Libya at the centre of renewed regional diplomacy

Libya’s protracted political crisis has returned to the regional agenda after Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt revived tripartite consultations on Libya, prompting renewed debate inside the country over sovereignty, representation and the role of neighbouring states.

Tunisian President Kais Saied said any political settlement must be Libyan-led, stressing that external involvement should not replace the will of the Libyan people or bypass national institutions.

“The solution in Libya can only be Libyan,” Saied said during meetings in Tunis, warning that internationalising domestic crises often complicates rather than resolves them. He reaffirmed Tunisia’s support for Libya’s unity, security and stability, while offering Tunis as a potential venue for an inclusive Libyan national dialogue, should Libyan parties agree.

Saied’s comments followed talks with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Algeria’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, held under the Tripartite Consultation Mechanism on Libya. The initiative was launched in 2017, suspended in 2019, and reactivated in May 2025 during a consultative meeting in Cairo.

Libya absent from talks

Despite repeated emphasis on Libyan ownership of the political process, no Libyan representatives took part in the Tunis meetings — an absence that has raised concerns in Tripoli and among political observers.

Libya’s internationally recognised Government of National Unity, based in Tripoli, expressed reservations about regional consultations conducted without Libya’s direct participation. The government, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, stressed that the Libyan state alone holds legitimate authority over political, security and stability matters.

Tripoli warned that any external initiative must respect Libyan sovereignty and involve the country’s competent institutions, cautioning against parallel processes that risk undermining national consensus.

Libya remains divided between rival administrations, with the Tripoli-based government controlling much of western Libya, while an eastern administration based in Benghazi and led by Osama Hammad exercises authority over much of the east and large areas of the south.

Elections and institutional strain

At the centre of Libya’s political deadlock is the stalled electoral process, which has repeatedly faltered amid disputes over constitutional rules, executive legitimacy and the sequencing of presidential and parliamentary polls.

Tensions have intensified in recent weeks around proposed changes to Libya’s National Elections Commission, an institution widely regarded as one of the last remaining bodies capable of operating across Libya’s political divide. The United Nations mission has warned that weakening the commission’s independence or technical capacity could further delay elections and erode public trust.

The presence in Tunis of Hanna Tetteh, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Libya, highlighted continued international concern over the country’s fragile transition. The UN continues to advocate structured dialogue among Libyan stakeholders to define governance principles, agree on legislative frameworks and prepare for credible elections.

High stakes for Libya

Regional powers insist their engagement is intended to support, rather than dictate, Libya’s political process, arguing that stability in Libya is essential to wider North African security. However, Libyan analysts caution that initiatives perceived as excluding Libyan voices risk deepening mistrust and reinforcing political fragmentation.

More than a decade after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya remains trapped in a cycle of divided authority, armed influence and prolonged transitional governance. While regional diplomacy has regained momentum, observers stress that lasting progress will depend on inclusive Libyan participation, respect for sovereignty and the willingness of rival factions to engage in a unified national process.

For now, the renewed tripartite talks underscore both the urgency of Libya’s crisis and the enduring challenge of aligning regional engagement with Libya’s demand for a genuinely Libyan-led solution.