Libya, a fragmented country struggling to rise from the ashes

Libya has become a war of legitimacy.  In December 2015, the foreign ministers of Italy, Qatar, Turkey and Tunisia, as well as those of Morocco and Spain, participated in a ceremony in Sijrat, Morocco, at which a political agreement negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations was signed.  This document established the formation of a Government of National Agreement (GNA) in Libya with a nine-member Presidential Council, a Parliament and a Council of State. That December, hope again conquered every corner of the North African country, but not for a long time. This agreement had to be approved by the House of Representatives (Tobruk). Despite having signed the document three months earlier, this institution decided to withdraw its support for this agreement in March 2016. The fragmentation had come to Libya, and it had come to stay. The country was divided between the GNA and militias loyal to them, and the House of Representatives and the Libyan National Army (LNA). 

“According to the political agreement in Libya, the ANG is supposed to be the government of all Libya and of the Libyans in all cities,” Foreign Minister Abdel-Hadi al-Huwai said to Investigative Journal analyst Lindsey Snell. However, the reality is very different. The GNA could be considered “a local government that exists in part of Tripoli, giving the money that belongs to the Libyan people to the terrorist militias that oppress them”. He also explained that the House of Representatives government controls more than 90% of Libyan cities. “We are the legitimate government, we are the legal government, we are the public government. We are like any other government. We don't arrive by parachute. We were elected by the Libyan Parliament, which is the only legislative body in Libya with the authority to do so,” he added.

Journalist Lindsey Snell reports in her investigative article that her experience in eastern Libya was quite different. “I was able to venture out alone. Benghazi is a city that, despite being destroyed by war, is full of life. I arrived on the last day of the Spring Fair, an event in which Benghazi's foreign communities showed their cultures by sharing food, art and traditional clothing,” she says. The fair was held at the Benghazi Industry Expo Center. “You may have noticed that I organized this festival in a war zone," said event organizer Sumaya el-Mesrati. "This was a deliberate act. Benghazi is dusting itself off the remnants of war. It is moving from destruction to construction,” he admitted. 

During her time in eastern Libya, Snell had the opportunity to talk to several people who had fled the fighting in Tripoli. “From 2011, life in Tripoli was a tragedy. It was no life,” lamented Mohamed Shibani, a man who had fled Tripoli to a village east of Benghazi. “Security is the most important thing for the people. If the pillars of government fall, life will be in chaos. The police, the army, the education sector, the health sector, all of them collapsed in Tripoli. And they were replaced by militias,” he said.  For her part, Salam Madhun, a 19-year-old native of Tripoli, said that life under the militia was a constant hell. “Everyone knew that wherever you lived in the city, you had to be inside before it got dark, or you would probably be kidnapped, robbed or worse”.  

In April 2019, forces led by Field Marshal Jalifa Haftar, loyal to the authorities in the east of the country, launched an offensive to take over the country's territory. The fighting has intensified since then, reaching its peak last December when Haftar announced the start of the “final battle” and ordered his forces to advance towards the country's capital. This advance has been a major blow to the GNA, led by Fayez Sarraj and supported by Turkey. 

The Libyan National Army has shot down another Turkish plane over the city of Al-Ajilat, just hours after the LNA's Military Information Division in Haftar reported on the shooting down of another Turkish drone in Tripoli. Al Marsad published early Wednesday morning images showing the LNA shooting down a Bayraktar TB2 drone that had taken off from Mitiga airbase. Despite calls for a ceasefire in Libya, the main warring parties, the LNA and the GNA, continue to exchange attacks.  

According to the manufacturer, Bayraktar's TB2 drone “has the advantage of night-time reconnaissance and the ability to carry out surveillance, exploration and immediate target destruction missions, as it can be equipped with high-precision missiles to destroy armoured vehicles, military fortifications and marine targets”. During the last few weeks, Turkey has increased its supply of military equipment to the ANG, coinciding with Operation Storm of Peace launched by the Sarraj-led militia, as a reaction to the attacks by the Haftar militia. The operation was, according to several Libyan media, a failure. The LNA forces countered the attack by the GNA militia on the Uqba bin Nafih (Al-Watiyah) airbase and cornered them close to the Tunisian borders. The commander of the ALN Al-Zawiyah military zone has confirmed that the national forces controlled all the camps in this area.

Fear and uncertainty have conquered every corner of Libya after the assassination of Muammar Gaddafi.  The years following the overthrow of this dictator have been marked by uncertainty, which has led to the proliferation of terrorist groups such as Daesh.  On her trip to Libya, Snell was also able to speak with Suraqa el-Shaari, a 26-year-old who said that “Daesh and the Shura Council were the same. They were terrorists”. In October 2014, much of the city of Derna was invaded by Daesh. Just eight months later, in June 2015, the Shura Council of the Derna Mujahideen, a coalition of Islamist militias affiliated with al-Qaeda and facing Daesh over territory and resources, began fighting ISIS for control of Derna. Eventually, Daesh was expelled from this city, which was left under the control of the Shura Council. Still, fear continued to plague every corner of the city. 

The destiny of the city of Benghazi was different. In July 2017, the LNA gained complete control of this city. After visiting this area, Snell says that although battles continued throughout the country, the territory under the control of the LNA grew steadily. In this spiral of atrocities and instability, Turkey also plays a key role. “Turkey's interference in Libya didn't start with the advance of our forces in Tripoli. Turkey's intervention began before 2014, although it was evident in Benghazi,” explained General Ahmed al-Mismari, the LNA's official spokesman. “The difference is that now, Turkey's support for the terrorists in Libya has become public. Turkey's support isn't just to prevent the LNA from gaining control of Tripoli. It' s about maintaining the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood there,” he added. 

Al-Mismari also believes that the financial strain caused by the oil blockade will be offset by Qatar's support. “Qatar won't let Sarraj go down easily. They will send more support. Qatar supports the invasion of Turkey financially. For arms, ammunition and other expenses,” he insisted during his interview with Snell. Al-Mismari compared life in Tripoli and Benghazi, saying that “the security situation in Benghazi has allowed companies and manufacturers to resume work. Citizens have an income through trade. However, life is very difficult for a civilian in a GNA-controlled area. In Misrata, for example, there are more than 20,000 truck drivers out of work and many manufacturing facilities are completely closed”.

The ambitions of both sides to seize power in Libya have led this country to become a nation destined to be fragmented. Tripoli has become the throne that everyone wants to sit on, a throne that seems impossible to achieve. This city is the pure representation of authority and power. However, peace won't come to Libya as long as there are silences and lies between the warring parties in the conflict. At the moment when the ANG and the LNA set aside their ambitions there will be a chance for peace in this country. In the meantime, Libya will remain a nation on fire, a country where fear and instability are running rampant.