Omnipresence of armed groups in Libya puts solution of crisis into perspective

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The latest armed clashes between rival armed groups in Tripoli and Misrata, particularly the deadly one in the Libyan capital that killed 16 people and wounded 52 others, have heightened the already feverish tension in the country.

This is due to the stalemate in the political process and the existence of two competing governments, prompting some to question the possibility of reaching a settlement via general election in view of the omnipresence of armed formations.

Indeed, Libyans have begun to wonder whether the solution to the crisis, which had been unanimously agreed upon, namely the organization of presidential and legislative elections, will still be able to hold in the face of this persistent danger of armed groups.

Since the revolution of 17 February 2011, which toppled the former regime and led to the collapse of state structures, notably the security organs and the army, armed groups and militias have gained in proportion to their presence in the political landscape.

They have greatly contributed to maintaining insecurity and chaos during the past decade in the country, particularly in the Libyan capital where the sovereignty and financial institutions and the centre of political decision-making are located.

The bonuses and funding granted to them by the various Libyan governments that have succeeded one another in recent years have given these armed groups greater importance and influence.

Thus, throughout the last few years, the issue of these armed groups and militias has been constantly relegated to the background, while their presence in the context of the proliferation of armed groups and their repercussions on the instability of the country, poses a problem, making them one of the causes of the country's instability.

Although the integration, demobilization and disarmament programme figures prominently in the UN's mandate in Libya, the issue has not received decisive action to make decisive progress in addressing the presence of arms outside the authority of the state in the country.

A recent meeting held in Spain on the issue of disarmament, demobilization and integration of armed groups in Libya was not followed up, remaining at the level of words and good intentions.

But it had no palpable effect on the situation despite the presence of actors such as the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and other international partners.

It is undeniable, according to observers of the scene in Libya, based on the experience accumulated in recent years, that the presence of irregular armed formations in Libya does not serve the peace and stability of the country.

Rather, it presents an obstacle to the pacification of the country and the imposition by the state of its authority and will over the Libyan territory.

From this observation, it is established that maintaining the security situation as it is in Libya with the omnipresence of armed groups that control the reality on the ground, the organization of elections to elect new legitimate institutions will have no effect on the course of events.

These same observers recalled that Libya held three security elections in 2014 to elect the General National Congress (ex-GNC, outgoing assembly), the current House of Representatives (Parliament) and the Constitutional Drafting Authority in what were considered transparent and fair elections.

However, these elections did not bring the required stability, especially those of 2014, which gave rise to violent armed clashes after the failure of the handover between the NGC and the elected Parliament.

Rather, it paved the way for a period of instability in Libya with the existence of parallel governments and the entrenchment of the division of institutions with a two-headed state.

Despite this stark reality of the impact of the presence of armed groups on stability in Libya, the commitment to holding parliamentary and presidential elections remains a priority as a solution to the crisis at both local and international levels.

According to supporters of this position, elections are the only solution to resolve the political and military crisis in the country by overcoming the issue of legitimacy with the presence of two governments.

These are the faction led by Prime Minister Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba, who was born of a consensus between Libyans during the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum under the auspices of the United Nations, and the Prime Minister appointed by the Parliament, Fathi Bachagha.

This situation represents, according to the proponents of this thesis, a dangerous development of the impasse in the political process that occurred after the postponement of the elections last December.

It plunged Libya into a new zone of turbulence marked by the exacerbation of tension and the multiplication of armed clashes in the country between the armed groups supporting the two rival governments.

Briefing the UN Security Council on Monday, the Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political Affairs and Peacebuilding and Peace Operations, Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, said the situation in Libya remained highly unstable despite some progress.

She expressed concern about the continuing constitutional impasse that was exacerbating security tensions.

Ms Pobee regretted, as cited by the UN, the blockages linked to the lack of agreement on the eligibility criteria for candidates in the presidential election, recalling that the priority for the UN in Libya remained the return to the electoral process.

This position was shared by the United Kingdom, the United States and France, who stressed "the urgency of getting Libya back on track for elections", insisting on the need to support the UN's efforts to reach an agreement between the two chambers to allow presidential and parliamentary elections to be held as soon as possible.

The delegations urged Libyan actors to finalize an agreement quickly, including on the eligibility criteria for the elections.

The UN Secretary General's Special Adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, is working through mediation between the Parliament and the High Council of State to iron out the differences that have persisted on the conditions of eligibility of binationals and military personnel after the meeting of 28 and 29 June in Geneva between the presidents of the two Libyan chambers.

But what is most worrying is the lack of prospects for overcoming these disagreements on the conditions of eligibility of candidates for the first presidential election in the history of the country.

The situation makes the military option more and more likely to resolve the issue of the executive with two governments in the country.

Thus, in this context, the capital, Tripoli, is prey to an atmosphere of security tension due to the mobilization of troops from several armed groups who have gathered men and armed vehicles topped with anti-aircraft guns in the city's international airport in precision to military confrontations to repel any armed attack.

This situation reflects the political alignment that has strengthened with political parties relying on certain armed groups in the ongoing power struggle in the country.

This comes after clashes in the capital last week between the forces of the "Deterrence Body for the Fight against Terrorism and Organized Crime" and the "Tripoli Revolutionary Brigade", which left 16 people dead and 52 injured.

Attempts to ease the tension to avoid any unfortunate development of the situation towards armed clashes in Tripoli, took place notably with a meeting that brought together several military leaders and armed groups.

In this context, the commanders of the military battalions of the regions of Tripoli, Misrata, Zaouia and Zenten, reached, at the end of their meeting, a first agreement according to which all mobilizations, regroupings and concentrations of fighters and weapons will be withdrawn from the contact areas between the belligerents in the west of the Libyan capital, and to refrain from being drawn into fighting.

They also proposed that the elements of the security directorates under the Ministry of Interior will take care of positioning themselves in these areas.

The meeting which took place on Tuesday evening in the April 7 military camp in Tripoli, concluded with an agreement to hold another one next week to agree on further arrangements, according to sources close to the meeting, quoted by the Libyan newspaper "Al-Wasat".

The former commander of the joint operations room in the western region, Major General Osama Al-Jouwaili, revealed in a telephone interview with the "Libya Al-Ahrar" channel on Wednesday evening the details of a meeting held with leaders of armed groups in the western region.

They stressed that the meeting aimed at preventing armed conflicts in the capital, without reaching concrete results, except that it was agreed "to reduce the escalation until a second meeting scheduled for next Saturday that will bring together all parties.

Thus, the threat of a conflagration between armed groups was narrowly averted, pending a second meeting this weekend to hope to agree definitively on a permanent de-escalation solution so that the executive crisis is resolved politically.

In the meantime, it is also hoped that the parliament and the High Council of State in Libya can overcome their differences and agree on a constitutional basis for holding general elections to overcome the legitimacy crisis.

-0- PANA BY/IS/BBA/RA 28July2022