Attachments
I. Introduction
1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 2273 (2016) of 15 March 2016. It covers major political and security developments in Libya, provides an overview of the human rights and humanitarian situation in the country, and outlines the activities of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) since the issuance of my report of 25 February 2016 (S/2016/182).
II. Political and security-related developments
2. Libyan political actors continued to make progress, despite some delays, in implementing the Libyan Political Agreement, signed on 17 December 2015 in Skhirat, Morocco. United Nations efforts were focused on supporting those implementation efforts. In an important first step towards a peaceful and orderly handover of executive authority, the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord installed itself in Tripoli on 30 March. The relatively calm security situation, as well as statements of support by municipal councils in the greater Tripoli area and other stakeholders, signalled broad popular support for its arrival. The Presidency Council asked the United Nations to rapidly establish a presence in Tripoli and encouraged Member States to re-establish diplomatic missions in support of the political process. UNSMIL continued to support the efforts of members of the House of Representatives to conduct a formal vote on the composition of the proposed Government of National Accord and to amend the Constitutional Declaration, in accordance with the Libyan Political Agreement.
3. Nonetheless, significant work was still required to broaden the base of support for the implementation of the Libyan Political Agreement and support the new transitional institutions in carrying out their duties. Despite the relative calm prevailing in Tripoli following the arrival of the Presidency Council, a number of political actors continued to oppose the implementation of the Agreement. In addition, the security situation remained fragile both in the capital and across the country. The leadership of the General National Congress and its executive, which was increasingly isolated following the move by a majority of Congress members, on 5 April, to constitute the State Council, criticized the arrival of the Presidency Council. Meanwhile, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) affiliates made new attempts to expand their reach, and armed conflict in Benghazi and elsewhere added to the plight of the civilian population.