Hello readers. Sorry for not being very productive here these days, I've been away in London for a few days and basically doing some research in the UK this past weeks.
In the meantimes, here is an interesting press release from the Institute for Security Studies about the cases of migrants and the situation in Libya:
The growing number of migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean from Libya, often at their peril, has put the spotlight on the dire situation in the country. The activities of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Libya have also been cause for concern worldwide. The Peace and Security Council (PSC) discussed the Libyan crisis on 20 April and strongly condemned the recent killing of Ethiopians by ISIS in Libya.
Libya is fast becoming a failed state. The country continues to suffer at the hands of the scores of militias and armed groups that control the different cities. It has also become a safe haven for transnational terror, human and arms trafficking and criminal organisations, including the fast-growing ISIS. Ansar Al-Shari'a, the largest of the radical Islamist groups in Libya, recently pledged allegiance to ISIS.
Continued violence
Meanwhile Libya has two rival parliaments and governments fighting for control of the state. The conflict is deepening divisions, ruining lives and destroying the country’s economic infrastructure and institutions. The Tubrok-based and internationally recognised government of Libya has scaled up its campaign to regain control of the capital Tripoli. On 18 April, more than 20 people were reportedly killed in fighting between the rival factions outside Tripoli. The clash was between pro-government forces and members of the Fajr Libya militia alliance in Tajoura, 30km east of Tripoli. Two days later the Spanish embassy in Tripoli was targeted by a bomb as part of a string of attacks on foreign missions in the country.
The prospect of the two rival governments reaching a comprehensive deal soon is dim |
Despite encouraging developments, the prospect of the two rival governments reaching a comprehensive deal soon is dim, and is further complicated by the presence of uncontrolled and uncontrollable armed groups like ISIS.
Hopes of a new deal
The African Union (AU) recently stepped up its efforts to try and solve the Libyan crisis. On 1 April 2015 the third meeting of the International Contact Group for Libya (ICG-L) took place at ministerial level in Niamey, Niger. The meeting, which was co-chaired by Smaïl Chergui AU Commissioner for Peace and Security and Aïchata Boulama Kané Foreign Minister of Niger, expressed concern at the continuation of violence and spread of terrorism in Libya, called for an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities and backed the UN-led talks. The group commended
the adoption of Resolution 2214 (2015) of 27 March 2015, which considered the request by the Libyan government to have the United Nations (UN) arms embargo on Libya revised.
In January 2015 a series of UN-brokered talks took place in Geneva between groups representing the two parliaments. This was followed by a unilateral truce declared by the Libyan army. However, the ceasefire did not hold and the country witnessed a fresh spate of violence. There were serious differences between the parties on major issues, the composition of the delegation and the venue of the talks. On 24 March the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) unveiled a six-point plan to end the crisis, ahead of the next round of talks between the warring parties. The proposal includes the creation of a unity transitional government to oversee the design and adoption of a new constitution and the transition to a democratically elected government.
The UN believes that the different groups, which include radical Islamists, secular groups and tribal militias, are running out of resources or support both internally and externally, and that the Libyan public is reaching the limits of what it is prepared to tolerate. The head of UNSMIL and UN Special Representative Bernardino León says this provides a good opportunity for effective mediation.
The
UN envoy announced that preparations were underway for the armed factions to enter into direct talks for the first time. This followed a meeting on 19 April between representatives of the two rival parliaments, both claiming to be the legitimate government of Libya. The meeting started UN-led talks at the Moroccan resort of Skhirat. According to
reports of the meeting, the talks succeeding in narrowing the differences between the rival parliaments on some points, but they were still far from reaching an agreement to end the violence and form a unity government.
 On 24 March the UN Support Mission in Libya unveiled a six-point plan to end the crisis |
León announced that the two ‘governments’ had reached a draft agreement, raising hopes over the possibility of sealing a final comprehensive deal. Leon stated that the document was well received by both parties and said that ‘Eighty per cent of the text in this draft is something that the parties can agree [upon].’ The parties took a two-week break to return to their bases for consultation on the terms of the new agreement. According to the UN, the final accord could be concluded after these consultations. León
briefed the UN Security Council on progress on 29 April.
