President Joe Biden has decided to extend the national emergency concerning Libya, stating that the situation there continues to pose an “extraordinary and unusual threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,” according to a letter he sent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate. This extension of the emergency measures imposed on Libya is set to last until February 2025, as published by the White House on its website on Wednesday evening.
Biden informed the leaders of both the House and Senate in Washington that he had submitted a notice to the Federal Register stating that the national emergency concerning Libya, which was declared in Executive Order No. (13566) issued on February 25, 2011, and was expanded under Executive Order No. (13726) issued on April 19, 2016, is being extended.
U.S. law on national emergencies requires that a national emergency be automatically terminated unless it is renewed within 90 days before the anniversary date of its declaration, and both the Federal Register and Congress must be notified.
Biden attributed the extension of the national emergency regarding Libya to the ongoing instability caused by the actions taken by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, his government, and his close associates against the Libyan people in 2011, as well as the continuing “civil conflict in Libya.”
White House Extends Emergency Status Regarding Libya
Biden added that “many of these divisions are related to access to resources,” creating a “serious risk that if Libyan state assets are not protected, they could be embezzled by parties determined to undermine the ongoing peace process sponsored by the United Nations, including former members of the Gaddafi government and members of the Gaddafi family, or those close to Gaddafi.”
Biden stressed that “the diversion of these resources could prolong and deepen the current instability in Libya, benefiting ISIS and other terrorist groups that pose a serious threat to the national security of the United States and the security of regional partners.”
He stated, “We risk military escalation if sanctions are not maintained, especially since those who refuse dialogue and obstruct the democratic transition in Libya are still interested in exploiting the wealth of the Libyan people to further their narrow self-interests and sustain conflict in Libya.”
Deadline for Ending the U.S. Emergency in Libya
Biden continued: “The situation in Libya still constitutes an extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, and we need protection against asset diversion or other violations by individuals who obstruct Libyan national reconciliation, including the Gaddafi family and his associates. Therefore, I have decided that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in Executive Order No. 13566 concerning Libya.”
In his letter to the leaders of the House and Senate, Biden noted that the U.S. action on the national emergency will continue “until the Libyans resolve their political divisions” and “the end of foreign military intervention.”
