Amazigh council calls for urgent reforms to curb state repression

The Supreme Council of Amazigh in Libya has urged firm guarantees of representation for the Amazigh community and other national groups in any forthcoming political settlement.

In a statement released on Thursday following a briefing by UN Special Envoy Hanna Tetteh, the council said Amazigh representatives must hold no less than 10 per cent of seats in the next executive and legislative bodies, alongside a dedicated electoral district in the proposed Senate to ensure equal status with other regions.

The council stressed that any political roadmap must embed and safeguard national identity, cultural and religious diversity, political pluralism and human rights principles as foundational elements of Libya’s transition.

It also called for the immediate launch of a UN-supervised constitutional consensus process, bringing together all stakeholders in the constitutional track to draft a permanent constitution.

In addition, the council urged urgent reforms to prevent the use of state institutions as instruments of repression, exclusion or narrow political gain, citing the need for changes in the policies of the Ministry of Interior and the General Authority of Awqaf (Religious Endowments).

Reaffirming the importance of maintaining existing security and military balances, the statement warned against any attempt to consolidate or monopolise power during the fragile transition.