Libya has been a violence-prone state since 2011 when the NATO uprising dethroned former president Muammar Gaddafi. Its capital city, Tripoli, happens to be the center of conflict each time rival groups fight. It’s quite unfortunate that despite Libya being an oil giant state, the influx rate keeps deteriorating the country’s economy. Today, Libya’s interior minister survived attempted murder.
Attempted Murder
While returning from a routine visit, Fathi Bashaga, Libya’s Interior Minister, was attacked by anonymous men. Official sources report that the assailants were firing at his convoy from an armored car. His police escort also fired back. The shooting went on for quite some time before the attackers retreated. Amid the ambush, two assailants were arrested while three passed away.
Why Fathi Bagasha?
Fathi is a renowned politician in Libya’s government. He has served as the interior minister in the government of National since 2018. As such, he has earned a reputation for battling corruption. Many perceive Fathi as the perfect candidate to lead the new interim government. However, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, a sixty-one-year-old engineer, is currently holding the post. Mr. Abdul has been working on restoring reconstruction, democracy, and reunification in Libya.
Libyan Politics
Since former President Muammar Gadaffi’s ousting, two rival administrations have emerged, and each happens to use its military support to gain dominance. Similarly, they are being backed by militias and foreign powers. General Haftar, for instance, allied with the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and Egypt. As such, he had all forms of sophisticated weaponry at his disposal.
There is a deep division in the Libyan government. Chances of successful dialogues have also hit a brick wall, making it difficult to revive its economy. Despite the two prominent regimes agreeing to a ceasefire, the rooted division is still a significant concern. Last year around November, when participants from rival parties met, they had decided to organize national elections come December.
However, to date, many controversies regarding the elections have arisen. As much as Libyans seek peace, political Rivalry is still deeply rooted in their country.
Two rivals, the UN-backed Government of National Unity operating in the east under Commander Khalifa Haftar and Libya’s National Union, have been battling to take control. It all began a year ago when General Haftar captured Tripoli. Then division followed suit. National institutions were segregated into two, i.e., one for the east and another for western Libya. The Tripoli government only managed to control the eastern side after the Turkish military help scatter Haftar’s forces eastward.
Oil exports stopped, paving the way for economic and social deterioration. With the emergence of the pandemic, the situation worsened. Coronavirus and conflict conspired to increase the populations’ misery significantly.
With General Haftar receiving support from UAE and Russia, while the Tripoli government relies on Turkey, Libya is bound to experience other violent episodes. Meanwhile, it is saddening that the civilians are the ones affected when violence occurs anytime. Most people in the country are now living from hand to mouth because their businesses collapsed, some lost their jobs, and some properties.
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