Abdoulaye Bathily, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ special representative for Libya, told the U.N. Security Council in New York that the latest initiative aims for elections within 10 months. “They question the will and desire of political actors to hold inclusive and transparent elections in 2023.”Ravaged by civil war since 2011, oil-rich Libya is divided between rival governments. The elections weren’t held following disagreements over several key issues, including the eligibility for presidential candidacy. Bathily and many international actors hope that elections could unify the divided nation. Those divisions have fueled violence between armed groups and driven untold numbers of unsafe journeys by boat from Libya across the Mediterranean.

Source: Libya Today February 27, 2023 21:01 UTC