Leaders of Libya’s two rival governments have agreed to form a unity government, signalling progress toward ending more than a decade of political deadlock.
In a joint statement on Sunday, the leaders said they agreed on the “need” to form a new unity government to oversee the long-delayed elections and “unify the sovereign position.”
The talks took place in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, and were chaired by Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League.
The negotiations included the President of Libya’s Presidential Council the President of the High Council of State, based in Tripoli, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the rival government, based in Benghazi.
Libya began to disintegrate after the ouster of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
The country is divided between an internationally recognized Western government led by interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah in Tripoli and an eastern government backed by powerful military leader Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi. .