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1 1 (December 15, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govenss0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Servit formqin I 4gIative debate since 1914 Libya and U.S. Policy Over a decade after a 2011 uprising that toppled longtime authoritarian leader Muammar al Qadhafi, Libya has yet to make a transition to stable governing arrangements. Elections and diplomacy have produced a series of interim governments (Figure 1), but militias, local leaders, and subnational coalitions backed by competing foreign patrons have remained the most powerful arbiters of public affairs. The postponement of planned elections in 2021, Libyans' continuing lack of consensus over electoral and constitutional arrangements, the potential fragility of a United Nations (U.N.)-backed ceasefire, and the reemergence of institutional rivalry are prolonging Libya's instability and pose challenges for U.S. decisionmakers. Successive U.S. Administrations have sought to prevent Libya from serving as a permissive environment for transnational terrorist groups and have taken different approaches to conflict and competition among Libyans. The Biden Administration supports the holding of new elections in Libya and has used U.S. influence to bolster U.N.-led mediation efforts to that end. Congress has appropriated funds to enable U.S. diplomacy and aid programs, and some Members have called for more assertive U.S. engagement. War, Ceasefire, and a Deferred Election Conflict re-erupted in Libya in April 2019, when a coalition of armed groups led by Qadhafi-era military defector Khalifa Haftar known as the Libyan National Army (LNA, alt. Libyan Arab Armed Forces, LAAF), attempted to seize the capital, Tripoli, from the then-internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA). Russia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, and leaders of Libya's House of Representatives (HOR, an interim parliament last elected in 2014) backed the LNA. With Turkish military support, the GNA and anti-LNA western Libyan militias forced the LNA to withdraw. Libya has remained divided since, with foreign forces still present, and opposing coalitions separated by a line of control west of Sirte (Figure 1). During 2020, multilateral diplomatic initiatives helped achieve a ceasefire, and the U.N. has deployed civilian monitors at Libyans' request. In 2021, members of a U.N.-appointed Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) and the HOR approved an interim executive authority and Government of National Unity (GNU) to replace the GNA, with a mandate to serve until elections or through June 2022. The LPDF and HOR endorsed Abdul Hamid Dabaiba as GNU Prime Minister, along with a three-member Presidential Council. The U.N. Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) facilitated discussions among the GNU, the HOR, and the High Council of State (HCS, an advisory representative body), but was unable to establish a constitutional and legal basis for parliamentary and presidential elections then-planned for December 24, 2021. The elections were postponed indefinitely and have yet to be rescheduled amid ongoing disputes over electoral laws and the possibility of a new interim government. Updated December 15, 2023 Figure 1. Libya: Areas of Influence and Timeline 200 MILES A Tripoli Aiol Ms a Benghazi 7Tobruk Areas of Influence Feb. 2023 L NA Forces and Local Partners [NA-Opposed Forces and Local Militias( J Local forces; affiliation varies Selec oil Pipelines s ma L and subjlect to change. 2011 Uprising topples Muammar al Qadhafi. 2012 Parliamentary elections. Transitional cabinet seated. 2014 Elections for constitutional drafting body and parliament. Disputed results fuel conflict. U.S. diplomats depart. 2015 International mediation yields agreement to form Government of National Accord (GNA). 2016 House of Representatives (HOR) withholds GNA endorsement. Islamic State forces defeated in Sirte with U.S. military support. 2018 Libyan National Army (LNA) controls eastern Libya. 2019 LNA offensive against Tripoli; Turkey intervenes. 2020 U.N. supports ceasefire negotiations, selects Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) members. LPDF agrees to roadmap, plans December 2021 elections. 2021 LPDF selects Interim Executive Authority members. HOR approves interim Government of National Unity (GNU). U.N. Security Council endorses ceasefire monitoring and election date, but election postponed. 2022 HOR selects replacement interim government. GNU leaders retain control of the capital after militia clashes, 2023 U.N. urges Libyans to organize elections. Violence flares in Tripoli and Benghazi. Extreme flooding strikes eastern Libya, killing more than 4,000 in Derna and displacing more than 40,000 people, with 8,000 reported missing. Source: Prepared by CRS using ArcGIS and media reporting. U.N.: Governance Gaps Harm Libyans Since his selection in September 2022, Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for Libya Abdoulaye Bathily of Senegal has consulted with Libyans and third parties and has attempted to build consensus on organizing and holding legislative and presidential elections on an agreed constitutional basis. Bathily has said that

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