Crisis Group Reaction To Announcement of New Government of National Accord in Libya

Following UN Special Representative for Libya Bernardino León’s announcement of a new Government of National Accord, Joost Hiltermann, Crisis Group’s Middle East and North Africa Program Director, had the following reaction:

UN Special Representative Bernardino León is right to be frustrated with the Tripoli-based General National Congress (GNC) leadership’s stalling on proposing names for a Government of National Accord (GNA). The latest draft of the Libyan Political Dialogue agreement has made many of the concessions they asked for and they ​risk being left out if they continue to stall. But, at the same time, one should not lose sight of the increasing divisions within both the GNC and the internationally-recognised, Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR). Such divisions make the chance of either parliament signing the Political Agreement and agreeing on a GNA ever more remote. León's unveiling of names for the full seventeen-member GNA cabinet has pre-empted negotiations between Libyans themselves on these positions and is providing ammunition to opponents of the deal by making it easier to paint the government as a UN imposition rather than the choice of Libyan stakeholders.

Ultimately, the composition of the GNA is less important th​an securing broad agreement on security arrangements and economic governance – the real contentious issues any new government will face. Rushing the process carries the risk of backfire.