The news that one of the sides in the Libyan conflict, the Tripoli-based government, has postponed its decision whether to participate in the UN-backed Geneva peace talks spells more trouble for the North African country.
Three years after the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Libya is in sharp decline and on the verge of becoming a failed State. It has two rival parliaments and governments, one in Tripoli –under the control of an alliance of Islamic militias from Misurata – and the other, which tends to be more secular, in Tobruk, where the internationally-recognised administration is based. The two sides are engaged in a bloody conflict which is spiralling out of control.
The eastern city of Benghazi, where the revolution was born in 2011, is under the control of Ansar al-Sharia, a jihadist movement with links to al-Qaeda.
The lawlessness in the country has given rise to arms smuggling, the trafficking of people and even a haven for foreign jihadists loyal to al-Qaeda and Islamic State. It is a very worrying situation that should be of immense concern to us in Malta.
The response of the international community to the crisis in Libya has been very disappointing.
Nato countries intervened to oust Gaddafi but were reluctant to help preside over the country’s transition to stability and were adamant about not sending troops to Libya.
While military intervention by the West would probably not have solved anything, both the US and the European Union could certainly have done more, through intense diplomacy, to prevent Libya from arriving at the situation it is in today. Instead, the West was content to let the UN take the lead in trying to stabilise the situation.
The UN, however, despite its good intentions, lacks the clout of the US and EU and while the idea of the Geneva peace talks are a step in the right direction, time is clearly running out for a solution to be found.
The fact that outside powers are said to arming the two sides in the conflict – Turkey, and Qatar support the Tripoli government while Egypt and the United Arab Emirates back the Tobruk administration – certainly complicates matters.
What is needed is much more intense diplomacy by the US, the EU and the Arab League, together with the UN, to try and bring this conflict under control. An international ‘Friends of Libya’ conference should be held and outside military support for both sides must stop immediately.
The international community should strive for the establishment of a Libyan government of national unity, a new Constitution with a level of autonomy for the country’s various regions, the reduction of jihadists from the country and sending in UN peacekeepers to maintain law and order until a proper functioning Libyan army and police be set up.
Such goals may seem far-fetched considering the almost hopeless situation Libya is in, but they are essential.
A Libya in total chaos would mean thousands of refugees crossing the Mediterranean and the establishment of jihadist safe havens in North Africa, with dangerous consequences for Malta and the rest of Europe.
Ultimately, of course, it is up to the Libyans to save their country but they cannot do this on their own.
Col Gaddafi left the country with nothing, which makes the Libyans’ task of nation-building extremely difficult. This is why the outside world should do whatever is necessary to help.
Doing nothing is not an option; there is simply too much at stake.