Bathily: Libya has become a “mafia” and can not be reached as long as the main players continue to monopolize the political process
The resigned UN envoy, Abdullah Bathily, confirmed that a solution cannot be reached in Libya, as long as the players controlling Libya’s post-February catastrophe scene continue to monopolize the political process.
Bathily warned, in an interview with the United Nations website, that those who have been leading Libya over the past period only care about competition, even at the expense of the country’s stability, indicating that they are not yet willing to participate in any comprehensive negotiation process or any peace settlement. .
Bathily called for the need for the current leaders to realize that they should think about the future of their country, and bear moral responsibility towards it, adding, “As long as the main parties in Libya are supported in one way or another by external parties, we cannot have a solution.”
He went on to say, “The security situation has become more worrying for citizens as different groups compete for more power and more control over the country’s wealth.”
He continued, saying, “Libyans were aspiring to democracy and freedom, but with rivalries between leaders, growing tensions, and competition between armed groups and elements ready to suppress any opposition voices in the country, Libyans are dealing with a democratic space that is shrinking more and more.”
Bathily touched on the illegal immigration crisis in Libya, saying: “Unfortunately, due to the security situation in Libya, there is no hope in the medium or even long term to think that this situation will improve.”
He continued by saying, “Libya has increasingly become like a mafia state dominated by a number of groups involved in many smuggling operations, including human trafficking and minerals such as gold, and drug smuggling, especially since over the past decade we have witnessed nothing but the bad intentions of everyone who assumed the leadership of the various transitional regimes since 2011.”
Bathily stressed that the crisis is that these politicians do not have transparency, which is what made citizens talk about corruption, adding, “When you look at the situation in the education sector and the health sector, you see all the devastation left by the wars, and that the infrastructure has not been rebuilt.” .
He added, “Today’s controlling structures that can make peace or war in Libya are at the heart of the problem. For this reason, we put forward our initiative (the five-party table). This matter was seen for us as a comprehensive mechanism that could achieve peace and a peaceful settlement, if they were willing.” Ready to do so.”
He continued, “But unfortunately, some of them set preconditions, and they were unfortunately supported by some external players who took parallel initiatives, which of course tended to neutralize our initiative.” Hence, as long as these same players are supported in one way or another by external players, we will not have a solution.”
Bathily also said that “few people are richer today in Libya. While the majority in 2011 were looking forward to economic prosperity and security, unfortunately, Libya has fallen backwards.”
He pointed out that “Libya today is almost like an open arms supermarket,” explaining that those weapons are used for internal political competition between armed (militia) groups, and also those that are used in arms deals, the arms race, arms trade with their neighbors, and beyond. .
He continued that the security situation has become more worrying for citizens because all these groups are competing for more power and more control over the country’s wealth.
He concluded by saying, “I call on the patrons of those Libyan parties controlling the scene to realize that this harms the interests of the Libyan people and harms the region. “Not only North Africa, but the Sahel region as well, it is time for the Libyan people, who have longed for peace and stability, to be able to obtain that peace and stability that they have been aspiring to.”
