A report by Africa Intelligence revealed that an undisclosed meeting was held on Wednesday, at the Élysée Palace in Paris, between Ibrahim Dbeibah, adviser to the Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity, and Saddam Haftar, under French-American sponsorship. According to the report, the meeting discussed ways to reach an agreement leading to the unification of Libya’s national institutions, amid the continued political division and the failure of previous UN-led tracks. The meeting was coordinated by the French president’s special envoy to Libya, Paul Soler, in cooperation with the US president’s adviser for African and Middle Eastern affairs, Massad Boulos, the report said. Africa Intelligence explained that “the ongoing talks addressed the possibility of forming a unified government in which the main factions would share responsibilities under the leadership of a single prime minister, in an attempt to overcome the deadlock that has stalled elections for years.”Boulos visited Tripoli on 25 January to take part in the opening of the Libya Energy and Economy Summit, organized by the Government of National Unity, before heading to Benghazi to meet Saddam Haftar. In early September last year, Italian media revealed that a secret meeting had been held in Rome between representatives of the two sides of the Libyan conflict, in a move described as the first of its kind in years.

Source: Libya Observer January 29, 2026 17:54 UTC