Libyan Leaders agreed to form a coalition government

Tripoli, 11 March 2024 (TDI): Three key Libyan leaders said on Sunday 11 March, in a meeting in Cairo that they had agreed on the “necessity” of forming a new coalition government. The newly formed government aims to supervise the delayed elections.

The announcement follows a high-level meeting held in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday, March 10th, 2024. The participants included Aguila Saleh, Speaker of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR) in eastern Libya, Mohamed Menfi, head of the Presidency Council, and Mohamed Takala, head of the Tripoli-based High Council of State (HCS).

In a joint statement, the three leaders also called on the UN Mission in Libya and the international community to support their proposals. They said they had agreed to form a technical committee to “look into controversial points”. They met in Cairo at the invitation of Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

“The measures that were agreed upon today, we believe, are a very important beginning. They are results that live up to the ambition of Libyans to hold elections,” Menfi told the media after the meeting.

Also Read: Parliament of Pakistan & Libya to collaborate for common objectives 

Menfi came to power when the Government of National Unity (GNU) under Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah which was installed through a UN-backed process in 2021, but the parliament no longer recognizes its legitimacy. Dbeibah has vowed not to cede power to a new government without national elections.

The announcement has been met with cautious optimism by the Libyan people and the international community. The success of this initiative will depend on the ability of the newly formed government to bridge the deep political divides within Libya.

Libya has had very little peace since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising. The government of Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown by the peacekeeping forces. Since then, the country has been under civil war and this move of forming a union government has been a need of hour.