Libyan delegates at United Nations-backed talks in Geneva are meeting Monday to select an interim body to lead the war-torn country, currently broken into two opposing enclaves, through a transition period and to elections now scheduled for December 2021.
Some 75 participants in the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum will be voting through February 5 to elect a three-person presidential council and a prime minister. Candidates include military, political and tribal leaders from both sides of the conflict.
The country has been torn apart since the 2011 overthrow of former leader Moammar Ghaddafi. The two sides of the Libyan civil war are each backed by foreign mercenaries and financial supporters. The Tripoli-based Government of National Accord is backed by Turkey, Qatar and Italy, while military strongman Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army group is supported by Russia, Egypt and the UAE. Since mid-2020, the UN has been sponsoring talks to mediate between the sides and reduce the conflict. October’s cease-fire, facilitated by the UN, is the latest and longest to hold.