U.S. President Donald Trump nominated Richard Norland to be the next ambassador to Libya, according to the State Department’s press release on Wednesday.
Norland, who is known for his long diplomacy career, will have a difficult mission in Libya, especially after the National Army Commander Khalifa Haftar ordered his forces to advance towards Tripoli, foretelling inescapable clashes between the rival forces in the country.
Norland has worked as the foreign policy adviser to the Chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since 2016 and previously served as the ambassador to Uzbekistan and Ukraine.
He has two Master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the National War College, and is the recipient of a Presidential Distinguished Service Award.
The U.S. does not currently have an ambassador in Libya, though Peter Bodde serves as the Chargé d’Affaires to the Libya External Office in Tunis. Bodde previously served as ambassador to Libya until the end of 2017.
The U.S. embassy was one of the first embassies to close its doors in Libya in 2014 and withdrew its crew, headed by U.S. ambassador Deborah Jones.
Most of the foreign companies and embassies in Libya have left the country after the outbreak of armed fighting in the capital Tripoli between rival militias in 2014.
Libya remains the main route for waves of undocumented migrants bound for Europe via the Mediterranean. Islamic State and other extremist groups that target Europe are ensconced in lawless areas throughout Libya.
Libya has struggled to clamp down on violence since the Arab Spring rocked the country in 2011 after dictator Muammar Qaddafi used the military to crush anti-government demonstrations. Rebel groups eventually captured and killed Qaddafi later that year, though the new government has struggled to regain control of vast swaths of territory.
Libya is currently torn between a United Nations and U.S.-backed government in Tripoli and another government supported by Haftar that is based in the eastern part of the country.
The potential return of the American embassy to Libya comes in line with the ongoing measures to hold the National Forum that aims to reach a political solution to the Libyan crisis.
