Libyan national army seeks to eradicate terrorism

Mahmoud Gamal Abdel Aal

The phase of liberating the Libyan capital, Tripoli, initiated by the Libyan national army, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar in early April 2019, is the most important episode in resolving the Libyan conflict that erupted after the killing of Colonel Muammar Al Gaddafi in 2011.

The Libyan national army aims to resolve the battle in Tripoli and deprive the national reconciliation government from gaining control over oil resources. In addition, the Libyan army seeks to secure oil supplies in the West while fears rise against potential divisions between Tripoli and Benghazi, which will lead to a long civil war.

The National Reconciliation Government, led by Fayez al-Sarraj, relies on the support of the militias that participated in the overthrow of Gaddafi and seized control of the arms depots in the chaotic situation in Libya after 2011. The state of these militias is characterized by a lack of cohesion and organization among them.

The European Union proposed the council resolution to expand its naval operation in the Mediterranean, which the 15-member Security Council authorized in October to seize and dispose of boats operated by human traffickers.

The council resolution expressed concern that “arms and related materiel are being used by terrorist groups operating in Libya, including Daesh.”

Libya U.N. envoy Martin Kobler told the Security Council last week that Libya was awash with arms – 20 million pieces of weaponry in the North African state of six million people.

In 2014, parliament was plagued by political gridlock. Voter turnout dropped to only 18 percent in the 2014 poll from almost 62 percent in the 2012 election. The fragile new government disintegrated into two rival governments based in Tripoli, the capital, and in eastern Tobruk. Each government had its own armed factions.

Militias were further empowered by the 2014 split. By July, an estimated 1,600 armed groups were operating in Libya—1,300 more than in 2011. Some had links to political parties. Others were purely tribal or regionally based. All fought for power and influence.

Some of the militias that influence the Yemeni scene and the liberation of Tripoli are:

1-            The Tripoli Protection Force: An alliance of militias from the capital city, including the Special Deterrence Forces and the Tripoli Revolutionary Brigade. It functions as a police force, following an extreme Salafist deterrence ideology.

2-            Forces of the National Army of Libya: The national army forces control most of the eastern regions of Libya and the oil crescent on the Mediterranean coast, and is currently extending its authority in Tripoli to free it from the militias, with the world counting on Haftar to regain stability to Libya.

3-            The Zintan Brigades: Government of National Accord-funded armed units linked to the town of Zintan and its surrounding area. They played a large part in the Libyan Revolution which overthrew Gaddafi and are currently heavily involved in the 2014 Libyan Conflict on the anti-Islamist side.

4-            The Misrata Brigades: Misrata is the key to control Tripoli, because it is located halfway between Sirte and Tripoli, and is active by a number of armed organizations formed mainly from the Libyan tribes.

5-            Libya Dawn: Libya Dawn is a loose Islamist military coalition that formed in response to General Haftar’s Operation Dignity. It supports the Islamist-leaning General National Congress (GNC), which is based in Tripoli.

In conclusion, the movements by the Libyan National Army to restore Tripoli could affect the future of the UN-led political settlement process.

Therefore, the scenario of the success of the military campaign of the National Army can become true, especially after controlling a number of Libyan cities and the international support it has gained to destabilize the situation in Libya. However, the militias could stand up to the national army and transfer the whole situation into a political process that would involve all the conflicting Libyan parties, which will strengthen the position of the Government of Reconciliation.