The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Friday to extend the mandate of the UN support mission in Libya (UNSMIL), headed by Abdoulaye Bathily, for one year until October 31, 2023.
The Council also urged, after voting on the resolution, all parties involved in the Libyan conflict to cooperate «constructively and fully» with the special representative, Abdoulaye Bathily, who arrived in the country in mid-October, in the fulfillment of his mandate.
The resolution recognizes the desire of the Libyan people to hold elections and urges the parties to agree on a ‘road map’ to begin the process as soon as possible, while also alluding to the strengthening of «strategic» communications to support the mission’s activities.
The text also states in its preamble that all Libyan stakeholders have previously given firm assurances to support and respect the independence and integrity of the electoral process, as well as the results of the elections.
Between September 2021 and July, the UN Security Council renewed UNSMIL’s mandate up to five times through short-term extensions due to disagreements among members.
The House of Representatives, based in the east of the country, last year terminated the mandate of the Tripoli government’s prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibé, due to the postponement of the December presidential elections and ended up appointing Fazi Bashaga, at the beginning of a conflict that has spread to the country’s energy sector, absolutely essential to sustain the economy of a nation ruined after years of civil war.
Bashaga attempted to take control of Tripoli on as many as two occasions — on July 22, clashes left 16 dead and around 50 wounded — before resigning to avoid a full-blown armed struggle, although fighting has continued ever since.
