Berlin has the political capital to persuade key players to support an effective political process in Libya
Libya’s latest civil war, almost in its sixth month now, is still raging on. Since warlord Khalifa Haftar launched his attack on Tripoli in April in order to capture the capital Tripoli, the seat of the UN-back government, the war has left more than 1,100 dead and over 100,000 displaced. The international community has been trying to broker peace since 2014. The UN-sponsored National Conference has been a key endeavor in this context. The purpose of this conference was to bring together rival groups in an effort to find a long-lasting political solution to the crisis.
Due to Haftar’s ill-considered offensive on Tripoli, a national dialogue to reconcile Libya’s factions has been postponed, and the elections that were supposed to follow the National Conference now look like an even more distant prospect. The renewed violence has undermined the capital of trust among the belligerents and dented the chances to bring a peaceful solution. Imposing a military solution to the conflict is a mirage, as only consensus on governance and security sector arrangements among key political factions can bring genuine and long-lasting stability to the country. Germany is expected to organize a peace conference in coordination with the UN to bring together the major stakeholders of the Libyan civil war, including warlord Haftar and UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, according to the German ambassador to Libya.
