Libya Factions Suspend Geneva Peace Talks

UN claims talks will continue

After a report earlier in the day that Libya’s warring factions had agreed to a ceasefire at UN talks in Geneva, the two sides almost immediately scrapped not just the deal, but the talks as well, and have left Geneva.

With the talks seemingly dead, the expectation is that fighting between Libya’s self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) and the Government of National Accord (GNA) will resume.

UN officials downplayed the concerns, however, saying they believe the talks will continue, even if both sides have withdrawn participation. The Geneva talks were the only track for peace talks, and the UN doesn’t see another option.

It might be overly optimistic to expect talks to just happen because there is no real alternative, as Libya has been floundering around in on-again, off-again fighting for years now with no sign of a resolution.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.