Conflict Trends Update

LIBYA

Representatives of Libya’s new interim national unity government joined foreign stakeholders at an international conference co-sponsored by the UN and Germany in Berlin on Wednesday. The gathering aimed to renew foreign commitment to supporting Libya’s peace process, with a special emphasis on holding elections at the end of 2021 and encouraging the departure of foreign forces and mercenaries. Crisis Group expert Claudia Gazzini says the conference was a welcome initiative to inject new dynamism into a languid political process and the UN’s struggling mediation effort. Yet the absence of clear operational plans and disagreements between foreign governments on how to implement and operationalise the political, military and financial tracks that form the backbone of the peace process are likely to hinder tangible progress.