Fifteen years after NATO’s intervention in a Libyan uprising set the stage for a prolonged period of chaos and political crisis, the United States is leading a diplomatic push for a reunification plan in the North African country.Led by Massad Boulos, US President Donald Trump’s top adviser on Arab, Middle Eastern and African affairs – he is also the father of Trump’s son-in-law Michael Boulos – the plan aims to turn a growing financial crisis in Libya into an incentive for warring factions to cooperate.Libya has been split between rival eastern and western administrations since a civil war broke out after the 2011 NATO operation helped topple longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.Here’s what we know about the US plan for Libya:The US is pushing to unify rival factions in Libya.Libya remains politically and militarily split between two primary rival administrations and their allied militias: the United Nations-recognised Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli and an eastern-based administration aligned with Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan Arab Armed Forces, commonly known as the Libyan National Army (LNA).Starting in 2020, most formal mediation has been led by the UN, particularly the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), but the US has become a key behind‑the‑scenes broker.In May 2021, it appointed Ambassador R …
