The GNU's diplomatic offensive

Libya's internationally recognised Government of National Unity (GNU) received Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey in Tripoli this week, in a meeting that underscores Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah's continued efforts to build diplomatic and economic partnerships with African nations.

The visit is the latest in a series of engagements through which the Tripoli-based government is seeking to consolidate its international standing, a priority in a country still divided between two rival administrations.

Dussey described the talks as marked by "cordiality, friendship and mutual confidence," with discussions covering the state of bilateral relations, development priorities and avenues for deeper economic and trade cooperation.

The diplomatic context matters. Libya remains split between the GNU in Tripoli, backed by the United Nations and major Western powers, and the Government of National Stability (GNS) in Benghazi, led by Prime Minister Osama Hammad and supported by General Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army. 

The two administrations have been deadlocked since the indefinite postponement of national elections in December 2021.

By receiving the Togolese delegation in Tripoli, Dbeibah's government sends a signal: international partners continue to engage with the GNU as Libya's legitimate interlocutor on the world stage, a diplomatic asset the Benghazi-based administration is still fighting to contest.

For Tripoli, every bilateral visit is also a political statement.