Following Muammar Gaddafi’s overthrow in the 2011 Arab Spring and the victory of the rebels, a power vacuum formed in Libya. The many rebels of the civil war failed to peacefully resolve their differences, despite their absorption into the National Transitional Council following the overthrow of Gaddafi, and later into the General National Congress. The GNC initially allied the moderates of Libya with the Islamists, but the latter began asserting much more power. General Khalifa Haftar led a military operation against the Islamists, along with the new but unrecognized House of Representatives, then signed a ceasefire and recognized the new Government of National Accord, but eventually withdrew their support. This was the beginning of the second civil war, which is mainly between the internationally recognized GNA and the HoR. The civil war has caused a multitude of problems for the citizens of Libya and they have been left without basic services thanks to the lack of a strong, unified government. Militias in support of the two competitors perform acts of violence and control large portions of the country. The Libyan legal system is far too weak to be able to deal with these groups.
Indonesia is in support of the Libyan Government of National Accord. As a fellow member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Indonesia views it as its duty to preserve and develop democracy in Libya. The OIC wishes for all parties in Libya to resolve their conflicts through peace and to avoid any form of armed escalation. The Indonesian foreign minister has lambasted the attacks of the HoR on GNA controlled Tripoli, denouncing such attacks as war crimes and has called for an immediate end to conflict in Libya. U.N. ambassador Dian Triansyah has called for mediation from the U.N., as well as the commitment to a ceasefire and de-escalation for such measures to prove successful.
Indonesia believes that this civil war must be ended through means of peace rather than force. As said by the ambassador, it is vital that a ceasefire be put in place and for the U.N. to provide mediation to both parties. A ceasefire should come first, because without it, there would be no guarantee of peace and any work to be conducted by the United Nations would be made much more difficult. The U.N. would be the mediator between the GNA and HoR, and it shall ensure that both parties leave the table with something to gain from a ceasefire. Afterwards, the goal of the U.N. should be to provide talks between them so as to unite Libya under one government. Another major priority must also be the reinstallation of new, unweakened, and uncorrupt Libyan courts and legal systems. This would make sure that the violence of the bipartisan militias could be kept under control and it would halt the escalation of any new conflicts.
- Sebastian Padilla
