Libya: Security Council Live - Libya in the Spotlight Amid 'Encouraging Progress'

The UN Security Council is the UN body responsible for discussing threats to international peace and security. It reviews Libya because years of political conflict still threaten stability after Gaddafi’s 2011 collapse.

Libya’s rival political camps agreed last month on rules for managing the elections commission and elections within two years. The Council’s review helps members assess this agreement, encourage cooperation, and consider how international support can strengthen stability.

Current efforts also address practical dangers. UN-supported teams cleared 14,066 explosive-ordnance items from Al-Sweihli Farm in Misratah between January and September this year. A senior UN official described the latest progress as encouraging, but Libya still faces deep political dysfunction. The meeting will show whether recent agreements can become lasting institutions and credible elections.

Last month, Libya’s rival political camps agreed on new rules for running the country’s elections commission. They also committed to holding a national vote within two years. The agreement matters because Libya has faced political dysfunction since Muammar Gaddafi’s regime collapsed in 2011.

The deal aims to create a clearer process for managing elections and reduce disputes over who controls the vote. It links election administration with a specific deadline, rather than leaving both issues open-ended. That shared framework could help Libya’s divided institutions move toward a vote, if the rival camps follow through.

The agreement is only a political commitment, not evidence that voting is ready. The country still grapples with instability after years of strife, while UN-supported efforts address other challenges. For example, mine action teams cleared 14,066 explosive ordnance items from Al-Sweihli Farm in Misratah between January and September this year. Progress on security and institutions will shape whether the two-year goal becomes reality.

Mine action removes dangerous explosive remnants left by conflict. It matters because these items can threaten people, farming, and recovery long after fighting ends. Clearing them also allows communities to use affected land more safely and confidently.

At Al-Sweihli Farm in Misratah, a mine action programme cleared 14,066 items between January and September this year. The work was supported by UN agencies, which are helping Libya address several challenges. Removing the items reduces immediate risks for people working or travelling near the farm.

This figure shows the continuing impact of years of strife in Libya. The country has faced political dysfunction since Muammar Gaddafi’s regime collapsed in 2011. Mine clearance therefore supports safer communities while broader efforts pursue stability. It also provides a practical measure of progress during a difficult recovery.

When Muammar Gaddafi’s regime collapsed in 2011, Libya’s state institutions were shattered. The country lost stable structures for governing, helping produce repeated disputes over legitimacy and political power.

This institutional breakdown left rival political camps struggling to agree who should govern and how decisions should be made. That dysfunction kept Libya mired in instability rather than allowing one broadly accepted national system to take hold.

There are now signs of movement, but stability remains unfinished. Last month, rival camps agreed on rules for the elections commission and promised a vote within two years. UN-supported mine teams cleared 14,066 explosive items from Al-Sweihli Farm in Misratah between January and September. These steps show institution-building requires both political agreement and public safety.

A broadly accepted national election could give Libya’s divided political camps a shared source of public legitimacy. That could reduce disputes over who governs and create a clearer path for peaceful transfers of power.

The mechanism is public consent: when voters trust the process, leaders may have stronger reasons to cooperate. Libya’s rival camps agreed last month on rules for the elections commission and holding a vote within two years, an important step toward that outcome.

An election alone would not end Libya’s problems. The country has faced dysfunction since Muammar Gaddafi’s 2011 collapse, while practical dangers remain. UN-backed teams cleared 14,066 explosive items from Al-Sweihli Farm in Misratah between January and September this year. Successful voting could open political space for better security, services, and further mine action.

An election becomes legitimate when voters trust both the rules and the institutions enforcing them. Independent, capable state bodies register voters, organize polling, count ballots, and resolve disputes fairly. Agreed rules also tell rivals how power changes hands, reducing claims that results were stolen.

Libya shows why this foundation matters. Since Muammar Gaddafi’s regime collapsed in 2011, political dysfunction has repeatedly fueled struggles over legitimacy and power. Last month, rival camps agreed on rules for running the elections commission and holding a vote within two years.

That agreement is encouraging, but rules need functioning institutions to work in practice. United Nations agencies support mine action; teams cleared 14,066 explosive items from Al-Sweihli Farm between January and September. These practical efforts can improve safety and confidence, while credible enforcement helps any vote produce an accepted government.