Sparring France and Italy could hurt Libya peace

Libya’s stability depends on the good conduct of France and Italy. I quote the American linguist and philosopher, Noam Chomsky here. “What’s important in Libya is, first of all, it has a good deal of oil. A lot of the country is unexplored; there may be a lot more. And it’s very high-quality oil, so very valuable.”

So there’s no need to further explain why Libya has always been a magnet for European ambitions and a source of conflict between several countries, especially France and Italy. Italy’s stateowned ENI is Libya’s largest foreign oil producer and clearly wishes to continue this way. France is particularly interested in the south of Libya, as a result of her vital interests in Mali and the rest of the Sahel African countries, especially uranium mines in the north of Niger. She also fears losing control of the armed conflict in Mali.

The two countries had, till Libya’s independence, and since the beginning of the last century a very strong presence in this African country. From 1912 to 1927, the territory of Libya was even known as Italian North Africa.

Today, it is obvious that Paris is still seeking to have a significant presence in Libya, exploiting the hatred displayed by Libyans towards Italy, their former occupier, rallying political and military parties to thwart Rome’s influence.

The French plan drove the Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte to openly express his opposition to the French President Emmanuel Macron’s agenda at the Paris conference in March. France has hosted several conferences and meetings for Libyan personalities, and has announced settlements between the groups participating in these conferences, the most prominent agreement being between the National Army Commander Marshal Khalifa Hafter and the President of the

National Accord Government

Fayez Al Sarraj.

Italy is clearly unhappy and has openly expressed its displeasure.

The French foreign minister also recently traveled to Libya to meet the opposition factions and maintain the momentum of holding elections in December. He even offered 100 million euros to fund the electoral process.

In a clear attempt to sabotage France’s peace efforts, Giuseppe Conte said that “Libya does not have to vote this year.” The language used by Conti to convince Trump that Italy should be the “main interlocutor” on Libyan issues is nothing but a disturbing neo-colonial tendency which is, in the era of democracy, unacceptable.

To add to the mix, US President Donald Trump received the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in July, publicly confirming that he acknowledged Italy’s pre-eminence in Libya. Meanwhile, Libya faces urgent issues as it is becoming more and more an incubator of possible terrorist threats to Europe.

It is also becoming a large hub for human trafficking and smuggling of migrants, and unless there is a real effort to establish an intra-European strategy while working with local partners, Libya’s devastated economy could lead to a real catastrophe.

Europe must also help Libya to bring justice to women activists killed in the country, chief among them the member of Parliament, Fariha Al Barkawi, and prominent human rights defender, Salwa Bugaighis, who was murdered in 2014. Many women human rights activists were forced to leave Libya or withdraw from public life following these killings.

The process of pacification of the country will be difficult. Several initiatives launched in this direction in recent years have come up against deep political rivalries that dot the country. It is about time that all countries chart out a common roadmap for peace and stability in Libya and pull in different directions. Europe, for its part, should make sure not to repeat the mistakes it made in Syria which led to the rise of Daesh and a long civil war which claimed thousands of lives.

Unless there is an effort to establish an intra-European strategy Libya’s devastated economy could lead to a real catastrophe