Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj has announced plans for resignation by the end of October, reported Africa News.
Sarraj has led the GNA since it was formed in 2015 as a result of a U.N.-backed political agreement aimed at uniting and stabilising Libya after the chaos that followed the 2011 uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi, who was later killed.
“I declare my sincere desire to hand over my duties to the next executive authority no later than the end of October,” he said in a brief televised speech on Wednesday.
Fayez al-Sarraj said the UN-sponsored talks between the country’s rival factions have led to a “new preparatory phase” to unify Libya’s fragmented state and prepare for elections.
Libya’s eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive in April 2019 to capture Tripoli from Sarraj’s government. The civil war has drawn participation from various regional and international powers with the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Russia backing the LNA and Turkey supporting the GNA.
Haftar’s campaign slumped in June when militias backing the UN-supported government, with Turkish support, gained a lead, driving his forces from the outskirts of the capital and other western towns.
Amid heavy international pressure, delegates from the rival factions met earlier this month and agreed on a preliminary deal that aims to guide the country towards elections within 18 months and demilitarise Sirte.
During the televised speech, Sarraj urged negotiators to quickly appoint the new administration to “secure a peaceful and smooth transition.”
The GNA prime minister also called for a cease-fire and the demilitarization of Libya’s Sirte and Jurfa area last month.
It is feared that Sarraj’s departure could result in new infighting among other senior GNA figures and between the armed groups from Tripoli and Bashagha’s coastal city of Misrata that has a control on the ground.
