A breakthrough in Libya cannot be achieved if leaders continue to monopolise the political process, the outgoing head of the UN mission in the country, UNSMIL, has said.

Libya has remained mired in deep crisis since the postponement of national elections, originally planned for December 2021.

UN Special Representative Abdoulaye Bathily called on leaders to “have a sense of history” and “think about the future of their country”, pointing to their long-standing impasse.

Before leaving office, he sat down with UN News’s Khaled Mohammed to discuss the stalemate, the dire situation of citizens and renewed geopolitical interest in Libya, including due to the wars in Ukraine and Sudan.