Continued brutality and expansion of ISIS
One of the groups that are exploiting the instability and lack of effective government and order in Libya is ISIS. The group has now consolidated its presence and expanded its operations and activities in Libya. On 19 April ISIS released a video showing the beheading and assassination of 30 Ethiopian Christians in two locations in Libya. The killings, which happened two months after the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians in Libya by the same group, reportedly took place in Fezzan Province, in the south, and Barqa Province, in the east of the country. The video caused an international outcry and strengthened the call for a coordinated response to fight the group in Libya and elsewhere. The UN, United States (US), European Union (EU) and governments in Africa and the Middle East strongly condemned the latest atrocities.
In a
press statement dated 20 April 2015, the AU condemned what it called the ‘inhuman and barbaric killings’ of Ethiopians in Libya by ISIS. The statement emphasised the urgency for coordinated international action to address the situation.
The number of radical organisations pledging allegiance to ISIS is expanding. Various militant armed groups in Egypt, Algeria and Nigeria have declared their loyalty to ISIS and its self-declared caliphate. It is feared that the group might use the vacuum in Libya to spread its ideology, influence, network and mechanisms to the Sahel and beyond. This concern is shared by Libya’s northern neighbours and the EU following a series of terrorist attacks and foiled attempts in recent months by groups and individuals with ISIS links. The fact that hundreds of Europeans are joining ISIS and the impact they have upon their return to Europe, also remain a big worry for Brussels.
| The country has become the single biggest transit point for immigrants crossing to Europe |
The migration disaster
Since the overthrow of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has not had any form of effective government. The country, divided along ideological, religious, regional and clan lines, has become the single biggest transit point for immigrants crossing to Europe. The militias connected to the various rings of human traffickers are using the opportunity to raise funds for their campaigns.
April 2015 proved to be the worst month for migrants attempting to cross to Europe. Following the reported deaths of around 1 300 migrants in three incidents in less than two weeks, debates surrounding rescue operations and related issues such as the migration crisis and the situation in Libya have dominated the media. The latest disaster brings the number of deaths to 1 750 since the beginning of the year.
Frustrated Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who
refers to the traffickers as ‘the slave traders of the 21st century’, has been
calling for direct action against people smugglers. EU leaders are considering different proposals on how to respond to the crisis, including a pilot project that offers 5 000 resettlement places for migrants ‘qualifying for protection’.
The situation in Libya was discussed at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 20 April in Luxembourg. Following the emergency meeting of EU interior and foreign ministers, the EU announced that it was considering sending warships to the Libyan coast to combat oil and arms smugglers. However, the proposal was met with strong opposition from some EU members who feared such actions could encourage more migrants to take to sea hoping to be rescued by the warships and taken to Europe. At the moment, the EU is divided on how to respond to the immigration crisis. However, addressing the Libyan crisis is at the top of the EU agenda related to responses to the disaster.
Scheduled mini summit of the Gulf states
While hosting Renzi at the White House, US President Barack Obama discussed the situation in Libya with the Italian prime minister. In a subsequent press conference Obama urged the Gulf nations to do everything possible stop the violence in Libya and create grounds for establishing an effective government in the country. Obama criticised the proxy war that is allegedly being fought in Libya between the powers in the Middle East and the Islamic world, and accused some countries of fanning the flames of the military conflict. The US announced that it would be hosting the six leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council – from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – at the White House in May 2015 to forge a coordinated response to the Libyan crisis.
Obama criticised the proxy war that is allegedly being fought in Libya
The Tubrok Parliament, based in the east of the country, which is considered to be the centre of the secular forces, is scaling up its efforts to arm itself against the Islamists based in the west of the country. Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni has been critical of the UN-imposed arms embargo on Libya and claims it is emboldening the radical groups, including ISIS. Permanent members of the UN Security Council, including France, the United Kingdom and the US, have so far refused to lift the 26 February 2011 arms embargo imposed on Libya as set out in UN Resolution 1970. Thinni’s government has repeatedly requested the UN to lift the embargo to fight radical groups and Islamist militias, but with no success. UN Resolution 2214 (2015) referred to above however constitutes a modification of the 2011 embargo.
Documentation
AU documents
UN documents
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Talk to you soon.
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Les membres de l’association Skipchen se sont rendus à Calais pour distribuer des repas aux migrants.©Skipchen
