Third, Libya has to be able to control its illegal migration problem. Each year, thousands of illegal migrants from Africa and Middle Eastern countries enter Libya through its porous southern border as they make their way to Europe via the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
Over migrants have died so far this year as they made the perilous journey. Since , more than 20, migrants have died or were lost at sea. Many countries are also counting on developing robust economic relations with Libya once the security and political situation stabilizes.
The latest political compromise that succeeded in choosing a new Presidential Council for Libya and a prime minister who, in turn, formed a national unity government contains both the requirements of success and the unfortunate possibilities of failure. What essentially makes or breaks such agreements are the wishes of involved parties and their willingness—or lack thereof—to work together toward achieving what they all claim to be in the long-term interest of their countries.
But from what has transpired since Libyan political elites agreed to the latest arrangement, there should not be much room for spoilers to freely sabotage the process. What Libyans and their political leaders must understand is that the present moment of opportunity should not be wasted in pursuit of narrow political or economic interests; rather, they should capitalize on it so that Libya can finally emerge from its dark decade after deposing Muammar Qadhafi.
The Tasks Are Difficult, but Doable The latest political compromise that succeeded in choosing a new Presidential Council for Libya and a prime minister who, in turn, formed a national unity government contains both the requirements of success and the unfortunate possibilities of failure. Imad K. Harb Director of Research and Analysis harb3imad.
Related Content. Policy Analysis November 11, From our Affiliates October 13, Event Video , Video September 15, Policy Analysis April 6, Policy Analysis March 5, In Benghazi, unidentified masked gunmen shot dead on November 10 Hanan Al-Barassi , an outspoken critic of violations by armed groups in eastern Libya. Al-Barassi, who spoke up against alleged widespread corruption and abuse of power by officials and members of armed groups in eastern Libya that included direct family members of Hiftar, also alleged sexual assault and harassment against women.
In the days leading up to her killing, she said that she had received numerous death threats. On December 14, , Al-Nawasi Brigade, a GNA-linked armed group, abducted journalist Reda Fhelboom upon his arrival at Mitiga Airport in Tripoli and held him for 12 days in two different facilities where he says he was interrogated and ill-treated, including by suspending him by his wrists for long periods and keeping him blindfolded in a forced position for hours on end.
Al-Nawasi initially accused Fhelboom of illegally establishing a nongovernmental organization NGO and targeted him for an article he wrote in on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender LGBT issues, for which he won an award in Libyan law does not specifically criminalize domestic violence. Personal status laws discriminate against women with respect to marriage, divorce, and inheritance.
The penal code allows for a reduced sentence for a man who kills or injures his wife or another female relative because he suspects her of extramarital sexual relations. Under the penal code, rapists can escape prosecution if they marry their victim.
The penal code prohibits all sexual acts outside marriage, including consensual same-sex relations, and punishes them with flogging and up to five years in prison. Over 25, migrants and asylum seekers arrived in Italy and Malta from January to mid-September, 11, of whom had departed from Libya, according to the IOM.
The organization recorded deaths in the central Mediterranean in the same reporting period. Due to conflict and Covid disruptions, the IOM conducted fewer voluntary humanitarian returns of stranded migrants from Libya to their home countries—1, during the first quarter of — compared with 9, in the same period in The European Union continued to collaborate with abusive Libyan Coast Guard forces by providing them with speedboats, training, and other support to intercept and return thousands of people to Libya.
As of October, 9, people were disembarked in Libya after the LCG intercepted them, according to IOM, who said thousands then went missing after they were taken to undisclosed locations. At time of writing, no one had been arrested in relation to the killings. In July, Libyan authorities shot and killed three Sudanese migrants who tried to flee upon disembarkation in Libya after their interception at sea.
In June , the UN Security Council designated Al-Milad sanctions for his role in human trafficking and smuggling and violations against migrants. In March, the GNA Justice Ministry said it released pretrial detainees—who represent only a fraction of people held in pretrial detention—as well as detainees who met the rules for conditional release from prisons in Tripoli in order to reduce overcrowding and mitigate a Covid outbreak.
The GNA Presidential Council imposed a four-day curfew and two weeks of partial curfews in August, during anti-corruption protests in Tripoli, citing a spread of Covid Some protesters said this was an attempt to prevent them from demonstrating. The United States in September accused Russia of operating over 12 fighter jets in support of the LAAF with the help of the Wagner Group, a private military company believed to be linked with the Kremlin.
Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding in December with the GNA to demarcate maritime zones in the region, and a security agreement for cooperation on military matters including trainings and military materials. The UN Human Rights Council on June 22 established a fact-finding mission to investigate violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law by all parties to the Libya conflict since the beginning of EU governments agreed that IRINI patrol boats would avoid monitoring areas of the Mediterranean where they might have to respond to boats carrying migrants in distress.
With diminishing conflict and improving security conditions in large parts of the country, the Libyan government can focus on improving the provision of public services and creating conditions for a quick recovery in the non-oil sector. The World Bank is committed to supporting Libya with technical assistance and analytical services, as well as Trust Fund and grant financing.
The program focuses on actions that will concretely improve lives, with the World Bank Group developing its knowledge base for longer-term engagement with Libya through Advisory Services and Analytics ASA as well.
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