US-backed push to unify Libya's executive gains traction as Tripoli figure endorses plan

A United States-backed initiative to unify Libya's executive authorities is gaining momentum, with a prominent Tripoli figure publicly endorsing the proposal. The plan is aimed at ending the country's long-running institutional divide and has increased pressure on the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity. It also comes as regional diplomacy and intelligence activity around Libya continue to intensify.

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Abdul Hakim Belhaj, a former commander of the Tripoli Military Council and current head of the al-Watan Party, said on 21 June that he supported the initiative. He urged the Government of National Unity to make its position clear on the proposal. Belhaj described the plan as an opportunity to speed up political solutions that could end the current division, and said any settlement should be based on what is possible and acceptable rather than what is ideal but unattainable.

The proposal is being advanced by Massad Boulos, the United States presidential adviser for Middle Eastern and African affairs. It focuses on forming a unified government, integrating state institutions and encouraging American oil investment. Boulos has presented the effort as complementary to ongoing United Nations work, but the initiative has also prompted debate over whether Washington can bridge Libya's entrenched political split.

The endorsement matters because Belhaj remains a symbolic figure in western Libya, even though his political influence has declined in recent years. His support adds pressure on the GNU at a time when the plan has already drawn backing from eastern Libya. Weeks earlier, forces aligned with military commander Khalifa Haftar and more than 100 members of the eastern-based House of Representatives had expressed support for the American proposal.

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That wider backing suggests the initiative is being framed as a rare cross-faction effort, even if the main centres of power in Libya remain divided. The eastern response has been described as significant because it reflects support from actors with real influence on the ground. The proposal also links political reunification with energy investment, underlining the importance of Libya's oil sector to any future settlement.

What remains unclear is whether western Libyan factions will coalesce around the plan or resist it. It is also not yet clear how the Government of National Unity will respond, or whether the proposal can move beyond statements of support into a workable political process. The next stage will depend on whether the initiative can translate regional and international backing into agreement among Libya's rival institutions.

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