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Outsiders' Bets on Libya Torpedo Peace

Political instability continues to plague Libya as the country is mired in its sixth year of conflict following the 2011 Arab Spring. In July, two of Libya’s most prominent leaders, representing competing factions, Fayez Sarraj, the head of Libya’s UN-brokered Government of National Accord (GNA) and Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar, the head of the Libyan National Army, met in Paris to discuss a countrywide ceasefire and preconditions for elections that are scheduled for early 2018. The Cipher Brief’s Bennett Seftel spoke with Jonathan Winer, former United States Special Envoy for Libya, about the recent agreement and the different factors that are impacting Libya’s drive for political unity.

The Cipher Brief: What do you make of the agreement struck between Fayez Sarraj, the head of Libya’s UN-brokered Government of National Accord (GNA) and Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar, the head of the Libyan National Army in France in July? Will this agreement have any practical implications for the situation on the ground in Libya?

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