Now that Canada has staged a fullscale
victory celebration ceremony
for Libya and bedecked Lt.-Gen.
Charles Bouchard with a chest full of
medals for leading NATO forces to triumph,
there is virtually no mainstream media coverage
of events in post-Gaddafi Libya.
This is not because there is a shortage of
news to report; rather, it is because the ongoing
violence and chaos would certainly put a
massive damper on the victory celebrations.
During the 10-month bitter civil war to oust
Muammar Gaddafi, it became readily apparent
to objective observers that the NATO-backed
rebel forces were just as fractious as they were
ill disciplined. With a widely divergent set of
ideological beliefs and deeply entrenched tribal
divisions, the only thing unifying the rebels
was a hatred of Gaddafi.
Those rifts became even more apparent
following the capture of Tripoli on Aug. 20.
While Gaddafi loyalists would continue battling
from a handful of enclaves until the former
president was captured and killed while
fleeing from Sirte on Oct. 20, the rival rebel
militias had already divided the Libyan capital
city into separate armed sectors.
In the three months since the death of
Gaddafi, a number of clashes have erupted
between the militia groups as they seek to
extend their own individual control over
parts of Tripoli.
Despite the plodding process of establishing
a new national security force, those
armed civilians who fought to oust Gaddafi
still refuse to voluntarily disarm. The
National Transitional Council was established
during the early stages of the rebellion,
but its members have been singularly
unable to exert any real central authority
since the fall of Gaddafi.
One clear example of this is the fact
that the militiamen from the western city
of Zintan refuse to hand over Seif al-Islam,
Gaddafi’s son and heir apparent, to the NTC
authorities in Tripoli. Since Seif al-Islam’s
capture in southern Libya on Nov. 19, he
has been held in Zintan as a human bargaining
chip for his captors, to ensure they get a
favourable chunk of the expected spoils.
Last week there was another, more serious
setback for the NTC when the residents of the
city of Bani Walid openly revolted against the
former rebel garrison. Those who followed
the Libyan conflict closely will recall that Bani
Walid was a pro-Gaddafi stronghold. Despite
massive NATO air strikes in support, the rebel
forces never managed to battle their way into
this city. It was only after Gaddafi’s murder
and the fall of Sirte that the city elders negotiated
the surrender of Bani Walid.
The citizens of this city are predominantly
those of the Warfalla tribe, the largest in
Libya. During Gaddafi’s 42-year rule, they
had benefited from the support they loyally
pledged to him.
Last week, after ousting the NTC garrison
following a gun battle that left four
dead and 25 former rebels wounded, it was
reported that Gaddafi-era green Libyan flags
were flying from government buildings in
Bani Walid. Whether or not the ex-Gaddafi
loyalists are the vanguard of a larger resistance
movement, the defiant Warfalla have
made it clear they will not tolerate the presence
of outside armed authority.
Without the military means to reassert
control on their own, and without NATO’s
air support, the NTC have had no alternative
but to accept the establishment of an
independent Bani Walid ruling authority.
While one would expect such aftershocks
in the wake of a vicious and bloody
civil war, even in Benghazi—the birthplace
of the rebellion—there has been a number
of violent protests challenging the NTC.
Those who took up weapons to overthrow
Gaddafi are now using the threat of
violence to demand concessions from the
fledgling interim Libyan government. One
of their strongest demands is the immediate
ouster of all the senior officials who had
been loyal to Gaddafi, and their replacement
with those who fought in the war.
Of course, after more than four decades
of rule, it will be difficult to find anyone
in a top government position who wasn’t
in some way beholden to Gaddafi. That
said, competent bureaucrats able to manage
complex government departments are
equally unlikely to be plucked from the
ranks of a ragtag militia force.
The Canada-led NATO mission in Libya
was sanctioned by the United Nations
Security Council to enforce a no-fly zone
in order to protect Libyan civilians. Now
that Gaddafi is dead, one can celebrate the
removal of a tyrant, but if in his wake Libya
plunges into a state of tribal anarchy, how
can we honestly claim a victory?
Written by Scott Taylor
Now that Canada has staged a fullscale victory celebration ceremony for Libya and bedecked Lt.-Gen. Charles Bouchard with a chest full of medals for leading NATO forces to triumph, there is virtually no mainstream media coverage of events in post-Gaddafi Libya. This is not because there is a shortage of news to report; rather, it is because the ongoing violence and chaos would certainly put a massive damper on the victory celebrations.
