Libyan Peace Talks

On the website, we have discussed elsewhere the Libyan Civil War that came following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, and the detrimental effects that the conflict is having for the stability of the country. With various groups all vying for power, and different economic resources being used for military gains, it seems, as of now, that there is a long way from a resolution to the dire situation in Libya.

But international actors are working to find ways to bring the different actors to the negotiating table. For example, in an Associated Press article in the New York Times entitled “EU Seeks Ways to Back Libya Peace Talks“, The European Union is trying to find ways to help the peace talks in the country. However, this does not come with any security backing. With regards to this issues, the British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond was quoted as saying that “”We’ve got to establish a cease-fire and get some unity … before we can talk about how we might support a peace”.

These talks are set to continue in Morocco later this week. The hope by the European Union is to find a way to bring the different actors together politically, and then to work on security. This interest in this issue stems in part from the neighboring states’ security concerns, namely the possibility of the conflict being used by extremist organizations to attack Europe (NY Times, 2015). 

The talks will have to focus on power sharing, but that will be difficult, given the two governments that have formed. In addition, the distribution of oil resources is essential, as well as assurances that groups can trust a national army, instead of their own backed or separate militia groups. None of these points will be easy to agree upon, but these are the points of discussion that need to be had, and hopefully, an agreement can be established with regards to finding ways to stabilize Libya, and to provide political voice to the citizens, all so that continued civil war does not continue, and so that political oppression is ended–and full human rights are guaranteed for all citizens.