Libya Will Have ‘One Government,’ Haftar Says of ‘Imminent Breakthrough’

A poster of Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar on a building in Benghazi, Libya February 21, 2019. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori/File Photo
A poster of Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar on a building in Benghazi, Libya February 21, 2019. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori/File Photo
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Libya Will Have ‘One Government,’ Haftar Says of ‘Imminent Breakthrough’

A poster of Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar on a building in Benghazi, Libya February 21, 2019. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori/File Photo
A poster of Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar on a building in Benghazi, Libya February 21, 2019. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori/File Photo

Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar has revealed that Libya’s political crisis will be resolved this month through a deal on a single government.

“Within the coming weeks, Libya will witness a breakthrough in its political crisis,” local media quoted Haftar as saying. “Libyans will have a single cabinet this month.”

Haftar made his remarks on Saturday at the first forum on the future of Libyan youth in Benghazi, where he stressed the importance of empowering youths and giving them pioneering roles.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has said Haftar and the head of the Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, are closer to finding a power-sharing agreement that would break the political deadlock in the country.

“What is new is that we see signs that an understanding is possible exactly to overcome the contradiction you raised,” Guterres said in response to a reporter’s question on the dispute over civilian oversight of the military.

The UN seeks to reach a power-sharing deal between Haftar and Sarraj, in which the main obstacle is whether Haftar is capable of leading a Libyan army under a civilian oversight that would be part of the new national government.

Moreover, the African Union will host a reconciliation conference in July aimed at uniting Libya’s political rivals, said African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki.

“It’s an opportunity for the Libyans,” Faki said during a press conference.

The announcement of the July talks in Addis Ababa followed a meeting on Libya.“It’s high time that the political actors discuss the fate of their country,” Faki added.

Further, the Central Committee for Municipal Elections (CCMCE) called on the people to vote en masse in the municipal elections, after the first stage of voting was concluded in nine municipalities.

CCMCE extended gratitude to international and local partners, revealing that there was a 33 percent turnout, according to its official website.

But Salem bin Tahia, head of the Central Committee, said there was a 38 percent turnout. Local elections will be held every Saturday until 33 councils hold their elections, then work will resume after Ramadan, he added.



Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.