Qatar pledges support for efforts to end Libya’s political division

Qatar’s Minister of State for International Relations and Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al‑Khulaifi, visited Benghazi on Thursday and met with Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), to reaffirm Doha’s commitment to ending Libya’s long‑standing political division. The meeting took place amid ongoing efforts to implement a recently agreed election pact that seeks to bring the country’s rival governments together.

During the talks, al‑Khulaifi stated that Qatar supports a political process that reflects the aspirations of Libyans while preserving the country’s sovereignty. He urged continued dialogue and reconciliation as essential steps toward stability and pledged that Qatar would keep engaging with Libyan parties and leaders to back United Nations efforts toward a political agreement. The Qatari foreign ministry said the officials discussed regional developments and “topics of common interest.” Earlier in the day, al‑Khulaifi told Al Jazeera that he had spoken with leaders in Tripoli about ways to support the political process and national dialogue.

Libya has been split since 2014 between the internationally recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, and the Haftar‑backed eastern administration, headed by Governor Osama Hammad. The split has been a source of repeated conflict and instability, with the eastern side controlling the majority of the country’s oil fields and the western side controlling the capital and most of the diplomatic missions.

The election pact that the two sides agreed to last week is intended to end years of political division. The pact, drafted by a “4+4” committee that includes four members from the eastern House of Representatives and four from the Tripoli‑linked High Council of the State, rewrites the laws governing presidential and legislative elections and sets a 24‑month deadline for holding them. The deal was initiated in Tunisia and was seen by the United Nations as an important step toward a comprehensive political settlement. The UN said the full agreement would be published once it is formally signed.

However, the pact faces significant challenges. Many Libyans on both sides say they were left out of the talks or have not seen the final text. Legal experts note a gap between the powers of the parties that signed the agreement and the institutions that have the authority to implement it. The lack of concrete plans for how elections will be conducted and who will govern Libya in the interim has raised doubts about the pact’s feasibility.

Libyan political analyst Elias al‑Barouni said the pact does not provide concrete plans for the country’s elections and that even if legal hurdles were cleared, the question of who would govern Libya during the transition period remains unresolved. Legal expert Al‑Mahdi Kashbour echoed these concerns, pointing out that the implementation of the pact is hampered by divided state institutions, legal voids, and lingering political mistrust.

Qatar’s engagement comes at a time when the United Nations and other mediators have spent years trying to resolve the split by arranging elections. Doha’s support for a united Libya is part of a broader regional strategy to promote stability and counter the influence of rival powers in the region. The Qatari minister’s visit to Benghazi signals a willingness to play a constructive role in the peace process and to support the UN’s efforts to bring together Libya’s fragmented political landscape.