Bathily to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Support Any Agreement that Leads Libya to Recovery

Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya Abdoulaye Bathily. (UNSMIL)
Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya Abdoulaye Bathily. (UNSMIL)
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Bathily to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Support Any Agreement that Leads Libya to Recovery

Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya Abdoulaye Bathily. (UNSMIL)
Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya Abdoulaye Bathily. (UNSMIL)

Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya Abdoulaye Bathily stressed that his initiative to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in 2023 aims to “move the still political waters” and “ensure that everyone takes part in the electoral process.”

In an interview to Asharq Al-Awsat, the envoy underscored that he supports any consensus that leads Libya to the path of recovery.

He explained that his initiative aims to build on agreements that have so far been reached between the parliament and High Council of State on the elections. It also seeks to expand the circles of Libyan participation in the elections and reaching a solution to the current crisis.

These issues should not be left in the hands of the two legislative councils as they have taken enough time already without reaching tangible results, he added.

“Everyone will have a say in paving the way to the elections alongside the parliament and High Council of State,” he stressed. The envoy stated that his initiative encompasses large segments of Libyan society, such as effective political and security powers, parties, civil society groups and representatives of women and the youth.

The UN mission will not play a role in choosing who represents these segments, clarified Bathily.

Moreover, he said his initiative puts forward a flexible and non-traditional work mechanism known as shuttle diplomacy. He stressed that he will personally ensure that the approach is successful in order to help the Libyans reach national understandings over the most important issues needed to hold the elections.

The polls will primarily focus on electing a new leadership for the country, he went on to say. This demands that everyone be involved in the electoral process.

Asked if the decisions produced by his initiative will be binding to all parties, the envoy responded that the outcomes will be legitimate because they will enjoy national consensus and reflect everyone’s commitment to their political and moral responsibilities.

Asked if parliamentary elections alone will be held should the parties fail to agree on the presidential elections, the envoy said the UN supports any broad Libyan agreement that puts the country on the path of recovery, restores legitimacy to state institutions, and leads to sustainable peace and stability, development and reconstruction.

Resolving the current crises demands agreement on all pending disputes, he remarked.

Bathily revealed that he has so far sensed that the presidential and parliamentary elections will be held before the end of the year, citing the heavy turnout of citizens registering their names on voter lists and support from the international community.

Should the elections be successfully held, then they will restore the legitimacy of the country’s institutions, he stressed.

Furthermore, he explained that his initiative, in order to gain time, builds on the agreements reached between the parliament and High Council of State.

The envoy said he offered to provide technical and logistic support and necessary expertise to support the work of the 6+6 committee that is tasked with providing the legal foundation for the elections and drafting electoral laws.

His initiative also sheds light on the need to address issues that are a source of concern, such as agreement on the transparent management of national resources and ensuring that candidates run in a fair race.

On the factors that will ensure the success of the elections, Bathily underscored the importance of security. Candidates should be protected and free to move across Libya. They should be allowed to freely hold their electoral campaigns and meet with voters away from intimidation.

Similarly, the voters should be allowed to carry out their national duties in a secure environment away from fear and intimidation.

Another important element in ensuring the success of the elections is the candidates’ prior pledge that they would accept the results of the polls, added Bathily. They will have the right to appeal results through recognized legal methods.

Candidates must also pledge to avoid incitement and hate speech and steer clear of methods that would bring into question the integrity of the polls, he told Asharq Al-Awsat. Electoral platforms must prioritize a united Libya and respect of its sovereignty.

A transparent government mechanism to monitor the public expenditure is needed to ensure fair electoral competition, he went on to say. State resources must not be used for electoral purposes or to give favor to one candidate over another.

Moreover, in order to ensure fair competition, officials in office seeking to run in the polls must resign ahead of the elections.

These are all issues the Libyans must agree upon before a roadmap for the elections is put in place in June, said the envoy.

Ensuring that the elections are a success starts now and will carry on even after they are held, Bathily remarked.

Asked if the presence of foreign forces and mercenaries will be an obstacle in holding the elections, the envoy replied that their deployment is a problem that worries the Libyans, neighboring countries and entire international community.

The extent to which these forces are a threat depends on the Libyans themselves and how committed they are to the security agreements and desire to unify their state institutions, including the military and security forces, he continued.

