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Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Countries across the globe have expressed concern over the recent uptick in violence in Libya. Fierce fighting erupted in Tripoli, said to be some of the worst since the uprising to oust Muammar Qaddafi, after armed men stormed the country’s interim parliament on May 18. The situation has become so bad that some countries are making contingency plans to pull their embassy staff out at a moment’s notice.
In a news release, the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) expressed its deep concern over “the various acts of violence, including the assaults on official institutions and the terrorizing of civilians.” The UNSMIL also expressed its concern and condemned the deterioration of security in Libya’s eastern region. “The Mission calls on the authorities to immediately and quickly address the lawlessness, including the series of assassinations targeting the army, police and judiciary personnel, and to develop and implement a comprehensive security plan with the participation of political, security and social actors,” it stated.
“In this critical period, UNSMIL calls on all sides to immediately cease all military action and related mobilization, and to address differences by political means without violence and threats to the security of the country and the citizens.”
A number of Libyan troops have deserted the interim government in favor of following rogue general Khalifa Haftar who has sworn to root out militant Islamists in the country. Most recently several Libyan military units, including a special forces, a second air base and Benghazi’s naval base, announced they were joining the forces with Haftar. The rebel general also saw an air base in Tobruk in Libya’s far east declare an alliance with Haftar’s forces to fight “extremists.”
It remains unclear how many troops support Haftar, but the government has sent out Islamist troops to deal with Haftar and his rebel fighters.
The defections to Haftar from government control could lead to another civil war, something Libya cannot afford to have right now. In a political move the government called on the disputed parliament to go into recess. An open letter published on the government’s website said the General National Congress should “take a recess after the vote on the 2014 budget and until new parliamentary elections” within three months so the country does not descend into civil war.
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