Report: Governance is needed to expel Daesh from Libya

Western policy must push Libyan militias and local councils to take ownership of governance and justice issues rather than simply directing efforts at fighting Daesh or other jihadists, a new report has suggested.

According to the Atlantic Council’s report, entitled “The Origins and Evolution of ISIS in Libya”,  Daesh is a symptom, rather than a cause, of broader Libyan problems mainly due to weak governance.

According to the report, Daesh has thrived in vulnerable localities in Libya because it has exploited local cleavages and because previous central governments have been reluctant to devolve power to local authorities.

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It is vital, therefore, that Western policy seek to get militias and local councils to take ownership of governance and justice issues, rather than merely directing them to fight Daesh or other jihadists, the authors added.

National reconciliation and inclusiveness in Libya, especially between formerly pro-Gaddafi actors and rebels, and between anti-Islamist and pro-Islamist actors, is necessary to end the cycle of statelessness and radicalisation in Libya, the report suggests.

The dysfunctional tyranny exercised by Libyan militias is at the heart of the country’s instability over the past six years and has contributed significantly to attracting Daesh. Therefore, any anti-Daesh strategy for Libya cannot be based on counterterrorism efforts alone.