The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Hanna Serwaa Tetteh of Ghana as the new special envoy to Libya, succeeding Senegal’s Abdoulaye Bathily, who stepped down in April 2024.
Tetteh, a former Ghanaian foreign minister, most recently served as Guterres’s special representative to the Horn of Africa. Her appointment makes her the 10th person to assume the challenging role of special envoy and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) since 2011. The decision requires approval from the UN Security Council.
The position has been vacant since Bathily’s unexpected resignation last year. Upon leaving, the Senegalese diplomat highlighted the “lack of political will and good faith” among Libya’s leaders, stating that such conditions hindered the UN’s ability to operate effectively in the war-torn nation.
Libya has been engulfed in turmoil since the 2011 ousting of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with ongoing political chaos and armed conflicts plaguing the North African country. Tetteh’s appointment comes as calls increase for renewed efforts to stabilise the region and support Libya’s transition to peace.
