Anti — 15 August 2016

Aug 15, 2016 | Libyan actors

New political wrangling within the GNA is widening rifts even further. On 10 August, the Presidential Council issued a statement threatening to nominate replacement candidates if two of its boycotting members, Ali Al Gatrani and Omar Laswad, did not rejoin within one week.  The statement caused uproar among anti-GNA factions across Libya.  The Council’s move come on the back of efforts facilitated by Egypt in the last three weeks to achieve a reconciliation among Libyan leadership.  This week, Egypt’s foreign minister Sameh Shoukry met with Libyan vice president Ahmed Mateig to discuss how Egypt could help preserve the unity of Libya and its institutions in order to fight terrorism.

Meanwhile, the GNA is unlikely to receive a significant boost in legitimacy or popular support until a total victory is achieved by Bunyan Marsus against ISIS in Sirte. However, even if this ISIS is crushed by the coalition, the GNA is not guaranteed to survive. Already, both pro- and anti-GNA factions (especially hardline Islamists) are jockeying to capitalize on whatever the outcome in Sirte may be.