After the UN envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salama, announced his resignation from his duties in Libya, the Libyan file witnessed a stagnation in the political dialogue, especially after Salama failed to gather the actors in Geneva. On the other hand, the axes witnessed intermittent clashes and repeated attempts by the Hifter militias to advance, which was met with a severe response from the army forces, also the intensity of targeting residential areas with indiscriminate shells increased, which resulted in renewed displacement of residents and the destruction of their property.
Political stalemate , Political analyst Faraj Dardour says that the stalemate now is not new, but rather is prevalent since Hifter’s failed coup in 2014 and the robbing of the will of some of the remaining deputies in Tobruk. In a statement to Arraed, Dardour stressed that the main concernthese of these deputies is obstructing any political solution that ends the crisis, in order to give time for the project of the militarization of the state, and therefore politics has stalled in the eastern region, and when Hifter wanted the return of the deputies who represented him in Geneva, he did not ask them himself but it was his daughter’s husband who told them to return.
Dardour warned that political dialogue can only be achieved if it was preceded by a cessation of war, and the failure of the truce means that the decisive battle is still ongoing without any doubt.
Expected deadlock
For his part, political analyst Abdullah Al-Kabeer said that political deadlock is expected, because no progress has been made in the military track that establishes the truce and draws lines of contact.
Al-Kabeer added, in a statement to Arraed, that the political dialogue can not be re-convened except with international pressure on all parties while waving sanctions in the event of a breach of the truce and the continued attack on civilians.
Al-Kabeer pointed out that the suspicious movements of Hifter militias in the frontline indicate their willingness to resume fighting and try to advance towards new locations in Tripoli.
No deadlock and Salama was floundering
In a related context, political analyst Mohamed Ghemim said that Salama’s resignation did not cause the tracks to stop, as the dialogues are still ongoing according to the specified dates, and there is no political deadlock.What has stopped after Ghassan Salama’s resignation are statements of anxiety and condemnation that usually come after targeting civilians and Maitika airport, the situation remains on the frontlines as they were.
In a statement to Arraed, Ghemim explained that Salama’s resignation was sudden and without warning. Salama hoped that things would go smoothly and positively, but he collided with his failures and became confused and did not bring anything tangible on the ground, even his call to political dialogue in Geneva was rejected by the State and Representatives Councils in Tripoli and Benghazi.
Ghemim added that he is waiting for the 28th of March, which is the date set for the resumption of the dialogue sessions. The military dialogue will have a start this month, and there will also be a resumption of economic dialogue after the political dialogue.
Ghemim acknowledged the existence of a political blockage in Libya, but stressed that the mission has not had a fingerprint for change with the resignation of Salama or without it, and that things are going as they were, in the hope that “Stephanie” is the best predecessor for Salama.
Pending the appointment of a successor to Salama and the resumption of dialogue rounds – nearly a quarter of a million IDPs remain outside their homes, suffering from the scourge of war and the high cost of living due to Hifter’s closure of the oil.
