New York - Capitals: Europe and the Arabs
Stephanie Khoury, Acting Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), said that unilateral actions by Libyan political, military and security actors are increasing tension, entrenching institutional and political divisions and complicating efforts to reach a negotiated political solution. According to the UN News Bulletin, a copy of which we received this morning, Wednesday
In her video briefing to a session held by the Security Council yesterday, Tuesday, on the situation in Libya, Khoury warned that "over the past two months, the situation in Libya has deteriorated rapidly in terms of political, economic and security stability."
She pointed to a number of security developments in the country, including the outbreak of violent armed clashes in Tajoura, east of Tripoli, on August 9 between two armed groups, which resulted in civilian deaths and injuries and the destruction of property, and the unilateral move of the Libyan National Army towards the southwestern parts of Libya, which prompted forces and groups in the west of the country to mobilize and confirm their readiness to respond to any attack. She stressed that unilateral actions by political and security figures undermine stability, adding that "unilateral attempts to dismiss the Governor of the Central Bank are met with counter-attempts to keep him. Attempts to dismiss Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and his government are also met with attempts to keep him."
Confidence-building measures
The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya said that the UN mission reiterated to all political leaders and institutions their commitments and obligations under the Libyan Political Agreement and its amendments, in line with all relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 2702 of 2023.
She also noted that unilateral actions in the economic sphere are also a driver of instability, adding that after months of efforts to develop a unified budget with the participation of representatives from the East and West, the House of Representatives approved on 10 July an additional budget allocation submitted by the government unilaterally appointed by the House of Representatives.
Khoury said the mission, known as UNSMIL, is working to help facilitate de-escalation in general and is proposing talks to develop a set of confidence-building measures between all parties to end unilateral actions and create a more conducive environment for the resumption of the political process.

She added: “Moving forward to the success of the political process will require good faith efforts by leaders and political and security actors, a broader public engaged, and a coordinated approach to support the Libyan talks by the international community.”

In another country, Peter Hawkins, the representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Yemen, warned of a worsening malnutrition crisis among children, especially with the ongoing conflict and economic collapse, noting that acute malnutrition rates have exceeded 30% in some areas, while 48% of children suffer from stunting, which hinders their physical and cognitive development. He warned of what he described as a “crisis of the future” that he said threatens Yemen. Hawkins explained - in an interview with UN News - that UNICEF is working to provide urgent humanitarian aid, such as food and clean water, to affected children and families, especially in areas that have recently witnessed devastating floods. He also referred to UNICEF's efforts to combat diseases and provide vaccinations, in addition to supporting education and rehabilitating damaged schools. Hawkins stressed that the radical solution lies in achieving peace and stability in Yemen, and enabling children to access education and other basic services. He called on the international community to intensify investment in the humanitarian response and work to end the conflict.
Regarding Lebanon, the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, Imran Riza, said that a comprehensive war in Lebanon would be devastating, stressing that there is an urgent need for political and diplomatic efforts to succeed to ease tensions. Speaking to reporters at UN headquarters in New York via videoconference from Lebanon, the UN official warned that the situation in Lebanon had changed “in a very negative way” since he gave a similar briefing to journalists in October 2023. Tensions had peaked over the past three weeks, Riza said, stressing the urgent need for de-escalation. He said that over the past ten months, nearly 200,000 people had been displaced by the exchange of fire across the Blue Line separating Lebanon and Israel, including more than 110,000 in Lebanon, and that nearly 150,000 people remained within ten kilometres of the Blue Line in areas of southern Lebanon that were affected daily by shelling and airstrikes. He also noted that at least 130 civilians had been killed in Lebanon, including 10 Syrians, in the past week, as well as at least 21 first responders and three journalists.