Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU), based in Tripoli, has raised objections to a tripartite meeting between Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria held on Sunday in Tunis to discuss the Libyan crisis, citing the absence of Libyan participation in the talks.
In a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the GNU stressed that any consultations concerning Libya must involve the Libyan state directly and be conducted through official institutions, warning against bypassing national authorities.
The Tripoli-based government emphasized that “all consultations on Libya should include the participation of the Libyan state through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” underlining its rejection of initiatives that exclude Libya’s internationally recognized executive authority.
At the same time, the GNU said it “welcomes” any regional or international effort that genuinely supports the political process in Libya, provided that such initiatives respect the country’s sovereignty.
The Tunis meeting brought together the foreign ministers of Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, alongside the participation of the United Nations’ Special Representative for Libya and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Hanna Tetteh. The gathering is part of a series of periodic consultations on Libya, in addition to other regional issues of shared interest.
During their previous meeting in Algiers in November, the foreign ministers of the three countries, Ahmed Attaf of Algeria, Mohamed Ali Nafti of Tunisia, and Badr Abdelat of Egypt, called on Libya to organize presidential and parliamentary elections and to unify its political and military institutions.
Libya has been grappling with political instability since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011. The country has remained divided since 2014 between two rival administrations: the GNU controlling western Libya from Tripoli, and authorities aligned with Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who controls eastern and southern regions from Benghazi.
According to UNSMIL chief Hanna Tetteh, the UN roadmap presented last August to guide Libya’s political transition has yet to be implemented, due to persistent disagreements between the rival sides over reforms to the electoral commission.
The United Nations and the European Union also warned earlier this month of the lack of “tangible” progress toward holding elections in Libya, stressing that continued delays risk prolonging the country’s geographic and institutional division.
