UN warns Libya stalled as US pushes integration plan

Libya remains on the brink of chaos, with power fragmentation unresolved. On February 18th, the UN Security Council highlighted the deep political deadlock and growing institutional fragmentation in the country.

According to Massad Boulos, senior adviser to the US president for African affairs, the United States is working on concrete steps to promote economic and military integration between eastern and western Libya, as reported by Libya Review

Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), said, on 18 February, there had been “no meaningful progress” between the House of Representatives and the High Council of State in completing the first two stages of the UN-backed Roadmap, despite sustained mediation efforts by UNSMIL.

Tetteh warned that the prolonged stalemate has further eroded the credibility of both institutions and reinforced public perceptions that they are “unable or unwilling” to deliver the key milestones required to pave the way for national elections. She also cautioned that Libya’s overall situation is deteriorating.

While the UN assessment painted a bleak picture, the tone from Washington was markedly more optimistic. 

“We are working on tangible steps for economic and military integration by convening high-level officials from eastern and western Libya,” Boulos said at the United Nations Security Council.

He also announced that the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) will hold its annual military exercises in the coastal city of Sirte next April, involving forces from both sides of the country.

The drills are expected to mark an initial step toward expanded joint military cooperation. Libya’s vast economic and strategic potential, he stressed, can only be unlocked by overcoming entrenched political fragmentation.

Boulos has also been pursuing this agenda through direct on-the-ground engagement, positioning himself as a facilitator of a possible reunification process.

On January 28th, he was in Paris for talks with representatives from Libya’s rival power centres, alongside Paul Soler, special envoy of French President Emmanuel Macron for Libya.

Discussions focused on the formation of a reunified government in which responsibilities would be shared under the authority of a president. The outreach followed a visit to Benghazi on January 25th, when Boulos met with Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army. 

Since the re-election of US President Donald Trump, Boulos has intensified his involvement in Libya, with Washington seeking to facilitate the return of American oil companies to the country. That shift was formalised on 11 February, when Libya reopened its oil sector to international competition.

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced the results of its first public bidding round in 17 years, offering 20 oil and gas exploration blocks.

However, Libya’s renewed courtship of major Western and multinational energy firms risks reinforcing existing divisions between east and west.

Western Libya’s effective monopoly over the NOC has already contributed to the creation of the Arkenu Oil Company in the east, allowing Haftar and the LNA-aligned authorities to bypass Tripoli-based institutions.

Critics warn that, without parallel political reconciliation, renewed foreign investment could deepen Libya’s institutional split rather than help heal it.

Libya Review, UN Meetings Coverage and Press Releases, Libya Gazette, Maghrebi.org