Washington keeps Libya unity track alive

The US has reaffirmed support for Libyan-led efforts to reunify state institutions and end years of political division, as reported by the Libyan News Agency on July 19th.

The statement came after Massad Boulos, US senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, met the new secretary general of the Arab League, Nabil Fahmy.

The two discussed several regional issues, including developments in Libya and the need to support stability through a process owned by Libyans themselves.

Boulos said the discussion focused on advancing efforts that could strengthen national unity and inclusive governance; he also stressed Washington’s continued support for initiatives aimed at consolidating stability and building a more secure future for the Libyan people.

That message fits the recent pattern of US engagement as Washington has increasingly presented itself as a supporter of institutional reunification, military coordination and political compromise between Libya’s rival centres of power.

The US is not publicly presenting a detailed settlement formula in this statement, but it is emphasising Libyan ownership, national unity and inclusive governance, terms designed to avoid the impression that Washington is imposing an external arrangement.

Libya remains divided between competing political institutions, rival security structures and regional power centres.

Any effort to reunify the country must deal with the Tripoli-based authorities, the eastern camp linked to Khalifa Haftar and the wider network of institutions that continue to claim legal and political authority.

By discussing Libya with its secretary general, Washington is signalling that regional backing remains important; a settlement that relies only on Western pressure risks being rejected as foreign engineering, while an Arab framework can give the process a broader political cover.

The US wants to keep Libya’s unity track moving without formally replacing the UN-led process, which could help coordinate pressure on Libyan actors, but it also carries risks, as Libya has seen many external initiatives before, and each new diplomatic channel can create another dangerous drawback.

For now, Washington’s message is clear: Libya’s institutions should be reunified, but the process must be presented as Libyan-led if it is to have any chance of legitimacy.

Libyan News Agency, Maghrebi.org