UN chief appoints Senegal’s Bathily to head UN Libya mission

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has announced the appointment of former Senegalese minister and U.N. diplomat Abdoulaye Bathily to be the new U.N. envoy to Libya after the Security Council gave its approval, ending a nine-month search amid increasing chaos in the oil-rich north African nation. But Libya’s transitional government, which opposed Bathily, reportedly sent a protest letter to Guterres about his decision. Its opposition raises questions about how effective the new envoy can be in trying to resolve the country’s political and economic crisis. The last U.N. special representative, Jan Kubis, resigned Nov. 23, 2021, after 10 months on the job.