On July 25, 2017, at a serene historical site just outside Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a rare meeting between Libyan rivals, namely Gen. Khalifa Hifter, the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) who has the military upper hand in eastern Libya, and Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli. Every now and then, Sarraj would talk of the capital being safe to create the impression that he is in control. But the harsh reality was and still is that Tripoli was and continues to be controlled by various militias that are nominally aligned with the GNA but are not fully under its control.

The final communique signed at the end of that meeting, and read out to the media while both men stood next to Macron, said both sides agreed to hold elections in 2018, refrain from use of force and continue to look for a political solution. Macron appeared satisfied with what was achieved, and he commended the two men for showing what he called “historic courage” before declaring that the “cause of peace [in Libya] has made great progress today.” However, little peace was actually brought to the war-ravaged country after the meeting. The country has not been in total war since 2014, but fighting is never far away.

Ten months later, on May 29, Macron did it again and played host to a larger group of Libyan politicians, which included Sarraj, Hifter, president of the House of Representatives (HoR) Aguila Saleh, and head of the Supreme Council of State Khaled al-Mishri. About 20 organizations, including the European Union, African Union and the Arab League, were also present alongside diplomats representing regional countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia. Four Security Council permanent members attended: Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom plus the host country, France.

The relatively large gathering intended to relay the message that Libya is important for the stability and security of both sides of the Mediterranean, and indeed important to international peace and security. European countries have been struggling to cap illegal immigration as well as potential terrorists coming out of Libya. Since the toppling of its leader Moammar Gadhafi in October 2011, Libya has been the preferred route for human traffickers. The International Organization for Migration in January 2018 estimated that about 120,000 people made it to Italy, which is less than it was a year before — but still far too much.