By John J. Metzler, August 29, 2024Who remembers Libya? Who recalls how we became embroiled in this civil war only then to quickly lose interest?
But sadly, Americans vividly remember Benghazi and the horrible loss of a U.S. Consulate, the death of a respected U.S. diplomat, killing of three security personnel and the throwing of the American flag into the pyres of a failed policy.
Since the so-called Arab Spring of 2011, and now for more than a decade, the North African country of Libya has been engulfed in civil conflict of its own making but originally stirred and supported by the former Obama Administration, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron, and France’s former President Nicolas Sarkozy.
For all the right reasons, Western countries and later NATO militarily intervened in the forsaken sand dunes of Libya to topple the brutal regime of Col. Muammar Gadhafi. While Gadhafi ruled Libya as a tyrant since 1969 and served as a patron saint to international terrorist groups, Libya’s oil wealth and strategic location put the country off limits for any regime change actions beyond sharp rhetorical criticism.
But after Libya’s involvement in the downing of Pan Am 747 fight #103 over Scotland and the killing of 270 civilians just before Christmas 1988, Col. Gadhafi reentered the cross hairs of global attention especially from the United States, Britain and Israel.
In early 2011, Gadhafi’s regime was rocked by revolt from his own people by whom he was deposed and brutally murdered by Libyan militants in October 2011. Eight months of punishing NATO air attacks in support of Libyan opposition units toppled his 42-year rule.
But the West’s reasons to overthrow Gadhafi turned to horribly wrong results which still haunt Libya to this day. The foreign destabilization of a basically tribal society has unraveled into the current chaos.
During a recent Security Council meeting, Stephanie Koury, the UN’s person on the ground in Tripoli told delegates, “Over the past two months, the situation in Libya has deteriorated quite rapidly in terms of political, economic and security stability.”
She stressed, “Extremist organizations maintain access and presence in Libya by leveraging their connections with local and transnational organized crime.” Such groups are involved in both localized violence, coercion and human trafficking networks.
A report by UN Sec. Gen. Antonio Guterres underscores, “Libya remained a country of destination and transit for migrants and refugees. According to the International Organization for Migration, the number of migrants in Libya stood at 725,304 as at May 2024.” Migrants come across the Sahara from West African states and Sudan in a bid to cross the Mediterranean to enter Europe illegally.
Since the formal end of the civil war, Libya has been divided into two rival administrations; the enclave near the capital Tripoli hosts the government of National Unity, the UN recognized entity which is also backed by Turkey. The larger eastern and southern regions remain largely run by the Benghazi based Government of National Stability of the maverick Gen. Khalifa Haftar. They are backed by Egypt and Russia. A small sector is controlled by Islamic State terrorists.
Sec. Gen. Guterres warns, “Libya has become a ground for rivalry among regional and international actors motivated by geopolitical, political and economic interests, as well as competition extending beyond Libya. This development is a threat to sovereignty and stability of Libya.”
U.S. Deputy UN Amb. Robert Wood stressed, “We echo the Secretary-General’s deep concern in his latest report about the political stalemate and risk of further political division… Rather, it is imperative the parties negotiate their differences in the interest of national unity.”
As the UN’s on site representative Koury stated, “The status quo is not sustainable. In the absence of renewed political talks leading to a unified government and elections, you see where this is heading, greater political, financial and security instability, entrenched political and territorial divisions, and greater domestic and regional instability.”
Americans rightly remember the Benghazi debacle during the conflict. Here well-armed Islamic militants attacked the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, on the night September 11, 2012. Ansar al-Sharia an Islamic jihadi faction fought a pitched battle with special forces defenders. Yet, despite the ominous date of September 11th, an American diplomatic post in vulnerable North Africa did not receive requested upgraded security from Hillary Clinton’s State Department. Repeated appeals for additional security in the months before the attack led to nothing.
The killing of Amb. Chris Stevens and three other Americans at the Consulate and CIA Annex remains shadowed in mystery but stands as a grim testament to security unpreparedness mired in coverups.
John J. Metzler is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of Divided Dynamism the Diplomacy of Separated Nations: Germany, Korea, China (2014). [See pre-2011 Archives]
