing all political forces to resolve controversial issues and form a unified government with international recognition, paving the way for elections.
The HoR rejected Williams’ briefing, describing it as containing “repetitive positions that do not meet the minimum aspirations of the Libyans.” They criticized the mission’s failure to fulfill its duties and questioned its commitment to helping Libyans overcome their crisis. The House stressed that continuing this approach is “unacceptable.”
Furthermore, the HoR expressed its rejection of attempts to “impose solutions dictated from outside, against the will of the Libyan people and bypassing legitimate institutions. They believe that Libya’s way out of the crisis lies in “reconciliation among all people, an end to mutual accusations, disarmament, restoring civilian rule in all state institutions, ending centralized governance, and then moving towards elections.”. They called on the UN mission to genuinely support the will of the Libyans to end the transitional phases, unify state institutions, refrain from negative interventions, and set a clear timetable for holding elections.
UN Intervention in the Constitutional Process Rejected
The Constitution Drafting Assembly condemned the UN mission’s disregard for the Libyan people’s right to a referendum on the draft constitution prepared by the Assembly in 2017. In a statement, the Assembly expressed its readiness to work with relevant parties, including the UN mission.
The Assembly criticized the UN initiative’s call for forming an Advisory Committee to run a structured dialogue to discuss long-term issues, mostly related to constitutional matters such as the form of the state, the system of government, and mechanisms of fair distribution of wealth is unacceptable and considered as interference in the constitutional process and an inappropriate disregard for judicial rulings.
A New Failed Transitional Phase
Nadia Imran, a member of the Constitution Drafting Assembly, believes that “the UN mission is not serious about finding solutions to end the current political stalemate or find an effective and realistic solution.”
In a statement to “Arabi 21,” Imran asserted that “the mission wants to push Libya into a new failed transitional phase, like its predecessors, which will not end the institutional and security division, nor stop the depletion of the country’s resources, nor lead Libya towards stability. Consequently, its attempt to overthrow the current government is merely a leap in the air.”
The Mission is Unable to Address the Crisis
The First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Fawzi Al-Nuwairi, issued a strongly worded statement stressing that continued reliance on the UN mission to address the Libyan crisis is a waste of time. He saw that it is a conclusive evidence that the solution will not come from abroad.
Al-Nuwairi added that the House of Representatives completely rejects dealing with the UN mission as a facilitator or mediator in the crisis, a position consistent with the stance of the Libyan government and its Prime Minister, Osama Hamad.
Functional Corruption within the UN Mission
Ahmed Hamza, Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee, stated that employees of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya are involved in practicing functional corruption from their positions to violate the rights of victims of human rights violations in Libya. He added that they exploit their positions within the mission to form lobbies for suspicious purposes.
Hamza continued, “These are nothing but mercenaries in the name of human rights within the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, profiting from the suffering of Libyans. They have not provided any solutions to help Libya address and improve the human rights situation and promote the rule of law and justice in Libya. Rather, their practices have led to the violation of the rights of victims, affected individuals, and survivors of arbitrary arrest, torture, enforced disappearance, and arbitrary detention. They have covered up shocking facts of gross violations of human rights and the rights of prisoners and detainees in prisons affiliated with the Ministry of Justice in exchange for their private interests.”
He called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the HoR Foreign Affairs Committee to open an investigation into the violations of these UNSMIL employees and to stop this tampering that exceeds the limits of diplomatic work and the ethics of human rights and humanitarian work.
If the International Community Pressures, All Parties Will Submit
Issa Al-Tuwaijir, head of the Libyan Labor Party and former minister, said, “For the first time, the UN mission is close to touching on the fundamental issues in the Libyan crisis, which the parties use as a pretext to fuel the conflict but have never sought to resolve. These issues include marginalization and the unfair distribution of resources.”
He stressed in statements to “Arabi 21” that “the dilemma remains that neither of the two conflicting parties will accept anything less than the ruling power, but if the international community decides to solve the problem, these parties will submit to that, and we have an example in Syria and perhaps soon Sudan.”
The former minister continued, “The Technical Advisory Committee will be useful, especially since it will propose amendments to the electoral laws issued by the committee known as the 6+6 Committee, and this may push towards holding elections.”
Serious UN Action
Political analyst Wissam Abdul Kabir said, “The UN mission is about to announce the Technical Advisory Committee and is serious in its endeavor to end the political stalemate. The roadmap announced by Williams in her recent briefing is considered the most realistic initiative to overcome the controversial points and revive the political process.”
He explained to “Arabi 21” that “the Committee will not be a substitute for the HoR and the State Council, but as understood from the UN mission’s session, its role will be technical in nature, and more than one vision has been put forward to reach general elections.”
He pointed out that “there is international support for the upcoming political process, and the field will be open for members of the Committee to address issues related to electoral laws and those related to the executive authority.”