Officials from the Tripoli-based government, one of two rival governments currently operating in Libya, today warned that the UN-backed “unity government,” which formed earlier this year in Tunisia, is not welcome in the capital city.
“A government that has been imposed from abroad without the consensus of Libyans has no place amongst us,” the government insisted in their official statement. The “unity government” has so far been stranded in Tunisia, with factions along the border not letting them in.
The UN has been pushing for consensus on the unity faction of late, but the UN-backed Tobruk parliament, the other extent Libyan government, has already voted overwhelmingly not to recognize the unity body, so Tripoli’s statement just makes it unanimous.
Several Western nations have been talking up invading Libya of late, and have predicated this on the establishment of a unity government. The UN may continue to argue that such a government technically exists, though without at least getting them inside Libya it’s going to be a tough sell that it’s the strong local allies the US wants.