After a decade of conflict and chaos, a team of the United Nations Observer Mission has arrived in Libya where elections are planned to be held in December. Libya was thrown into years of turmoil after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and resulted in the killing of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The country has been split between the UN-recognized Government of National Accord, which is based in the capital Tripoli, and an administration in the east led by Khalifa Haftar, backed by the UAE, Egypt, and Russia.
A group of 10 United Nations staff flew to Tripoli on Tuesday, to monitor the ceasefire between the country’s two rival factions. The two sides reached a ceasefire in October and it was UN-Led talks that resulted in the formation of a new administration elected in February, headed by the interim Prime Minister-designate Abdulhamid Dbeibeh.
On its five-week mission, the team is scheduled to travel to Sirte, Misrata, and Benghazi. According to a diplomatic source in New York, the team is due to submit the report to the United Nations Security Council on March 10, regarding the ceasefire and the departure of troops.
