Khaberni - The Italian news agency «Nova» disclosed a new political proposal aimed at ending the years-long ongoing division in Libya, which involves appointing Saddam Haftar, the deputy commander of the Libyan National Army and son of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, as the head of the Presidential Council succeeding Mohamed Menfi, while Abdul Hamid Dbeibah retains his position as Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity, continuing at the helm of the unified executive authority.
The agency reported, citing informed Libyan sources, that the plan resulted from a series of informal meetings held in Rome during September 2025, which then resumed in Paris in January 2026, mediated by Mussad Bulos, the US special envoy to North Africa and the Middle East, during the administration of President Donald Trump.
Participants in these meetings included representatives from the east and west camps, including Saddam Haftar and close advisors to Dbeibah such as Ibrahim Dbeibah, the national security advisor.
The proposed plan aims to establish a temporary unified executive authority, bridging the current divide between the internationally recognized Government of National Unity in Tripoli and the eastern-based National Stability Government, supported by the House of Representatives and the forces of the Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Haftar.
According to the sources, this arrangement is seen as a middle ground solution, granting the Haftar family a symbolic and higher political role in the Presidential Council, which represents the head of state, while Dbeibah maintains actual control over the government, executive institutions, and financial matters.
A Complex Political Crisis
Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, Libya has experienced political and military divisions, exacerbated since 2014 with the emergence of two competing governments: the internationally recognized Government of National Unity in Tripoli led by Abdel Hamid Dbeibah since 2021, and a parallel government in the east supported by the House of Representatives and the forces of Khalifa Haftar, who effectively controls most of the east and south.
Recent months have seen an escalation in informal communications between the two sides, particularly after the return of the Trump administration to power in January 2025, where the envoy Mussad Bulos intensified his efforts to promote an agreement focusing on economic and security stability, including the unification of oil revenues and participation in reconstruction projects.
The meetings in Rome in September 2025 and Paris in January past served as secret channels for discussing power-sharing, amid joint French-American support and Italian interest in energy stability and reducing illegal immigration.
