The U.N. Support Mission in Libya (U.N.S.M.I.L.) was established in 2011, following the N.A.T.O. intervention in Libya to mend the power vacuum left by President Gaddafi’s death. Since 2011, U.N.S.M.I.L. has failed to convene elections for a legitimate government in Libya. The ensuing 13 years of failed reconciliation efforts have resulted in a political stalemate between the U.N.-backed Government of National Unity in western Libya and the eastern Government of National Salvation headed by Khalifa Haftar. The consequences of this political stalemate have been enormous for regular Libyans, whose infrastructure has never recovered from the N.A.T.O. bombing in 2011. The absence of a legitimate government and poor economic prospects have accelerated the proliferation of armed rebel groups in the region, leaving regular Libyans subject to crime, disorder, and wanton violence. The presence of two parallel regimes inside Libya has allowed foreign actors to exploit the country’s divisions for lucrative reconstruction contracts, oil, and Geo-strategic advantage. 

The U.N.-backed interim government in western Libya, the Government of National Unity (G.N.U.), and the parallel Government for National Salvation (G.N.S.) in eastern Libya are rife with corruption and scandal. In the G.N.U., many important officials including Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah are serving on expired terms, detracting significantly from the legitimacy of U.N.S.M.I.L.’s proposed intentions to hold legitimate national elections in Libya. U.N. actors have not only failed to stem the rampant corruption in Libya but have actively facilitated its continuation. In April, two U.N. officials from Canada were arrested for violating the U.N. arms embargo on Libya by distributing drones to Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army, the military arm of the G.N.S. These same officials violated the oil embargo by using shell companies to export oil from eastern Libya to China. A former U.N. special representative to Libya, Bernardino Leon, was influenced by the U.A.E. throughout the duration of his position with U.N.S.M.I.L. The former special representative said in an email to the foreign minister of the U.A.E., “I can help and control the process while I am there. […] I advised the US, UK and EU to work with you.” 

The United States has occasionally acted on behalf of the G.N.U., particularly in seizing Libyan banknotes ordered by the G.N.S. central bank which had been shipped by the Russian firm Goznak. Calling the banknotes “illegitimate,” the U.S. State Department failed to acknowledge its role in allowing the divisions between the G.N.U. and G.N.S. to undermine the legitimacy of either government as global actors have exploited their instability. The eastern government under Haftar, while not legitimate according to the U.N., has at times enjoyed the support of France, Italy, the U.A.E., Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China. These actors have all supported the G.N.S. to varying degrees and for varying purposes. Egypt, for example, sees the hostility of the G.N.S. to Islamic extremist groups as beneficial to the security of its western border. China has cozied up to Haftar and his sons in order to receive contracts for building infrastructure in Libya, such as the deal it scored to build a high-speed railway from Ben Ghazi to Egypt. Russia has established itself as a strong military player in Libya, with an estimated 800 military contractors under the Wagner group present. Russia maintains three airbases in Libya which it plans to use for conducting operations across sub-Saharan Africa. Talks are reportedly underway between Russia and the G.N.S. for Russia to lease a naval port in Tobruk in exchange for air defenses and Russian training of Libyan pilots. On the side of the G.N.U., Turkey is the only country to officially commit troops to one side of the civil conflict, having helped repel an advance on Tripoli by the L.N.A. in 2019. Turkey’s interests in Libya are to exclude other Mediterranean countries such as Greece from having access to the Libyan coastline, as well as to counter growing Russian influence in the region. Turkey is especially vulnerable to Russia as Russia’s support for Kurdish forces in Syria gives Russia the power to greatly affect the stability of Turkey’s border region. Turkey and Egypt have recently convened peace talks concerning the divide between the two Libyan regimes, suggesting that there may soon come a time when actors stand to benefit more from unification and peace than division and conflict. 

A glimpse of hope can now be seen in Tripoli. Both the United States and Russia are reportedly interested in reopening their embassies in Tripoli. This is not necessarily an endorsement of the Government of National Unity but reflects a stronger willingness to work more directly with Libyan officials. Having struck a deal with armed rebel groups in Tripoli, Prime Minister Dbeibah has successfully returned control of Tripoli’s security to the city police. This has, at the very least, promoted an environment where foreign actors feel safe to send their envoys. The attempt at peace talks between Turkey and Egypt is promising, as the successful reunification of the Libyan government requires the political will of all involved foreign actors. In order for the U.N.S.M.I.L. to effectively reunite Libya, foreign actors must facilitate and follow through on peace talks concerning the reconstruction and securitization of Libya.

Additionally, the actions of U.N. officials in Libya should be closely monitored to prevent their client-pleasing and cynical self-enrichment.  All concerned actors stand to benefit from a stable Libya, free from corruption, Islamic terrorism, and rebel groups acting with impunity. The international community would benefit greatly from access to Libyan oil reserves, the Sahel region would benefit greatly from the reduction in the violence leading to greater opportunities for foreign investment and the existence of a single legitimate Libyan government would prevent great power saber-rattling which threatens to plunge the world into protracted global conflict.