By Hussein Al-Musallati
In what marks the start of a new chapter for Libya’s political landscape, the General Commander of the Armed Forces, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, has issued an unambiguous call for a national roadmap to be formulated directly by the free will of the Libyan people. This initiative aims to surmount past crises and advance towards a prosperous future built on the restoration of rights, explicitly distancing the process from foreign intervention, including any proposals originating from the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
The urgency of this initiative is amplified by recent events, coming just two months after UNSMIL, led by Hannah Tetteh, announced its own roadmap, which has been widely perceived as having failed to deliver any tangible progress in resolving the protracted crisis.
The UN-sponsored plan met with local rejection, criticized as impractical, lacking concrete mechanisms for implementation, and, crucially, disregarding the popular Libyan will. This apparent contradiction stands in stark opposition to core UN principles, which assert that Libyans alone should hold ownership over their national solution.
Field Marshal Haftar stressed that the current juncture necessitates the Libyan people making pivotal decisions to address the increasingly complex political environment. He articulated that the forthcoming stage requires robust popular mobilisation and the active involvement of all vital national forces, including elders, wise men, and community notables. The General Commander emphasised that all state institutions must be directly subordinate to the popular will, asserting the armed forces’ commitment to defend the people’s choices and obstruct any efforts to impede them.
It is now incumbent upon the active national forces to organise and coordinate their efforts, presenting comprehensive initiatives that lay down the fundamental principles for state-building and unequivocally affirm that the people are the sole source of legitimacy and decision-making. The success of this popular movement will ultimately produce an authentic, independent roadmap, guaranteeing lasting peace and stability, and preparing the ground for a sovereign state chosen by Libyans themselves, free from external interference and the errors of failed past experiences.
