Libyen står inför ett nytt fullskaligt inbördeskrig under 2012

Libya needs more than elections
to prevent civil war

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guardian.co.uk, Ranj Alaaldin 14 June 2012
The escalation of terror attacks and violence could be halted if the militia forces were brought within a new regulated framework.



The past month has been a tumultuous one for Libya. Successful local elections in Benghazi, in which voter turnout was impressive and a female candidate secured the largest number of votes, showed that the country can move towards becoming a state with viable democratic processes and representative leaders.

Yet, with every step it takes forward, Libya takes another two back. The security situation has deteriorated rapidly over the past two weeks. On Tuesday, it was the turn of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Misrata to come under attack. On Monday, the British ambassador's convoy in Benghazi was hit, with two bodyguards injured in the ensuing gun battle. Last week there was an attack on the US diplomatic mission in the same city.

Apart from terror attacks such as these, Libyans are fighting each other. Militiamen act with impunity, as the recent seizure of Tripoli airport showed, while clashes continue in the southern town of Kufra, where pro-government militiamen are locked in an armed conflict with tribal forces over smuggling routes. The clashes have so far claimed at least 20 lives.
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- Civil war and increased bloody lawlessness in Libya is now a real possibility, with all indicators suggesting the worst may be yet to come because of the continued lack of state control and failure to stabilise the security environment.

Militias continue to constitute the primary force in Libya, militarily and politically. They represent regions, tribes and powerful families, though some are simply criminal. Most act independently of the interim government, the National Transitional Council (NTC), especially the most powerful ones such as those from Misrata in the east and Zintan in the west – which are now essentially states within a state.

Although Libya has a more homogenous population than Iraq and Lebanon – and is therefore unlikely to suffer civil war on the same scale as in either of those countries – the future does not bode well because of two principal reasons.

First, national security lacks co-ordination and organisation – with the result that conflict between rival groups and criminal activities like smuggling and terrorism flourish in the gaps.

Second, the stakes are likely to be higher after the coming elections, rather than lower. Many Libyans argue that elections offer the best hope of stability in the form of a more assertive state – a view also shared by journalist Lindsey Hilsum.

However, the situation could become more volatile after the elections as the various factions contest one another for control of the country, its riches and the army – not least since rival militia forces will be contesting the elections directly or will have extensive links to the political leaders that emerge. Militia forces will, therefore, fear the personalisation of state institutions by rivals and look to assert their own control over the most powerful of ministries and institutions.

Thus, infrequent and localised struggles could turn into conflicts for survival and superiority. However, rather than pinning too much hope on the elections there are several steps that could be taken to both stabilise the country today and protect the population against protracted conflict in the future.

Some argue that the best way to give the state increased control is to reinforce the national army currently controlled by the NTC and equip it with more sophisticated weaponry. But that could escalate the problem by forcing the militias to amalgamate into coalitions in order to preserve their superiority; they will not back down in the face of an emboldened NTC army and will look to support from outside forces.[...]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jun/14/libya-needs-more-than-elections

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Amnesty:
- Libyenmilis "utom kontroll"

DN Publicerad 2012-02-16 06:15
De begår krigsbrott och övergrepp på de mänskliga rättigheterna, gör Libyen instabilt, ökar osäkerheten i landet och hindrar att det byggs upp igen, skriver Amnesty International i en skarpt kritisk rapport om beväpnade milisgrupper som "huvudsakligen är utom kontroll".

– Den straffimmunitet som de fått uppmuntrar bara till ytterligare övergrepp, sade Donatella Rovers vid Amnesty på onsdagen.

Amnesty rapporterar ett år efter inledningen av revolten som störtade Muammar Khaddafi

TT-AFP

http://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/amnesty-libyenmilis-utom-kontroll

--Video--Black genocide in Libya--

Tawarghas in Libya:

'We are not safe anywhere':

Amnesty Report 2012-06-08:In mid-August 2011, opposition fighters from Misratah attacked the neighbouring town of Tawargha, home to some 30,000 black Libyans.

The fighters, known as thuwwar, used indiscriminate weapons such as Grad rockets to attack the town, forcing most residents to flee.

After they had emptied the area, the thuwwar looted, vandalized and burned down homes. Tawarghas are being collectively punished for crimes allegedly committed by a few. They have no hope of returning home. Urgent action is needed to protect them and secure their future.

Index Number: MDE 19/007/2012 Date Published: 8 June 2012 Categories: Libya

Download Amnestys report:PDF

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Amnesty: EU hjälper inte flyktingar
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DN Publicerad 2011-09-20 00:38
Amnesty International anklagar EU-länderna för att inte hjälpa libyska flyktingar efter koalitionsstyrkornas insats i Libyen.

