Xinhua News Agency, Tunisia, August 28.(International Observation) How difficult is the Libyan peace process when major conflicts reproduce
Xinhua News Agency reporter Pan Xiaojing
The health ministry of the Libyan government of national unity said on the 28th that 32 people were killed and 159 injured in the armed conflict in the capital Tripoli. According to Libyan media reports, on the evening of the 26th, armed forces belonging to the Libyan National Unity Government and the National Congress clashed in several areas of Tripoli. fierce conflict.
Analysts pointed out that the conflict was related to the country’s delay in holding presidential and parliamentary elections. Although the two parties to the conflict have reached an agreement on the “road map to elections” in November 2020, the contradictions between factions within Libya are still acute, and political compromise has never been reached. This conflict once again shows that peace and stability in Libya may not be achieved in a short period of time.
This is the damaged car taken in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, on August 27. Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Hamza Turkiah)
Election sparks conflict
Libya was plunged into turmoil after the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime in 2011. The National Unity Government recognized by the United Nations and the armed forces supporting it control parts of the western region, while the National Congress has allied with the “National Army” to form a separatist confrontation with the National Unity Government.
In November 2020, under the mediation of the United Nations, the Government of National Unity and the National Assembly unanimously agreed at the meeting of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum that Libya will hold presidential and parliamentary elections on December 24, 2021. In February 2021, the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum meeting elected a transitional government, with Abdul Hamid Debeba serving as Prime Minister. According to the political roadmap published by the Libyan Forum for Political Dialogue, the transitional government will prepare for Libyan presidential and parliamentary elections, after which the executive power will be handed over to the newly elected institutions.
Just two days before the scheduled presidential election, the Libyan National High Electoral Commission proposed to postpone the presidential election to January 2022, because the commission could not release the final list of presidential candidates due to force majeure factors such as judicial decisions. To date, Libya’s presidential and parliamentary elections have not yet been held.
Because the general election was not held as scheduled, the legitimacy of the transitional government of Liberia was questioned. Since this year, Aguila Saleh Issa, the president of the National Congress, has repeatedly said that the government of national unity has “expired” and a new government needs to be re-formed. On February 10, the National Assembly voted unanimously to elect Fassi Basaga as the new Prime Minister. On March 1, the National Assembly passed a vote of confidence in the new government. On March 3, the new government was sworn in in the eastern city of Tobruk. Bassaga said at the swearing-in ceremony that the new government will work to “end the transition phase and support the Libyan electoral process” and consider all options and necessary arrangements to resume office in the capital Tripoli by “lawful rather than forceful” means. In this regard, the National Unity Government stated that it will continue to govern until new elections are held in the country, and government power will only be transferred to the new democratically elected government.
Since then, Basaga has repeatedly said that the new government will enter the capital and called on Debeba to hand over power. On the evening of the 26th, armed groups supporting the transitional government and the new government broke out in a fierce armed conflict in Tripoli, causing a large number of casualties and damage to many houses and medical institutions. “Since 2011, we have never experienced such a difficult night,” local resident Fauci Wahshi told Xinhua.
This is the damaged car taken in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, on August 27. Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Hamza Turkiah)
After the conflict broke out, the two sides blamed each other over the election issue. The National Unity Government criticized Basaga for withdrawing from the negotiation to resolve the political crisis. Basaga denied withdrawing from the political negotiations and emphasized that the political solution proposed by the National Congress was rejected by Debeba. . Wang Jinyan, an associate researcher at the Institute of West Asian and African Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out that the closer the negotiation between the two parties to the conflict around the election is to the core issue, the more acute the conflict between the two sides. As a result, fierce clashes broke out again between the forces supporting both sides.
How difficult is the peace process
Under the influence of factors such as the new crown epidemic and the economic downturn, Li domestic people’s livelihood is already difficult. Therefore, it is imperative to prevent this conflict from protracting and causing more negative impacts on society and people’s livelihood. As Imaddin Badi, an analyst at the Atlantic Council of the US think tank, said, one should be alert to the expansion of this round of conflict, because even if it does not turn into a long-term war, the current conflict will “bring a lot of damage” to civilian security and urban infrastructure.
On May 5, 2020, armed men of the Libyan Government of National Accord stand on the roof of a car near the Al-Watiyah air base, about 140 kilometers southwest of Tripoli, Libya. Published by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Hamza Turkiah)
Analysts pointed out that the conflict broke out again in Libya this time, further exposing the fragility of the previously reached ceasefire agreement. The realization of long-term peace in Libya requires the joint efforts of all forces in the country and the international community.
Imad Jalul, a political analyst from Tripoli, said that the main reason for the current political situation in Libya is that both sides of the conflict want to maintain power. To break the current impasse, new solutions and political roadmaps need to be reached.
Wang Jinyan believes that from the perspective of external factors, Western countries are less concerned about Libya, and the United States hopes to further strategically shrink from the Middle East; Europe is busy dealing with the energy shortage caused by the Ukraine crisis, and some European powers that were originally involved in Libya’s affairs have begun to take care of themselves. At present, the solution to the Libyan issue is facing a state of insufficient internal driving force and reduced external pressure. It is difficult to achieve stability in Libya in a short period of time.
Source of this article: Xinhuanet Author: Pan Xiaojing Responsible editor: Yao Weibin