It is indeed tragic that it had to be the barbaric and cruel execution of 21 Egyptian Christians by Islamic State militants in Sirte that seems to have spurred the international community into acknowledging that something has to be done about the very dire situation in Libya.
The Maltese and Italian governments have long warned that the turmoil and political vacuum in Libya would serve as a catalyst for extremists to establish a foothold in the country, and they have unfortunately been proved right. Islamic State now has an estimated 1,000 to 3,000 fighters in Libya, many of whom have returned home with considerable frontline combat experience in Iraq and Syria.
The militant group already controls the cities of Derna and Sirte as well as parts of Benghazi, where Ansar al-Sharia, previously aligned to al-Qaeda, has now pledged its loyalty to it. Islamic State is also believed to have cells in Tripoli where it claimed responsibility for the recent attack on individuals staying at the Corinthia Hotel.
The Italian government, clearly losing patience with the lack of progress at the UN-sponsored Libya peace talks in Geneva, and concerned about a possible terrorist attack on Italy and a massive increase in migration, has called for a UN-mandated military intervention in which it would be willing to participate. Egypt also called for international action and responded to the murder of its nationals by conducting airstrikes against IS positions in Libya.
Meanwhile, the internationally-recognised government of Libya called for the UN Security Council to remove the arms embargo against it so that it would be able to fight the IS threat in Libya, a move supported by Egypt. This proposal, however, has already been shot down by the US and UK, who believe that what is first needed is a national unity government in Libya.
Last Tuesday, Joseph Muscat told Parliament that some sort of UN military intervention in Libya was needed as time was running out for the rival governments in Tripoli and Tobruk to form a national unity government. However, the Prime Minister, who met British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in Malta to discuss the Libyan situation, told the media on Thursday that diplomacy should be given another chance as the UN special envoy to Libya, Bernardino León, had hinted that the situation was not completely hopeless.
Dr Muscat, nevertheless, made it clear that there was wide international support for some type of military intervention should diplomacy fail, and added that Malta always preferred any military action to be sanctioned by the UN.
The situation in Libya is both complex and fragile. The country has no standing army or police force and is awash with numerous militias which control different areas of territory. The country’s two governments – the internationally recognised one in Tobruk and the Islamist-leaning one in Tripoli – are fighting each other and turning the country into a failed State, which has obvious negative consequences for southern Europe, particularly Malta and Italy.
The only real long-term solution to the situation is the formation of a national unity government between the two sides which could then lead to the establishment of the rule of law and stability. The IS threat in Libya will hopefully encourage Libyans to put aside their differences and seek common ground. The international community must be relentless in pressuring Tripoli and Tobruk to agree to a peace deal, and we hope the UN talks will be successful.
If no such deal is forthcoming, however, and Libya continues to attract the murderous extremists of Islamic State, the UN may be left with no option but to sanction military strikes against IS targets, while continuing to encourage the formation of a Libyan national unity government.