The leaders of Libya’s two rival governments have reached an agreement to establish a unified government, marking a significant step forward in resolving a protracted political impasse spanning over a decade. In a joint statement issued on Sunday, the leaders affirmed their consensus on the imperative of establishing a new unified government tasked with overseeing long-awaited elections and consolidating sovereign positions.
The discussions took place in Cairo, Egypt, under the auspices of Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Participating in the negotiations were the president of the Libyan Presidential Council and the head of the High State Council, both headquartered in Tripoli, along with the speaker of the House of Representatives representing the rival administration based in Benghazi.
Following the overthrow of long-serving ruler Col Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has experienced fragmentation, with governance divided between the internationally recognized government in the west, led by interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah in Tripoli, and an administration in the east supported by military leader Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi.
