UN chief warns of growing instability in the Middle East

The United Nations’ chief António Guterres said that the flow of weapons to war zones in Libya, Syria and Yemen, as well as the violation of arms embargoes has contributed to a “wind of madness” that is “sweeping the globe”.
Guterres said the arming of rival militias in Libya was undermining peace and security worldwide, and added that the Security Council solutions on Libya were being disrespected.
Libya is torn by a civil war between two rival governments. Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj heads the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), which is backed by Turkey. GNA is in conflict with General Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA), which is backed by France, Russia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
In recent months, Russia and Turkey have been mediating for a ceasefire, which Haftar rejected. Last month, at a summit in Berlin, world leaders committed to ending all foreign interference and to upholding a weapons embargo to end the conflict.
“I must say I’m deeply frustrated with what’s happening in Libya, and I think that what’s happening is a scandal. We still see planes coming, both to Misrata and to Benghazi. We haven’t seen any relevant stop in the disrespect of the arms embargo”, Guterres said, and added:
“We had a number of countries coming together in Berlin that committed not to send weapons or to participate on anyway in the fighting. Now, the truth is that the Security Council embargo remains violated”.
Guterres has previously warned that Libya’s civil war become a playground for foreign forces in North Africa and threatens to spill over into the Sahel and Lake Chad regions.
He stressed the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Yemen as further evidence that progress made on diplomacy at the end of 2019 had been reversed in 2020.
Guterres also highlighted the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan announced by US President Donald Trump, which was immediately rejected by the Palestinians, as well as the UN: “We are totally committed to the two‑state solution based on international law”, he said, and added: “We have not changed our position”.