In Disaster's Wake, Libya’s Rivals Must Finalize Electoral Laws, Special Representative Tells Security Council
Rival parties in Libya must mobilize through dialogue to finalize electoral laws and enable presidential and parliamentary elections to take place, a senior United Nations official told the 15-member organ today, in his first briefing since devastating floods caused widespread death and destruction in the north-east.
Abdoulaye Bathily, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), said that Storm Daniel resulted in an “unprecedented tragedy” when it struck on 10 September, causing two dams near Derna to fail. UN agencies and international partners were on the ground within hours, with humanitarian aid reaching 146,000 people. While the disaster prompted solidarity and unified action at an institutional level, it also revealed severe governance deficits, including the lack of maintenance of dam systems, he said, calling for a unified national platform to be set up to assess the damage and undertake reconstruction efforts.
The disaster revealed severe governance deficits, including the lack of maintenance of dam systems and lack of an effective mechanism for disaster management, he said, adding: “Had these governance issues been resolved at the national level, they would have mitigated the impact of the tragedy.”
He reported progress on the electoral front, highlighting the completion of work by the House of Representatives and High State Council joint committee, or 6+6 Committee, in early October, as well as compromise achieved through laborious deliberations, following which the revised electoral laws were issued by the House of Representatives on 5 October. However, the most politically contentious issues — highlighted in his June and August briefings — remain unresolved. The rejection of amendments made by the High Council of State jeopardize the hard-won gains of the two Chambers, he said, calling for dialogue to head off of one of the rival parties appointing a Government unilaterally.
Also briefing the Council today was Ishikane Kimihiro (Japan), in his capacity as Chair of the Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011) concerning Libya, who detailed the Committee’s work from 23 August to 16 October.
In the ensuing debate, speakers expressed condolences over the devastating impact of Storm Daniel and emphasized the need for reconstruction efforts to be transparent and accountable. Many speakers underscored the urgency of holding free and fair elections to meet the Libyan people’s aspirations and to ensure the stability of the still-fractious country.
The United Kingdom’s representative, calling the status quo unsustainable, emphasized the need for an inclusive political agreement. He called on Libya’s leaders to engage with the Special Representative, attend UN-convened meetings and make concessions to move forward to elections.
The Russian Federation’s delegate urged a Libyan-owned process, without the imposition of external solutions or artificial timelines. Any attempts to use the situation in Libya to solve political and economic challenges around hydrocarbons is unacceptable, he said, adding that it is crucial to do away with foreign military presences through a gradual and consistent withdrawal of all non-Libyan armed groups.
The United States’ representative, meanwhile, welcomed the work of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission, tasked with facilitating the withdrawal of foreign fighters and mercenaries from Libya, while voicing concern over the destabilizing activities of the Wagner Group, “who have made no secret of their disregard for Libya’s sovereignty or their ambition to deepen their foothold in the region”. She added that reconstruction efforts must take place in a coordinated manner and facilitate the dignified return of internally displaced persons.
Mozambique’s delegate, also speaking for Ghana and Gabon, noting that the 2020 ceasefire agreement is holding, called on the parties to continue showing restraint and compliance. The Libyan authorities must commit to unifying the security forces, despite the complexity of doing so. He went on to call for domestic and international support for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Libya, including protection against human rights violations.
Libya’s representative urged the international community to continue to lend support in the wake of Storm Daniel, saying that searchers are still finding corpses as they look for the missing. Despite current conditions, solidarity has been unobstructed, with the Government of National Unity coordinating with others to speedily respond to the crisis. On the political front, efforts must be made to overcome challenges in the aftermath of the adoption of the electoral laws and political actors’ observations, he said, calling for pending issues to be addressed through a clear mechanism and timeframe to enable the High National Election Commission to hold free and fair elections as soon as possible....
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