Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Dr Mustafa Fetouri
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Why is Libya so chaotic and ungovernable?
The ongoing war in Libya did not start last year when Khalifa Haftar launched his attack to unseat the Government of National Accord (GNA) in the capital of Tripoli on 4 April, nor will it end when the current fighting stops. What Haftar achieved was to initiate another episode of…
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What is Turkey up to in Libya?
The latest statement from Turkey about Libya was issued on 10 May by the Foreign Ministry, which threatened the Libyan National Army (LNA) if it targets any Turkish interests in the North African country. “If our [Turkish] missions and interests in Libya are targeted, we will deem [Field Marshal Khalifa]…
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Will the ‘Iraq scenario’ help Libya to function normally again?
Years ago, you heard very little about Libya except bad news. The Western media, quite deliberately, excluded good news about the country. Any Libyan story that was picked up was usually connected to bad things, such as terror attacks or some other tragedy. During Muammar Gaddafi’s 42 years ruling the…
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Weaponising water in Libya despite coronavirus pandemic
This month, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the Libyan capital and most of western Libya spent at least 20 days without water. This was in addition to living through intensified fighting around Tripoli which only abated following the humiliating defeat of the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa…
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Is Haftar’s stubbornness behind his military setbacks?
The Libyan National Army (LNA), headed by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, suffered a series of setbacks recently, losing three major cities in western Libya in less than a week. Starting on 13 April, the LNA lost Sabratha followed by Surman and then Al-Ajailat. Judging that it is rather useless to…
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How not to fail as UN envoy to Libya
The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is yet to name his new envoy to Libya and head of its United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). Ghassan Salame, who held the post for two and half years, has abruptly and rather surprisingly, resigned on 3 March while in Geneva…
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Libya’s Syria connection is being reactivated
When President Recep Tayyip Erdogan admitted for the first time last February that his government has sent Syrian mercenaries to Libya he was only confirming what was already known. Libyan affairs experts and commentators had already pointed out that fact. It also makes sense for him to send Syrian fighters loyal to…
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One year on with his offensive and Haftar is more determined but less successful
This Saturday marks a year since Libya’s Khalifa Haftar ordered his self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) to march on Tripoli to expel the Government of National Accord (GNA). On 11 April last year, MEMO published an article that said Haftar could not retreat as to do so at the time…
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Lockerbie’s only convict may be exonerated posthumously
The only man to be convicted of the infamous Lockerbie bombing, Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi, died in 2012 and protested his innocence until his final breath. His fellow Libyan and co-defendant, Lamin Khalifa Fhimah, was acquitted and is still living in Libya. The bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in December 1988…
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Why Egypt’s meddling in Libya’s affairs is worrying
Of all Libya’s neighbours Egypt stands out as the most dangerous. Cairo now holds huge sway over Khalifa Haftar’s camp as his main regional backer to take the capital Tripoli from the Government of National Accord. The Egyptian role in Libya has surged since President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi ascended to…
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Is France changing its position on Libya and starting to support Haftar?
Last Monday, the French government hosted Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar on a brief, unannounced, visit to Paris. Accompanied by his top political advisor, my ex-academic colleague turned politician Fadel Ed-Deep, he met President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace. After the meeting an Élysée official said that, “Marshal Haftar assured…
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Another UN envoy to Libya resigns, betrayed by local politicians and international powers
The UN Envoy and head of its Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has resigned after two-and-a-half years in the job. A UN spokesperson confirmed that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has received Ghassan Salame’s resignation. Guterres will be “discussing a smooth transition” so as not to lose the momentum that Salame has…
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Why has Libya’s Interior Minister asked the US to establish a base there?
Fathi Bashagha is the Interior Minister in Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA), although many observers believe that he is the real power behind the throne. He rarely misses an opportunity to strengthen this perception, and despite his clumsy handling of the media he seems to enjoy the spotlight. Originally…
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Yet another Security Council resolution, but there’s no change in Libya
On 12 February, the UN Security Council adopted its long-awaited resolution 2510 on Libya endorsing the recommendations made by the Berlin Conference last month. International and regional powers met in the German capital and committed themselves to stricter policing of the arms embargo imposed on war-ravaged Libya since February 2011,…
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While some Libyans are kidnapped or displaced, others are celebrating
Next Monday marks nine years since the start of the foreign-backed uprising in Libya that toppled and then killed Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, plunging the country into ongoing chaos and lawlessness. The day has been remembered annually by Libyans, not as a day of celebration but, mostly, as a day…
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Libya’s UN-recognised government has become a headache for the West
On 17 December 2015, the Libyan Political Accord (LPA) was signed in Skhirat, Morocco to the cheers of major powers, regional actors and Libya’s immediate neighbours; it was hailed as a major breakthrough, putting Libya on the road to redemption. In a ceremony hosted by the Moroccan Foreign Ministry, everyone…
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Why major powers continue to watch as Libya burns
The United Nations Security Council was scheduled to meet yesterday to consult about Libya but the meeting was re-scheduled for today. The meeting was agreed to during 19 January’s Berlin Conference co-hosted by German leader Angela Merkel and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Berlin Conference’s long list of commitments were…
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Berlin Conference on Libya was different, but hypocrisy could derail it
Twelve world leaders, the UN, the EU, the Arab League and the African Union attended the Berlin Conference on Libya last Sunday. They produced a very detailed communique of more than 50 points, most of them about basics like adherence to UN resolutions, while emphasising a peaceful settlement for the…
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Why Haftar refused to sign the Moscow ceasefire document
Diplomatic activities between Moscow, Ankara, Tripoli and Benghazi finally yielded some kind of lull in the nine-month war over control of Tripoli, the Libyan capital. On Sunday 12 January, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Vladimir Putin called on Libya’s warring sides to declare a ceasefire, which they did. On…
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Haftar takes Sirte, threatens Misrata, but wants Tripoli
Last Monday marked a turning point in the ongoing battle for Tripoli. The Libyan National Army (LNA) entered the coastal city of Sirte, the home town of former ruler Muammar Gaddafi. Commanded by Libya’s strongman, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the LNA took the city, 500 kilometres east of the capital,…
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What are the consequences of Turkish boots on the ground in Libya?
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government is submitting a bill to the Turkish parliament seeking approval for its plans to send troops to Libya. The parliament is expected to approve the bill today because the president’s AK Party has a majority in the chamber. The vote was originally planned for 7 January,…
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Algeria sees business as usual despite weeks of protests
Millions of Algerians cast their votes on 12 December and chose 74-year-old former Prime Minister Abdelmadjid Tebboune as their country’s first freely-elected President since independence from France in 1962. The turnout was said to be around 40 per cent, and Tebboune won with a little over 58 per cent of…
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How Libya’s UN recognised government is doing everything but its job
Last Tuesday, 17 December, marked four years since the Libyan Political Accord (LPA) was signed in Skhirat, Morocco creating the Government of National Accord (GNA) headed by Fayez Al-Sarraj. That government was supposed to be a caretaker authority for a two-year transitional period at most. It was tasked with two…
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Why Libya’s maritime accord with Turkey has ignited anger
Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) signed on 27 November two documents with Turkey. One deals with security while the other draws out the maritime boundaries between the two countries in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. While the first document went almost unnoticed the second one created confusion and triggered huge…