Libya’s neighbors mobilized to spiral of violence and chaos

The fear of the chaos and inner turmoil in Libya, where in the last week fighting between various Islamist and tribal militias and some of them in combat with the coup General Khalifa Hifter have caused 59 dead and 180 wounded, has put its neighbors on high alert. Tunisia and Algeria contagion fear and fight their own demons. Egypt has proven this same weekend which means the absolute porosity of their common border, where arms smugglers cross at will. Foreign ministers of all those neighboring nations met in Tunis last week to move before it’s too late. The interim government, in this situation, tried on Monday to offer the results of the parliamentary elections held on June 25 and at least coordinated to open Parliament.

Tunisia served to corroborate the great concern of the countries of the Maghreb before the chaos and suffering that exists in Libya for months and in general after the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in autumn 2011. United Nations has retired  all staff in the country. A measure that other countries have publicly announced and are running most discreetly. Algeria and Tunisia have reinforced their borders militarily. The 13,000 citizens of the Philippines have already been evacuated, and the U.S. is all set to act from its Sicilian base.

In the Tunisian meeting concluded the need to form two committees to promote dialogue between the various parties to the conflict in Libya. One mission will have specific content security and terrorism and coordinate Algeria. Another will have more political background and Egypt will command. Libyan Foreign Minister was unable to meet because the militias retook that day, more than a week ago, fighting in their own tracks from Tripoli airport and airspace closed. This follows since in the capital but now studies enable a lower track in the city of Zuwana to output some planes but not to those of most Western countries, who refuse to land at an airfield with just 1,800 meters long compared to 3,600 available in theory Tripoli.

Tripoli airport carries the scene of battle between Islamist militiamen from Misrata, settled 200 kilometers east of the capital, and Zintan, 170 kilometers west from almost three years ago. But this last week has been very frightening. Health Minister on Sunday offered the balance of open war with these data to Saturday: 47 dead and 120 wounded. The fighting escalated on Sunday with five more deaths and wounded 20 more. 21 aircraft were destroyed and damage was caused millionaires.

On Monday the dispute moved to the second city, Benghazi, where the General Khalifa Hifter coup, returned to the charge against an airbase of the Islamist militia Ansar Al- Sharia and seven deaths and 40 injuries were caused. The general has warned in a televised these next few days can be even tougher message.

Libya’s interim government is unable to provide detailed what has been going on in the country these months of absolute chaos data, but no other official pages have balance. So far in 2014 there would have been 495 deaths and some 190 guerrillas in July so far. Emigration is another bleeding. Just this past weekend the Italian authorities have rescued 1,800 people from sea boats from the Libyan coast and the merchant who picked one of these boats with 61 people recorded five deaths and 15 missing in the seabed.

Alleged Libyan authorities can barely meet its own timetable. After operating the National Transitional Council several months with its extended mandate, three prime ministers dispute the political and judicial office in just three months, the June 25 legislative elections were held. They went to vote 600,000 Libyans, only 41 % of the allowed census, and 1,714 candidates ran. The chairman of the electoral commission on Monday tried to scrutinize the results and wanted to call this Thursday at the representative parties to see if they could open the operation of the new camera, ie the elected parliament for the first week of August. Many observers now admit that this goal is another chimera.

The current government, with its total lack of authority, has asked for help from the neighbors and the Security Council of United Nations. Especially since under these conditions can not ensure its oil production, a key aspect of this crisis. Libya feels unable to re- produce and export the million and a half barrels which generated before the fall of Gaddafi. This past year, with major ports blocked by the militias, barely able to sell 300,000 barrels, with what that meant for their economy. A couple of weeks struck a deal to open all ports and export more. This Monday was scheduled the first major sale in the market as strategic as Total, Repsol and Eni companies. Foreign Minister estimated losses at more than 30,000 million.

It was the same minister, Mohamed Abdelaziz, who had the idea in April posit that the best way to stabilize the country was something that Senussi monarchy is reinstated, in allusion to the family heir of the former king Idris al-Senussi, who took command of Libya when it became independent in 1951 and led to huge controversy and poverty to the coup Gaddafi in 1969. Surprisingly, this idea has taken flight and now advocated by some intellectuals and leaders of weight. Others dismiss it entirely. Idriss al-Senussi died in exile in Cairo aged 94 in 1983 but their descendants still live in Britain.

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Posted by Maleeha Tareen on Jul 23 2014. Filed under Middle East. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.