Libya's political crisis is entering a more complex phase as US efforts to unify the country's divided institutions face growing obstacles.
Disputes have expanded beyond the traditional east-west divide, spreading within each camp, and thereby challenging the American plan led by presidential advisor Masad Boulos.
On Monday evening, 6 April, the High Council of State issued a statement rejecting any political settlement concluded outside the framework of the Libyan Political Agreement.
The council stressed it would not recognise any representation in negotiations without an explicit, official mandate. Its position coincided with reports of US-led negotiations involving figures linked to both the Government of National Unity in Tripoli and retired General Khalifa Haftar's leadership in Benghazi to unify the country's divided institutions.
The American approach involves parallel tracks. It begins with economic measures to unify the national budget based on the unified development agreement signed by the House of Representatives and the High Council of State in November 2025.
This intersects with a military track aimed at creating a joint force between East and West Libya. It culminates in a political track aimed at forming a unified executive authority between the Tripoli and Benghazi governments, which Washington sees as a pathway to ending the divisions. Informed Libyan sources told The New Arab that the High Council of State's stance represents a preemptive move against a US initiative to form a joint political committee of both councils, even as it advances its own proposal for a unified executive authority.
The sources said this step is intended to operate within the mechanisms of the UN-backed roadmap, in coordination with the mission, to overcome the political deadlock.
UN envoy to Libya Hanna Tetteh previously noted in her briefing to the UN Security Council that plans to establish a small group to achieve what the two councils had failed to accomplish. This includes amendments to electoral laws and the completion of the Electoral Commission's appointment, paving the way for a unified government.
Sources said that during Monday's council session, its head, Mohamed Takala, hinted at an imminent US plan to restructure authority by including key figures from Haftar's camp, which he rejected.
He warned that such an approach could reintroduce "military rule through political negotiations".
The sources added that the council granted Takala full authorisation to hold a trilateral meeting with Presidential Council head Mohamed al-Menfi and House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh.
The goal is to form a unified political stance that restores the councils' role in countering the US-driven path, which several parties view as limited to an understanding between Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and Saddam Haftar, representing his father's leadership in the east.
Although the High Council of State's statement did not directly address the Government of National Unity, which has been participating in negotiations facilitated by Boulos since last year through advisor Ibrahim Dbeibeh, alongside Saddam Haftar, at meetings in Rome, Paris, and Tunis, it reflects a clear shift in Tripoli's power balance.
The council has joined the opposition to Dbeibeh, which al-Menfi began forming weeks ago. This includes opposing Dbeibeh's cabinet reshuffle and holding extensive military meetings with Tripoli's main armed groups opposed to him, such as the Deterrence Apparatus and the Support and Stability Apparatus. These moves indicate an attempt to realign power structures in western Libya .
Following the council's statement, al-Menfi posted a sharp commentary on the political track. "Libya faces two contradictory projects: state or deal," he said.
"The country stands between options, including a state or deal, elections or extension, sovereignty over resources or foreign oversight, and protecting frozen investments or losing them," he added.
He concluded that the scene is now determined by "national and international law or the law of the jungle and an unethical methodology."
The emerging coordination between Takala and al-Menfi marks a significant shift in Western Libya's alliances. The High Council of State, long the political supporter of Dbeibeh against the House of Representatives and Saleh, is now realigning. This signals a reshaping of Tripoli's centres of influence in a struggle less about rejecting the US settlement than about positioning within it.
In eastern Libya, similar shifts are occurring. Last week, Belqasem Haftar, head of the Development and Reconstruction Agency, issued a statement rejecting moves by his brother, Saddam Haftar, related to the negotiation track.
He said participants in last week's Tunis meeting on a unified national budget do not represent eastern and southern Libya and that its outcomes are nonbinding. This reflects intra-Haftar disputes that had previously remained unpublicised.
Sources indicate that Aguila Saleh shows signs of responding positively to a proposed trilateral meeting with al-Menfi and Takala, potentially reshaping alliances.
The sources noted that Khalifa Haftar's position remains unclear amid ongoing US pressure and growing internal disagreements, reflecting a fragile balance between domestic and external considerations.
Boulos previously said that US efforts aim to develop a comprehensive solution for "unified governance including key factions" before direct meetings between representatives of Tripoli and eastern camps began in Rome in September, with early indications of implicit acceptance from various parties.
However, the track has faced growing objections. Initial disagreements between East and West Libya over the form of the supreme executive authority evolved into divisions within each camp, especially after Boulos's second meeting in Paris in January 2026.
The split became more evident after last week's Tunis meeting on implementing the unified development agreement, where Belqasem Haftar announced his rejection of its outcomes, deepening divisions in the east.
Al-Menfi subsequently visited Benghazi to discuss development and reconstruction, a move interpreted as an attempt to build a parallel channel outside the framework connecting Dbeibeh and Saddam Haftar. Article translated from Arabic by Afrah Almatwari. To read the original, click here .