Benghazi—The US Charge d’Affaires in Libya discussed on Tuesday the ongoing efforts to unify Libyan military and security institutions with Lieutenant General Khaled Haftar, the Chief of Staff of the Security Forces, during a meeting in Benghazi.
“We reviewed US engagements with Libyan military officers from both the east and west,” Mr. Jeremy Berndt said in a statement on the US Embassy’s X platform. “We also discussed how the United States can best support Libyan efforts to unify military institutions and strengthen the capacity of professional security forces across Libya,” he added.
On its part, the Chief of Staff of the Security Forces’ office said “the two sides discussed the latest security developments on the local scene and ways to enhance military cooperation between the two countries to support joint efforts to achieve stability and security,” according to a statement on the office’s Facebook platform.
Mr. Berndt, along with other US military and political officials, has always been active in trying to bring the competing political forces in Libya to agree on two vital issues, the unification of institutions and the holding of general elections as soon as possible.
On 19 December 2024, Berndt held a meeting in Tripoli with senior officials from the Government of National Unity (GNU) during which he said that the US “will continue to seek to strengthen the capacity of professional security forces from across Libya and support Libyan efforts to unify security institutions.”
Also on Tuesday, Mr. Berndt held talks with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Agila Saleh, in Qubah city in eastern Libya and both discussed “the importance of unified Libya and the international support for UNSMIL-facilitated political process to help Libya overcome divisions and create the conditions for successful national elections,” according to a statement on X platform.
With regard to conflicts among sovereign institutions such as the Central Bank of Libya, the Libyan Audit Bureau and National Oil Corporation, Berndt added, “we also had a constructive exchange on the vital needs to protect the independence and integrity of Libya’s technocratic institutions, and to promote transparent and equitable revenue management across all regions.”
Also as part of his activities in Benghazi, Brendt met with the Director of Projects Department at the Development and Reconstruction Fund of Libya (DRFL), Mr. Hatem Al-Araibi, and they both talked about the development and reconstruction plans and projects for the year 2025 that are taking place in Derna, Benghazi and other cities in eastern and southern Libya.
The need for a unified budget for Libya and the ongoing “economic dialogue” under the auspices of the US Embassy and with the participation of the Central Bank of Libya was also discussed, according to a statement by the Fund’s official Facebook platform.
Mr. Brent “praised the prominent role played by the Libya Development and Reconstruction Fund, led by Eng. Belqasim Haftar, in supporting reconstruction efforts in various Libyan cities. Focusing on the most needy areas such as Derna and the south, as this has a positive impact on improving the level of services provided to citizens,” the statement said.