Resorting to arms among the militias threatens Libyan elections

Mostafa Mohamed

In a now common scene in Libya, armed clashes have taken place between the militias of the east, specifically in the capital, Tripoli, in light of a struggle between the two governments fighting over legitimacy, which summarizes the complex political scene, where legitimacy has become just a confused word without any effectiveness on the ground, at a time when UN Envoy Abdoulaye Bathily’s plan has been criticized and there has been a hint of an alternative Libyan plan for holding elections.

The lawless security scene in Libya raises questions about the fate of the elections and how to conduct them through the international community, at a time when the movements of the parties and their rounds to enact their laws are accelerating, especially following Bathily’s initiative, which receives great support from the international powers, whose missions in Libya are accelerating their movements in Libya to set electoral laws by the end of June.

Hinting at a new roadmap

Two weeks ago, UN Envoy to Libya Abdoulaye Bathily put forward an alternative plan for holding the elections, based on the formation of a new committee to prepare the constitutional and legal framework for the elections, bringing together all stakeholders in the country and involving political institutions, the most important political figures, tribal leaders, civil society organizations, security parties, women and youth.

For his part, Libyan House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh hinted at presenting a new roadmap as an alternative to on prepared by Bathily if it was not possible to agree with the High Council of the State. He criticized the UN plan, saying, “The task of the UN mission is to help the Libyans, not to choose who will rule,” adding that “Bathily is not more concerned about the interests of the Libyans than we are, and he has no right to form political bodies,” pointing out that the Libyan House of Representatives is the only legislative authority in the country that has the right to issue laws.

On the other hand, US Special Envoy for Libya Richard Norland confirmed in a message transmitted by the US embassy in Algeria that he had held “very valuable” consultations with Algeria on how neighboring countries could support the political process for the benefit of Libya and the region, in addition to a new incentive to organize elections and find a permanent political solution in the country.

Integration

Mohamed Qashout, a researcher on Libyan affairs, confirmed that the armed militias in Libya will not work with them in the process of integrating them into state institutions, adding that the militias, who have been accustomed to kidnapping, extorting public institutions, and stealing money, will not be able to build a state or contribute to it.

Regarding the clashes that took place in Tajoura between the armed militias, Qashout explained in exclusive statements to the Reference that the clashes were followed by a mobilization in Tripoli among the militias, while Prime Minister Abdull Hamid Dabaiba is preoccupied only with concluding major deals. The mobilizations are only the result of disagreements between militias nominally affiliated with the Ministry of Interior, and in a clearer sense it is a dispute between the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Interior in the Dabaiba government, he added, pointing out that this is the case of the state when militias infiltrate and tamper with the pillars of its institutions.

Qashout explained that at a time when the militia clashes have consumed everything in the east, the Dabaiba family and some of those with previous convictions who were appointed ministers and heads of the security services still issue delusions by talking about plans to secure borders and desert crossings, noting that Interior Minister Imad Trabelsi, who was appointed by Dabaiba, talks about the plan to secure Tripoli, and now he is mobilizing his militia to prepare for a confrontation with the Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency after a dispute between him and the head of the agency, which is supposed to be affiliated with his ministry.