‘Europe has been asleep ...Putin’s regime hasn’t’

SINCE the fall of Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has become a breeding ground for corruption which threatens the West.

Racked by internal conflict, it is divided, with the Un-backed Dabaiba government in the west, and areas in the east and the south controlled by the warlord Khalifa Haftar.

Most nations are focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and escalation of tensions in the Middle East. But this has given oil corruption and fuel smuggling in Libya the opportunity to skyrocket.

It presents a serious threat to Libya’s ability to maintain its own energy obligations to European states. Insiders say the opaque finances of the hydrocarbons sector could see the taps turn off to states such as Italy.

While Europe has been asleep, Putin’s Russia certainly hasn’t. The Wagner Group are, according to many reports, taking a share for themselves to support their own anti-western objectives on the continent.

Libya has become the main platform to drive conflict in sub-saharan nations.

It now poses a serious risk to the West. Sanctions must be considered against those at the heart of this corruption. Only by calling out the smugglers and the Wagnerenablers, and incentivising good governance within the all-important oil sector, can the potential of Libya’s future be realised.