The war in Libya: Fayez al-Sarraj announces his desire to transfer his functions at the end of October

Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the Presidential Council and internationally recognized head of government in Libya, announced his desire to hand over power at the end of next October.

“We hope that the dialogue committee will finish its work and elect a new presidential council and prime minister,” Sarraj said in a speech broadcast on Libyan state television on Wednesday.

Al-Sarraj heads the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, while forces loyal to military commander Khalifa Haftar control large areas in eastern Libya and much of the south.

In his speech, Al-Sarraj admitted that the state of polarization made all the discussions aimed at finding peaceful settlements very difficult and arduous, accusing the parties, whom he did not name, of “betting on the choice of war.”

He added that his government “had not operated in a natural or even semi-natural environment since its formation and was exposed every day to internal and external plots,” he said.

Al-Sarraj assumed the presidency of the Government of National Accord since its formation in 2015 as a result of a United Nations-backed political agreement aimed at unifying and stabilizing Libya after the chaos that followed the 2011 uprising that toppled the late leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Analysts expect Sarraj’s resignation to increase political uncertainty in Tripoli or even infighting between rival factions in the coalition that dominates western Libya.

However, others believe this comes in the context of a move toward a political solution after the Government of National Accord ended the pro-Haftar attack on Tripoli, which lasted 14 months, in June and forced it to withdraw from the capital.

The ongoing war in Libya has drawn in regional and international powers, as the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia support Haftar’s forces, while Turkey and Qatar support the Government of National Accord.