UN acting Special Representative Stephanie Wiliams deplores intensification of military escalation between Libyan belligerents

20 Mai 2020

Tripoli, Libya, May 20  (Infosplusgabon)  -  The acting special representative of the UN Security Council in Libya, Stephanie Williams, Tuesday deplored before the Security Council the persistence of violence in Libya, an official source said here.

She particularly deplored the intensification of the military escalation despite efforts to obtain respite in the conflict that broke out 15 months ago in Tripoli.

"Despite the determined efforts and the appeal of the Secretary-General for immediate ceasefire to enable the Libyans to respond to the common threat of COVID-19, I regret to report that there is no respite in the fighting between the Government of National Accord (GNA), the armed forces and the Libyan National Army of Marshall Khalifa Haftar, also called Libyan Arab armed forces (LAAF)," she said, adding that "instead of that, the fighting have intensified with an unprecedented increase in indirect shots in urban zones and an increasing wave of suffering for civilians".

In a briefing on Tuesday through videoconferencing before the members of the Security Council, Mrs Williams underlined that "as we are examining the carnage provoked by nearly fifteen months of endless violence in Libya, I think we have now reached another turning point in the conflict. On the basis of what we are witnessing in terms of massive movement of weapons, equipment and mercenaries at both sides, the only conclusion we can draw is that the war will intensify, will be extended and will deteriorate with devastating consequences for the Libyan people".

She denounced foreign interference that is increasing, making the Libyans lose any guideline, so much so that "their voices have vanished".

"We must not let Libya escape. We must enable the responsible Libyans to write their own future.

"By meeting now, this Council can guarantee the collective security it is in charge of maintaining by exerting coherent and credible pressure on regional and international actors who fuel the conflict," said the special representative of the UN Secretary-General, adding, "we can collectively write a different end to this story so far sad, but only if we show collective will to do so".

Referring to the fighting of nearly 15 months after the launching of Haftar’s attack against Tripoli in April 2019, Williams underlined that "an armed conflict is intensifying in and around Libya’s most populated zones. Because of the intensification of armed hostilities, coupled with the devastating socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 and particularly the loss of jobs and the means of subsistence, one million people now need a sort of humanitarian aid".

Among the million people in humanitarian distress are "400,000 displaced Libyans inside the country, as well as 654,000 migrants, refugees and asylum seekers", said the UN official.

"Over alone last year, since the beginning of the attack against Tripoli, 201,000 Libyans were forced to flee their homes, mainly in and around the capital.

"As people all around the world adapt to the new form of living with the world pandemic, millions of Libyans – particularly the two million inhabitants of Tripoli – live a very abnormal and terrifying existence, under a hardly constant bombardment, frequent water and electricity cuts and aggravated by the restrictive movements because of the preventive measures against the COVID-19, making the situation unbearable for the majority to celebrate the sacred month of Ramadan in peace," said Williams.

About the economic consequences of the situation in Libya, she said that "the fighting, aggravated by the COVID-19 and the ongoing oil blockade pose an unprecedented challenge to the already difficult socioeconomic situation in Libya”.

“The blockade itself already cost Libya more than four billion dollars. With an imminent budget deficit of 26 billion dinars in 2020, the Libyan Central Bank imposed austerity measures, including exchange limits," she stated.

That panoply of measures cased, according to Mrs Williams, "a loss of revenues, food products and high prices, including disruptions of the channels of distribution”.

“The exchange rate in the black market dropped from 4.1 Libyan dinar for the US dollar in January to 6.1 today, which has additional effect on the purchase power of citizens. Many gains from the economic reforms adopted in 2018 were lost".

She said she engaged "the Prime Minister and the Governor of the Central Bank to fight against the financial crisis in the country and encourage dialogue in a bid to implement a series of reforms that will both reduce the national deficit and improve the living of the average Libyan”.

“This month, the ministry of Justice ruled encouraging decision on the legality of the international audit," she said.

Concerning the perspectives for peace, the UN official referred to the initiative proposed by the speaker of parliament, Aguila Saleh, of the reforms of the executive with the president and two deputy presidents from the three Libyan historic regions, saying, therefore, that the proposal of the chairman of the presidential council Fayez Al-Sarraj was in accord with the political initiative.

"We have worked with the Government of National Accord and the Libyan National Army to draw profit from the draft ceasefire proposed during the peace talks within the joint 5+5 military commission on 23 February in Geneva," Williams said during his briefing.

"The mission is analyzing the comments on the draft deal provided by the GNA team. We are still waiting to receive the reaction of the Libyan National Army," she said.

Williams  called on members of the Security Council to help her "so that we ensure that we receive an answer as early as possible to resume the talks if necessary.”

“The present project is the strongest base to resume discussions," she added.

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/ERD/GABON2020

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