Libyan Prime Minister retracts resignation, amidst ongoing Intra-Libyan political dialogue

Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj has retracted his decision to resign, and will remain in office until the ongoing intra-Libyan political dialogue concludes.

This announcement came on Friday, a day after the High Council of State urged the Prime Minister, the head of the Tripoli-based internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), to stay until a new Presidential Council is selected - to avoid a potential political vacuum, which could come at a detriment to the country's stability. The United Nations' Support Mission in Libya, and the country's parliament in Tripoli also urged the Prime Minister to defer his resignation, citing reasons of higher national interest.

In September, Prime Minister al-Serraj announced his "sincere desire" to hand over his duties to the next executive authority no later than the end of October, as part of a historic deal to end years of conflict with a rival political faction led by renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar.

Last week, the two warring sides signed an agreement in Geneva for a permanent ceasefire, stating that all foreign fighters and mercenaries are to leave the country within the next three months; and are due to hold in-person negotiations to discuss national elections and the reunification of the armed forces.

Libya descended into a state of civil war after the overthrow and killing of strongman nationalist leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, eventually being split between two main factions – the GNA in Tripoli, backed by Turkey and Qatar, and Haftar’s forces in the east, backed by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia. Any successive governments have struggled to maintain control over these fractious groups, often leading to political deadlocks and ceasefire violations in the process.