The UN's top envoy for Libya warned on Tuesday that the country is veering off course from its political road map and said political actors are undermining efforts to reunify state institutions.
Hannah Tetteh, head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (Unsmil), told the UN Security Council that some Libyan leaders continue to disregard public expectations for credible political participation and democratic legitimacy.
“We are not where we would like to be in terms of progress on the road map,” she said. “Parallel structures have been established outside of the framework of existing agreements, which can limit the effectiveness of the Unsmil process aimed at institutional reunification and establishing democratic legitimacy for political leadership.”
Ms Tetteh warned that continued inaction risks entrenching division and destabilising both Libya and the region.
Regarding the economy, she highlighted conditions that had deteriorated since her last briefing and said rising prices, fuel shortages and growing poverty are signs that fundamental change is needed.
“These trends confirm that the current economic model, and the practices underpinning it, are no longer sustainable,” she said. Deterioration is fuelling public anger and increasing the risk of further instability, she added,
She said Libya is experiencing a temporary oil revenue windfall, creating a narrow window to stabilise the economy and restore integrity in public finances.
Ms Tetteh also warned that progress would depend on political leaders committing to transparency, spending controls and independent supervision.
Without such measures, formal agreements were likely to fail to translate into tangible change, she added.
Libya has struggled to become stable since the 2011 Nato-backed uprising that toppled long-time leader Muammar Qaddafi, leaving the country split between a UN-recognised government in Tripoli and a rival eastern administration supported by military commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
