US advisor Massad Boulos leads diplomatic initiative for Libyan unification

Massad Boulos, the US senior advisor on Arab, Middle Eastern, and African Affairs, is leading a diplomatic initiative aimed at unifying Libya’s divided political, military, and economic institutions. The US strategy seeks to resolve the country’s administrative paralysis and the east-west divide through a transactional political settlement.

One proposed framework involves restructuring the executive presidency by placing Saddam Haftar, commander of ground forces in eastern Libya, at the head of a reformed Presidential Council, while maintaining Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh as Prime Minister. This approach aims to formalize an alliance between rival power centers to foster stability.

Key milestones in this process include a recent 190 billion dinar unified budget agreement, intended to strengthen the Central Bank of Libya and protect national financial stability. The US initiative is designed to complement the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) in creating conditions for long-term peace and prosperity.