MOmar Abu Shreida, former president of the Union of Maghreb Students and Youth and special envoy for presidential candidate Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, has raised concerns about the UN mission in Libya’s stance on recent political detentions. While he endorsed the mission’s condemnation of forced arrests and kidnappings targeting political activists, he was critical of its silence on a specific incident.
Abu Shreida expressed his dismay at the UN mission’s failure to condemn the arrest of Sheikh Ali Abu Sbaiha, head of the reconciliation committee for Gaddafi’s presidential campaign. He suggested this omission reflects poorly on Stephanie Koury, the new Deputy Special Representative, in her initial engagements with Libya’s political landscape.
He questioned whether the UN mission genuinely represents the international community’s commitment to a fair political solution, or if it has shifted to a different political stance. Abu Shreida concluded that this situation casts doubt on the mission’s impartiality in addressing the ongoing Libyan crisis.