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Rabat – The Tobruk-based Libyan House of Representatives, one side in the country’s political split, has accused Algeria of “interference in Libya’s sovereign affairs.”
Despite a fragile peace truce maintaining relative stability in the war-torn country, Libya remains divided over the process towards democratic reconciliation to truly end its decade-long conflict. The two main factions remain politically and geographically divided between the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli, and the Libyan House of Representatives in Tobruk.
Yusuf al-Akouri, the Tobruk government’s Head of Foreign Affairs, published a scathing statement on Saturday targeting what he perceives as Algerian interference in Libyan politics. “Algeria’s actions deny the autonomy of our elected representatives, and threaten the internal unity of Libya itself,” Al-Akouri stated as he lamented Algeria’s recognition of the GNU.
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According to Tobruk lawmakers, Algeria’s explicit support for one half of the political divide in Libya is putting undue stress on the already strenuous process of political reconciliation following a lengthy and gruesome civil war.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune invited GNU leader Abdul Hamid Dbeibah to Algeria on April 24, where he expressed his country’s support for Dbeibah and the GNU. Tebboune was asked whether Algeria was in the process of organizing a promised Libya-centered summit, but demanded Libyan progress before considering such a summit.
Dbeibah is touring countries to build support for his approach to organize Libyan elections, while many in Tobruk see the tour as a means to further legitimize the Tripoli government.
Algeria’s perceived interference comes at a time when opinions remain divided in Libya after years of war fueled by foreign interests, weapons and mercenaries.
Morocco, on the other hand, has been a vocal critic of foreign powers’ presence in Libya and a champion of an “intra-Libyan” and UN-led peace political process, with its insistence that the two Libyan sides should form the basis of a political solution through elections.
The country has notably rejected foreign interference in Libya as counterproductive, and its approach favoring domestic dialogue appears to have made it stand out as a reliable broker that is trusted by both parties of Libya’s unyielding political divide.
