As part of its efforts to promote national reconciliation among Libyans, the United Nations facilitated a two-day meeting in Tunis on 27 and 28 November, between representatives from the cities of Kabaw and Tiji (Batten el-Jabal) to help reconcile their differences. 

The meeting was the result of an official request for dialogue by both parties, and part of the United Nations efforts to promote local reconciliation efforts in Libya. The participants included members of the municipal councils, elders, notables, and civil society actors. Together, they discussed the root causes of grievances between the two areas, and the continued impact of the conflict on the daily lives of people living in those communities. 

Traditional mediation and conflict resolution methods have failed thus far to address the root cause of the conflict opposing Kabaw, an Amazigh-dominated town, and the Si’yan Arab tribe, living in the two cities of Tiji and Badr. Land disputes, access to public services, identity issues and conflicting narratives of past grievances have fragmented the region, leading to a de facto separation between these two neighbouring communities of the Nafusa Mountains. For years, there have been very few opportunities for dialogue between both parties.

The representatives to this meeting identified concrete actions to rebuild trust and peaceful relations between members of the communities, and agreed on mechanisms that could address land disputes and deeper historical grievances. At the end of the meeting, the parties formed a communications committee to follow-up on the implementation of the agreed measures. This event facilitated the elaboration guiding principles for a future negotiation process, and established a constructive framework for reconciliation.

Find the outcomes of the meeting here: 

Minutes of the meeting of delegations of Batten Aljabal and Kabaw Municipalities