Can US, Middle Eastern powers unite Libya 15 years after Gaddafi overthrow?

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that the United States is stepping up efforts to bring together Libya’s two rival administrations, as the country marks 15 years since the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi and set off a prolonged conflict. The article says Washington’s push is being advanced alongside regional actors including Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye, all of whom are promoting some version of a unified, “One Libya” settlement.

According to the report, Libya remains divided between the UN-recognised Government of National Unity in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dheibah, and an eastern authority backed by Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army. Al Jazeera says the eastern camp controls key territory and oil-related assets, while the Tripoli-based government retains international recognition. The UN has been pursuing mediation since 2020 through a roadmap that calls for unifying institutions and eventually holding elections.

The article says the Trump administration’s Libya approach is tied to possible American investment in the country’s oil sector if the rival sides cooperate. It also describes a proposed power-sharing formula that would keep Dheibah in office while placing Haftar’s son, Saddam Haftar, in a presidential role. Al Jazeera notes that some in Libya and abroad see potential benefits in a settlement, but critics argue the plan gives too little voice to Libyans and could entrench political families.

So far, the report says, there are signs of engagement from Haftar’s camp and continued diplomacy from regional governments, but no formal talks or agreed unified government have emerged yet.