After the death of Muammar Gaddafi Libya has descended into a highly unstable and concerning state. The nation has been plagued with acts of violence and civil war for much of the past decade. The governance of Libya has been similarly unstable with multiple regime changes and two civil wars plaguing effective governance. France has had a dedicated interest in the security and general welfare of the citizens of Libya and has taken an active role as it was the first country to recognize the National Transitional Council as the legitimate government of Libya to help aid in a stable transition. France believes that negotiation with Libya’s governance must include the LNA and General Haftar. While the GNA is currently the internationally recognized government, the situation in Libya is still at odds with the invasion of Tripoli in April earlier this year. Additionally, the financial interests of France with its oil assets in the eastern region of Libya are of significant concern to France. French companies like Total have spent hundreds of millions of dollars by lawfully purchasing the rights to reserves and resources of oil. This has been done under the supervision of the National Oil Corp which is Libyan state-owned. The practices of the central bank which got 24.5 billion dollars in oil revenue in 2018 also needs to be addressed to ensure that the Eastern factions are properly compensated. However, any settlement must place the citizenry of Libya first and ensure that the human rights of Libya’s citizens are in a safe and secure framework.
- Luke Spitzley
