UNITED NATIONS — The top U.N. official in Libya announced a new initiative Monday to overcome a three-year deadlock and move the divided oil-rich North African nation toward a national election.
The U.N. deputy special envoy for Libya, Stephanie Koury, told the U.N. Security Council that as a first step, the U.N. political mission in Libya known as UNSMIL intends to establish an advisory committee, with a deadline to develop options to resolve outstanding electoral issues and a road map for holding an election.
''The committee will be composed of experts and respected personalities, who are reflective of the spectrum of Libyan political forces, social, cultural and geographical components,'' she said.
Koury stressed that the committee isn't ''a dialogue group to take decisions,'' but to generate options for follow-on action by Libyan decision-makers.
Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The country split, with rival administrations in the east and west backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
The country's political crisis stems from the failure to hold an election on Dec. 24, 2021, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah — who led a transitional government in the capital of Tripoli in the west — to step down.
In response, Libya's parliament based in the east appointed a rival prime minister who was replaced, while the powerful military commander Khalifa Hifter continues to hold sway in the east.
Koury said the polarization and unresolved electoral issues are threatening Libya's national unity and territorial integrity, crumbling the country's transitional architecture. And she said competition between armed groups for control of territory and access to Libya's resources threatens stability.
