The signing of a peace deal between warring Libyan factions provides a rare ray of hope for a country which has been another sad example of Arab Spring gone awry. Various Libyan factions agreed to sign the agreement after Nato said it would back a unity government. A joint declaration agreed by rival politicians calls for the establishment of a 10-person committee — five from each side — that will appoint a prime minister and his two deputies within two weeks. The joint administration will have the onerous task of ending the 18-month civil war and building a common army to fight a burgeoning insurgency. The deal comes at a time when the Islamic State is trying to make inroads into Libya after taking control of large swathes of Syria and Iraq.
Libya descended into chaos after Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in a popular revolt in 2011. Every Arab Spring country had its own problems which blocked its transformation into democracy, and Libya’s undoing was the emergence of militias which plundered the weapons of Gaddafi and captured control of various territories. A central government which came to power in Triploli failed to disarm these militias, and later a militia alliance, including Islamists, overran Tripoli in August last year, establishing a rival government and a parliament that forced the internationally recognised administration to flee to the country’s remote east.
The peace deal offers the best opportunity to bring peace to Libya and the mediators and the international community must make every effort to make sure that it doesn’t fall apart due to the intransigence of warring factions at the time of its implementation. Nato’s assistance in this regard is crucial. Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance would “provide assistance” to Libya but would not intervene militarily. “If a national unity government is formed, we are ready to help it and provide assistance,” Stoltenberg said. “We are not discussing a major new military operation in Libya.”
Libyans and the international community are looking at this agreement with hope. Some of the factions too are elated. Awad Mohammed Abdul-Sadiq, the first deputy head of the Tripoli-based rebel assembly, said: “This is a historic moment the Libyans were waiting for, the Arabs were waiting for and the world was waiting for.”
At the same time, there are concerns that the agreement doesn’t address all the key issues. “The agreement is attractive and very simple in its form, not complicated -- but when we get into the details and raise questions, there will be many outstanding and controversial issues,” a Libyan analyst said. Also, the leaders of factions will have to sell the initiative in their camps and will likely face pressures in doing so.
The signing of a peace deal between warring Libyan factions provides a rare ray of hope for a country which has been another sad example of Arab Spring gone awry. Various Libyan factions agreed to sign the agreement after Nato said it would back a unity government. A joint declaration agreed by rival politicians calls for the establishment of a 10-person committee — five from each side — that will appoint a prime minister and his two deputies within two weeks. The joint administration will have the onerous task of ending the 18-month civil war and building a common army to fight a burgeoning insurgency. The deal comes at a time when the Islamic State is trying to make inroads into Libya after taking control of large swathes of Syria and Iraq.
Libya descended into chaos after Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in a popular revolt in 2011. Every Arab Spring country had its own problems which blocked its transformation into democracy, and Libya’s undoing was the emergence of militias which plundered the weapons of Gaddafi and captured control of various territories. A central government which came to power in Triploli failed to disarm these militias, and later a militia alliance, including Islamists, overran Tripoli in August last year, establishing a rival government and a parliament that forced the internationally recognised administration to flee to the country’s remote east.
The peace deal offers the best opportunity to bring peace to Libya and the mediators and the international community must make every effort to make sure that it doesn’t fall apart due to the intransigence of warring factions at the time of its implementation. Nato’s assistance in this regard is crucial. Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance would “provide assistance” to Libya but would not intervene militarily. “If a national unity government is formed, we are ready to help it and provide assistance,” Stoltenberg said. “We are not discussing a major new military operation in Libya.”
Libyans and the international community are looking at this agreement with hope. Some of the factions too are elated. Awad Mohammed Abdul-Sadiq, the first deputy head of the Tripoli-based rebel assembly, said: “This is a historic moment the Libyans were waiting for, the Arabs were waiting for and the world was waiting for.”
At the same time, there are concerns that the agreement doesn’t address all the key issues. “The agreement is attractive and very simple in its form, not complicated -- but when we get into the details and raise questions, there will be many outstanding and controversial issues,” a Libyan analyst said. Also, the leaders of factions will have to sell the initiative in their camps and will likely face pressures in doing so.
