North Africa and the Sahel

The Libyan political landscape is facing tense challenges. A court is set to hear several complaints filed by candidates challenging the legality of prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah's run for the presidency. Meanwhile, gunmen prevented Saif al-Islam Gaddafi from attending a hearing against the elections commission’s decision to disqualify him from elections. 

The UN special envoy for Libya Jan Kubis submitted his resignation to the Security Council, which was accepted, just about a month before Libya scheduled presidential elections. Kubis did not give any reason for his sudden departure.

Key figures, from both Libya’s past and present including leaders of some of the current political parties, announced their bid for the Libyan presidency. Saif al-Islam and Khalifa Haftar are among the major candidates while current PM Dbeibah is yet to announce.

France is hosting a conference of leaders and diplomats today (12 November) in Paris to support and ensure that Libya can hold its planned elections in December. Countries previously at odds on the Libyan file will be represented. A final communique is likely to issue sanctions on any parties who spoil the process. All fingers are crossed as the international community hopes Libya can get out of a decade long chaos. There are, however, fears that certain Libyan factions may not accept the result of the elections and could possibly plunge Libya back to crisis. 

Libya welcomed its first batch of international tourist groups after a decade of conflict. The group traversed the Libyan desert to Ghadames, an oasis that had been off-limits due to the war. 

The UN Security Council called on Friday (29 October), in a resolution, on all parties involved in the Western Sahara dispute to resume negotiations “without preconditions and in good faith” in search of a “just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution”. The resolution also extended the mandate for the UN Mission for the Referendum on Western Sahara (MINURSO) for another year until 31 October 2022.