Contextual Overview
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) led an initiative to bring political rivals to the negotiation table in early 2015. By that time, Libya had sunk into chaos, amid political and economic crises. The problem had begun a year earlier at the end of the General National Congress (GNC) term. On February 14, 2014, a military officer named Khalifa Haftar announced the suspension of both the GNC and the government on television. Although his coup attempt failed, it marked the beginning of years of conflict over power and political legitimacy in the country.