KEY POINTS
- Libya’s eastern parliament passes a transitional justice law to promote unity.
- Divisions between rival administrations pose challenges to implementation.
- The law aligns with U.N. calls for inclusive reconciliation efforts.
Libya’s eastern-based parliament, the House of Representatives (HoR), has approved a national reconciliation and transitional justice law, signaling a move towards unifying the country after over a decade of division and conflict.
The legislation, passed on Tuesday in Benghazi, was announced by HoR spokesperson Abdullah Belaihaq on X.
According to Reuters, the law seeks to address the wounds left by years of civil war and is part of broader efforts to reunify Libya.
However its implementation could pose some difficulty since the country is politically divided with two rival administrations in the east and the west.
A step toward national reconciliation
House member Abdulmenam Alorafi expressed hope for the law’s success, stating, “I hope that it will be in effect all over the country and will not face any difficulty.”
Furthermore, the United Nations and the African Union have urged and supported impartial, base on rights reconciliation process in Libya.
However, these demands have lamentably been met by political stagnation as elections initially planned for December 2021 have failed to take place due to controversy regarding candidate’s qualifications and political leadership systems.
Challenges in implementation and political division
Libya is still divided between the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli headed by Prime Minister Abdulhamid al Dbeibah and the HoR in the east.
The GNU, installed in 2021 through a U.N.-backed process, is no longer recognized by the HoR, and Dbeibah has vowed not to relinquish power without national elections.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Council in Tripoli has recently developed its reconciliation project, however, the unconditional enmity between the representatives of different factions still does not allow the progress.
Still, the enactment of the law on transitional justice is viewed as an appropriate milestone on the way to the stabilization of Libya.
Particularly, the law is designed to redress historical injustices and set up a basis for recovery, which means an opportunity for a more consistent state.