EU-länderna har sedan i mars deltagit i kampen för att störta regimen i Libyen och sviker nu tusentals flyktingar som är strandade på gränsen mellan Libyen och Tunisien och Egypten, skriver Amnesty i ett pressmeddelande.

Organisationen uppger att omkring 5.000 flyktingar riskerar förföljelse om de återvänder hem.

http://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/anesty-eu-hjalper-inte-flyktingart

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Amnesty om Libyen:

Civila offer till följd av Nato:s

flyganfall måste utredas

Amnesty 2012-03-19 15:52
Nato har inte utrett civila dödsfall som orsakades av flyganfallen under den Nato-ledda insatsen förra året, uppger Amnesty International i en rapport som offentliggörs idag.

Rapporten: Libya: The forgotten victims of NATO Strikes uppger att många människor som inte deltog i striderna dödats i Nato:s flyganfall och ännu fler uppges ha skadats. Många har träffats när de befunnit sig i sina hem.Amnesty International uppger att Nato inte påbörjat utredningar eller ens försökt etablera kontakt med civila som drabbats av flyganfallen.

Amnesty kräver att utredningar görs och att drabbade och anhöriga kompenseras.- Det är djupt beklagligt att det har gått mer än fyra månader sedan den militära operation tog slut och ändå vet inte offren eller anhöriga vem som bär ansvaret, säger Donatella Rovera på Amnesty International.

- Representanter för Nato har vid upprepade tillfällen framhållit sin förpliktelse att skydda civila. Det går inte att inte vifta bort alla civila dödsoffer med något vagt uttalande om ånger utan att dessa dödsfall utreds ordentligt, fortsätter Donatella Rovera.

Det framgår att Nato gjort omfattande ansträngningar för att minimera risken för civila dödsoffer. Däribland användandet av precisionsvapen och att, i vissa fall, varningar utfärdats till boende i områden som bombats.

Detta frigör dock inte Nato från att på ett utreda bombanfallen eller från att kompensera offren och deras familjer. Utredningarna måste bringa klarhet i huruvida dödsfallen var ett resultat av brott mot internationell rätt. Om så är fallet måste de ansvariga ställas inför rätta.

Amnestys rapport innehåller 55 dokumenterade dödsfall till följd av flyganfall mot städerna Tripoli, Zlitan, Majer, Sirte och Brega. Av dessa var 16  barn och 14 var kvinnor. Många civila dödades i sina hem, inga bevis har presenterats som indikerar att bostäder skulle ha använts i militärt syfte vid tidpunkten för bombanfallen.

Kvällen den 8 augusti 2011 bombades två hus i Majer, väster om Misrata. Enligt överlevande dödades 34 civila i de tre flyganfallen. Vittnen uppgav också att de inte var medvetna om någon militär aktivitet i närheten som skulle kunna förklara attacken.[...]

http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/pressroom/amnesty_international__svenska_sektionen/news/view/libyen-civila-offer-till-foeljd-av-nato-s-flyganfall-maaste-utredas-37572

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More than 100 killed in west

Libya clashes in a week

Reuters TRIPOLI | Wed Jun 20, 2012

(Reuters) - More than 100 people were killed and 500 injured in a week of clashes in western Libya, a government spokesman said, the latest bout of fighting that has highlighted volatility in the North African country months after Muammar Gaddafi's ouster.

No fighting had been reported since Monday in the Western Mountains area, about 160 kms south of the capital Tripoli, he said, after the interim government, seeking to impose its authority on a fractious country, called for a ceasefire and sent in troops to restore calm.

The clashes, which began on June 11, pitted fighters from the town of Zintan, who played a big role in ousting Gaddafi, against members of the El-Mashashia tribe, who chose not to join last year's rebellion.

Resentment between the two groups spilled over into fighting in December and erupted again last week when a Zintan fighter was shot dead. Zintan's militias blamed the El-Mashashia tribe and retaliated, several members of the tribe said.

- Government spokesman Nasser El-Manee told a news conference 105 people had been killed and 500 injured in the week of fighting.

- Doctors and ambulances had to be sent to the region to help evacuate the wounded, he said.

"There was use of both heavy and light weapons," he said. "The armed forces are now on the ground and calm has returned."”

Long-standing tribal rivalries, divided communities plague Libya as the government struggles to impose order in the vast oil-producing country awash with weapons after the war.

Gaddafi's repressive rule kept in check the deep-running animosities in Libyan society, which often pit villages, cities, tribes or neighbors. When he was forced from power last year, old feuds re-surfaced.

Libya's governing National Transitional Council and its Western backers hope the violence will not jeopardize a July 7 election for a national assembly.

(Reporting by Ali Shuaib; Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Louise Ireland)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/20/us-libya-clashes-toll-idUSBRE85J1F620120620

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