Najla Mohammed El Mangoush ( ar, نجلاء محمد المنقوش; born 7 June 1970) is a

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

n diplomat and lawyer. She has been Libya's Foreign Minister in

Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh Abdul Hamid al-Dbeibeh ( ar, عبدالحميد محمد الدبيبة also spelled Dbeibah; born 13 February 1959) is a Libyan politician and businessman who is the prime minister of Libya under the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripol ...

's government since 15 March 2021. Najla El Mangoush is Libya's first female foreign minister, as well as the fifth woman to hold the position of a foreign minister in the

Arab World The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

Early life

Mangoush was born in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, to a family of four children who originated from

, but she grew up in

Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη (''Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghazi ...

, the city to which the family returned, when she was six years old.

Education

Trained as a lawyer at

Benghazi University University of Benghazi ( ar, جامعة بنغازي), Formally known as Garyounis University, it is a public university in Benghazi, Libya, the country's second-largest city as well as one of the most prestigious.institutes of higher education i ...

(then Garyounis University) and was later an assistant professor of law at the university. Later on she gained a Fulbright Scholarship to the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

, where she graduated from the

Center for Justice and Peacebuilding Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) is an accredited graduate-level program founded in 1994. It also offers non-credit training. The program specializes in conflict transformation, restorative justice, trauma healing, equitable developme ...

EMU The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''. The emu' ...

university in Virginia. Secretary Blinken Meets with Libyan Foreign Minister Mangoush

Career

As a conflict-resolution expert, she was the country representative in Libya for USIP (

United States Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American Federal government of the United States, federal institution tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. It provides research, analysis, and training to individual ...

). She has served as the Program Officer for Peace-building and Traditional Law at the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution in Arlington, Virginia. During Libya’s 2011 revolution, she headed the National Transitional Council’s (NTC) Public Engagement Unit which dealt with civil society organisations.

Foreign minister

On 15 March 2021 she became a foreign minister in

's cabinet, which is a part of the

government of national unity A national unity government, government of national unity (GNU), or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other nati ...

. She is the first female Foreign Minister of Libya and the fifth to hold such a position in the Arab World after

Naha Mint Mouknass Naha bint Mouknass ( ar, الناهة بنت مكناس; born March 10, 1969) is a Mauritanian politician. She was the former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mauritania, serving in this capacity between 2009 and 2011. Early life a ...

(2009 - 2011) and

Vatma Vall Mint Soueina Vatma Vall Mint Soueina (born 25 August 1977) is a Mauritanian politician woman who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2015, and as Minister of Livestock from 2015 to 2018. Early life and education Mint Soueina was born on 25 August 1977 ...

(2015) of Mauritania,

Fawzia Yusuf H. Adam Fawzia Yusuf Haji Adam ( so, Fawzia Yusuf H. Adam, ar, فوزية يوسف الحاج أدم) is a Somali politician. From 4 November 2012 to 17 January 2014, she served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia. ...

(2012–2014) of Somalia and

Asma Mohamed Abdalla Asma Mohamed Abdalla (also: ''Asmaa'', ''Abdallah'', ''Abdullah''; ar, أسماء محمد عبد الله) is a Sudanese diplomat. She became Sudan's first female Minister of Foreign Affairs in early September 2019 in the Transitional Cabine ...

(2019–2020) of Sudan. In May 2021, she came under pressure to resign and been subjected to personal abuse after she called

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

to comply with the UN resolutions and withdraw the Turkish troops and mercenaries from Libya. On 6 November 2021, the Presidential Council suspended Mangoush on charges of carrying out foreign policy without coordination with the council. She was also barred from traveling.

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

disputed the right of the Presidential Council to suspend Mangoush, saying the power to appoint or suspend ministers in his government is his exclusive preserve.

Awards

On December 7, 2021, Mangoush was named in the

BBC 100 Women ''100 Women'' is a BBC multi-format series established in 2013. The annual series examines the role of women in the 21st century and has included events in London and Mexico. Announcement of the list is the start of an international "BBC's women ...

2021 list for her work on ''building links with civil society organisations''. In 2022, Mangoush received the

International Women of Courage Award The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have ...

from the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

References