On 22 May, the head of the LNA Khalifa Haftar met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. On 23 May, the head of the GNA, Fayez al-Serraj, met with Algerian interim President, Abdelkader Bensalah, in Algiers. On 22 May, Serraj held a meeting with Tunisian President, Beji Caid Essebsi, to discuss the current crisis in Libya.

On 21 May, the UN Envoy to Libya gave a stark address to the UN Security Council. He warned that Libya is on the verge of descending into a civil war “which could lead to the permanent division of the country”. He added that the damage already done will take years to mend, and that’s only if the war is ended now.

On 10 May, the Prime Minister of the GNA, Fayez al-Serraj, concluded a visit to the heads of state in Germany, France, Italy and the UK. On 10 May, the UNSC held an emergency session focusing on the instability in Libya and the need for humanitarian action. On 13 May, the European Union Council released a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire. On 13 May, the UN Envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, met with the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

On 5 May, UNSMIL called for a week-long humanitarian truce to start on 6 May at 4:00am (local time), coinciding with the beginning of Ramadan.

On 24 April, UN Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame met with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Rome. Salame called for Italy and all UN member states to push for a ceasefire and the return to dialogue, stressing that dialogue “is the only possible way to avoid the catastrophe.” He added that the National Conference, although impossible at present, remains essential in the long run. On 29 April, during a visit to Paris, Salame openly criticised Haftar. He is quoted as saying: “He is no Abraham Lincoln, he is no big democrat … Seeing him act, we can be worried about his methods because where he is governing, he doesn’t govern softly, but with an iron fist.”