The UN mission in Libya and several members of the international community are ready to help Libya in the withdrawal of fighters and mercenaries so that the country’s sovereignty can be restored, he added.

Bathily spoke of progress being made in the withdrawal, crediting the efforts to the joint military committee and cooperation from some concerned countries, such as Sudan, Niger and Chad.

Returning to the elections, the envoy noted that Libyan parties have a tendency to shirk their responsibilities and to obstruct the polls. They tend to blame others for the obstruction. This is not a constructive approach. The time for blaming others is over. Now is the time to meet the aspirations of the voters.

On the failure to hold the elections that were set for December 2021, the envoy said everyone was to blame, one way or another.

The delay of the polls suited the “de facto parties”, he noted. This is a fact that has not escaped the Libyans. The current situation only benefits a few people.

In order to avoid a repetition of what happened in 2021, the envoy explained that his initiative seeks to work in parallel with the 6+6 committee on all security, political and technical issues related to the elections.



Yemeni Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Have Lost Nearly 30% of their Military Capabilities

This handout photo released by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) shows a US F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter jet taking off from the US Navy's Nimitz-class USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier at sea on March 16, 2025. (Photo by Hunter DAY / DVIDS / AFP)
This handout photo released by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) shows a US F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter jet taking off from the US Navy's Nimitz-class USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier at sea on March 16, 2025. (Photo by Hunter DAY / DVIDS / AFP)
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Yemeni Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Have Lost Nearly 30% of their Military Capabilities

This handout photo released by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) shows a US F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter jet taking off from the US Navy's Nimitz-class USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier at sea on March 16, 2025. (Photo by Hunter DAY / DVIDS / AFP)
This handout photo released by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) shows a US F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter jet taking off from the US Navy's Nimitz-class USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier at sea on March 16, 2025. (Photo by Hunter DAY / DVIDS / AFP)

The Iran-backed Houthis are in disarray over escalating American strikes targeting military and security sites, as well as weapons depots belonging to them, Yemeni Minister of Information Moammar Al-Eryani said, revealing that the group has lost nearly 30% of its military capabilities.

Al-Eryani told Asharq Al-Awsat that the recent strikes have directly hit "the military capabilities of the Houthi group, targeting mainly infrastructure related to ballistic missiles and drones, which were used to threaten international maritime navigation in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Aden."

US President Donald Trump had ordered the start of the military campaign against the Houthis on March 15, pledging to destroy their capabilities.

In the past four weeks, the Houthis have been hit by 365 air and naval strikes, field reports said. The campaign has been primarily targeting fortified bunkers and military warehouses, especially in the group's strongholds in the governorates of Saada, Sanaa, Amran, and Hodeidah.

"Our assessment, based on our field sources, is that the militia has lost 30% of its capabilities, and this number is rising as military operations continue,” Al-Eryani said.

The minister also spoke of "surprises” that will please Yemenis in the coming weeks.

Trump said Monday that the US campaign against the Houthis has been “very successful militarily.”

“We’ve really damaged them,” he said, adding that “we’ve gotten many of their leaders and their experts.”

The Yemeni Minister of Information considered the powerful strikes “as not enough to end the Houthi threat, especially since the militia is still receiving logistical support from Iran through multiple smuggling routes."

Last week, Britain’s The Telegraph quoted a senior Iranian official as saying that Iran had ordered military personnel to leave Yemen to avoid direct confrontation with the US.

Al-Eryani called for “keeping military, political, and economic pressure” on the Houthis and increasing control on the sources that provide arms to the Houthis. He also called for “supporting the legitimate forces to enable them to take control of all Yemeni territory."
Al-Eryani confirmed that the Houthis have recently suffered significant human losses at various leadership levels, yet the militias have avoided announcing such losses for fear of undermining the morale of their fighters.

Last month, Yemeni Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Mohsen Mohammed al-Daeri told Asharq Al-Awsat that the country’s armed forces and all military formations were at a high state of readiness to respond firmly to any Houthi attacks or provocations.

Al-Daeri said the Houthis bear full responsibility for the recent escalation, the imposition of international sanctions, and the militarization of regional waters, which have worsened the humanitarian and economic situation for Yemenis.