As has just become known, US President Donald Trump has consulted with renegade Libyan General Khalifa Haftar on the situation in the country. Trump and Haftar had discussed in a telephone conversation on Monday about "ongoing anti-terrorism efforts" and the need to "bring peace and stability to Libya," the White House said Friday. Trump has acknowledged the "significant role" Haftar plays in the fight against terrorism and the securing of Libyan oil reserves.
The two had discussed a "shared vision" of how to create a transition to a "stable, democratic political system" in Libya. The White House did not explain why the announcement of the conversation took place several days late.
There has been chaos in Libya since the overthrow of the ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi in 2011. The government in Tripoli is weak and does not control large parts of the country.
The renegade General Haftar launched an offensive on 4 April in the capital Tripoli, where the UN-backed government of Prime Minister Fajes al-Sarradsch is based. The general supports a counter-government in eastern Libya.
UN Security Council failed so far
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 213 people have been killed and more than 1000 injured since the start of the offensive in Tripoli. More than 25,000 people are on the run, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Despite the escalation of violence, the UN Security Council in New York failed again to try to find a unified stance on the situation in the crisis country. It was "frustrating" that the text did not progress, said the German UN ambassador Christoph Heusgen on Thursday after an emergency meeting behind closed doors. It is important to pass a resolute resolution "of a united council behind which everyone can stand and in which we clearly state who bears responsibility and what needs to be done". Germany, which currently holds the presidency of the most powerful body of the United Nations, convened the emergency meeting.
The Security Council had been "deeply concerned" about the developments in Libya about two weeks ago, according to a statement read out to journalists. In it he called on Haftar to stop the advance of his troops on Tripoli. All appeals of this kind, however, have hitherto gone unheard. The Council was unable to agree on a resolution with this requirement then and now.