UN envoy to Libya starts diplomatic tour of country

The UN envoy to Libya visited the eastern city of Benghazi on Thursday to meet with civil society groups and others, as he continues his tour of Libyan cities on both sides of the conflict alongside shuttle diplomacy.
Ghassan Salame, the new head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, “landed at Banina airport for a long day of interactions
in #Benghazi w/ Libyan actors from various spectrums”, the mission’s official Twitter account said.
Mr Salame was also pictured meeting with university student union representatives linked to Libya’s elected parliament, the Tobruk-based House of Representatives.
Last month, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who commands the powerful Libyan National Army aligned with the House of Representatives, declared victory in the campaign for Benghazi.
Beyond familiarising himself with various stakeholders in the divided country, the seasoned Lebanese mediator faces the deep challenge of pushing a range of political and militia factions to accept the Joint Declaration that was signed in Paris on July 25 by the head of the UN-backed Government of National Accord based in Tripoli, Fayez Al Sarraj, and Field Marshal Haftar.