Abdoulaye Bathily, the United Nations envoy to Libya, has submitted his resignation to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, citing the obstinacy of Libyan leaders and their reluctance to find a solution to the Libyan crisis.
During a press briefing following his briefing to the Security Council, Bathily stated that the UN organization would not be able to effectively operate in Libya due to the “selfishness” of Libyan leaders, who prioritize their personal interests over Libya’s.
Bathily is not the first UN envoy to Libya to resign; he follows in the footsteps of Jan Kubis in 2021, who also resigned due to his failure to reconcile Libyan parties.
Italian political expert Daniele Roverinti, a senior advisor at the Italian think tank, MedOr, interpreted Bathily’s resignation as linked to the ongoing security crisis in Tripoli, with competing militias recently engaging in battles, posing a risk of the situation spiraling out of control.
Roverinti added in a media statement that Senegalese diplomat Abdoulaye Bathily resigned as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Libya because the internal balance, especially in Tripoli, is volatile, and he wants to avoid involvement in the potential military crisis.
Roverinti pointed out that the deterrence force militia, led by Abdel Raouf Kara, is facing off against the Stability Support Apparatus, led by Abdulghani al-Kikli, known as “Ghniwa.”
The expert considered them two well-armed units, and if they collide, they could destabilize the situation on a wide scale.
Roverinti stated that tensions between militias are also linked to the limited economic situation in the government coffers they defend, led byAbdul Hamid Dbeibeh, who has lost legitimacy amid the crisis in relations with the Libyan Central Bank and thus the shortage of funds to meet the militias’ demands.
