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The mission's deputy head, Stephanie Koury, told the U.N.
Security Council on Monday that the political and military
situations in Libya had deteriorated rapidly over the previous
two months, including a series of mobilizations by armed
factions.
"The display of military power and armed confrontations in
densely populated neighborhoods is unacceptable and threatens
the lives and security of civilians," the mission said in its
Thursday statement.
The latest round of tensions emerged after efforts by political
factions to oust the Central Bank of Libya (CBL) head Sadiq al-Kabir,
with rival armed factions mobilizing on each side.
Libya, a major oil producer on the Mediterranean, has had little
stability since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising. The country split
in 2014 between warring eastern and western factions, eventually
drawing in Russian and Turkish backing.
Major fighting paused with a ceasefire in 2020 but efforts to
end the political crisis have failed, leaving major factions in
place, occasionally joining in armed clashes, and competing for
control over Libya's substantial economic resources.
The country's political leaders are drawn from bodies elected a
decade or more ago, or installed during periodic international
peacemaking efforts to oversee repeated failed transitions.
Diplomacy aimed at national elections to replace all Libya's
political bodies has stalled.
Eastern Libya, where the parliament sits, is controlled by
commander Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA).
Tripoli and the northwest, where the internationally recognized
Government of National Unity (GNU) and most major state
institutions are based, is home to rival armed factions that
have repeatedly fought.
In late July and early August rival groups in northwest Libya
mobilized against each other, while the LNA moved a force into
southwest Libya, prompting fears of east-west fighting.
Meanwhile there is stalemate in the High State Council, one of
the internationally recognized legislative bodies, after a
contested vote over its leadership. The eastern-based House of
Representatives parliament has also renewed calls to unseat the
GNU and Presidency Council.
Tensions over control of the central bank were increased after
Presidency Council head Mohammed al-Menfi issued a decision to
replace Kabir and the board, a move rejected by the parliament.
(Reporting by Reuters Libya newsroom, writing by Angus McDowall)
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