Libya in Turmoil - Atasi Das

The North African nation of Libya is currently going through a gory civil war- a mid-February 2011 uprising against Muammar Gaddafi's 42 year old regime has claimed over 50,000 lives. The present whereabouts of the Colonel is unknown-his family has received shelter at Algeria on humanitarian grounds. Muammar Gaddafi is the third dictator in the Arab world, after Tunisian president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali and Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak, to face the ire of a people’s uprising. The Libyan people’s movement against the autocratic Gaddafi regime has received the support of NATO (representing the North American and European nations), which may assure it a certain degree of sustainability. With the interest of so many nations at stake, neighbouring Algeria, the largest country in Africa, is closely watching the developments. Some even suspect al-Qaeda’s hand in sustaining the Libyan revolution.

International Policy Action
British Tornado jets have attacked suspected shelters at Col Gaddafi's hometown Sirte, as part of the international crackdown on the oppressive Gaddafi regime. The NATO bombings are strategized to wear down the pro Gaddafi command regime, in what it views as an unjustified fight against its ‘own people’.  There has been a call to the forces loyal to Gaddafi to surrender, to reach an amicable solution the problem.

The uprising is facing a fund crunch as people have been going without salary for months and necessary services are in short supply in Libya. Some $2.9bn (£1.8bn) funds have been allegedly misappropriated from the Libyan sovereign wealth fund. The total funds of the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) are estimated at around $70bn. This fund was set up in 2006 by Saif al-Islam, one of Muammar Gaddafi's sons.

Civic amenities like power, running water, healthcare are in short supply in the riot hit areas. Libya’s infrastructure has been in recent years due to utter neglect. The Gaddafi regime has sucked in the taxpayer’s money for financing its own luxurious lifestyle, leaving little for the nation’s development. Medics working in the conflict zone are overwhelmed by the sheer number of casualties- hoards of rotting bodies are awaiting a decent burial in some hospitals.  

The UN chief Ban Ki-moon has urged the international community to work together to restore order in Libya, and usher in a stable transition in political leadership.

The country is actively seeking help from agencies like the International Red Cross to cope with the human tragedy of the loss. The UK is to provide £3m of humanitarian aid for the conflict affected persons in Libya. Efforts are also being made to reunite families separated during the uprising. International aid is flowing in in the form of surgical teams and medicines and household essentials for the Libyans.

The political unrest throughout the nation, including capital city Tripoli is worsening by the day. Britain is seeking UN approval to release around £1bn of Libyan funds, which had been frozen by the central bank. The US has already gained UN approval to release$1.5bn. Huge volumes of Libyan assets (amounting to £12bn in London alone) have been frozen to bar their usage by the Gadaffi regime. South African President Jacob Zuma has ruled out giving political recognition to the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) until the hostilities end.

The Arab reaction
Libya is an Afro-Arabian country. The reactions of the Arabian and African world to the dismissal of Gaddafi have been interesting and reflective of their relationship with the dictator. The Arab League has in effect recognized TNC as the legitimate Libyan government and pressed the UN Security Council to hand over the UN seat to TNC. The African Union on the other hand has refused to recognize TNC and has called for an “all-inclusive government” (read Gaddafi loyalists) in Libya. The AU stance primarily reflects South African President Jacob Zuma’s personal equation with Gaddafi. Interestingly, Gaddafi had pulled out of the Arab League in 2002 to leverage a greater playing field in Africa. He had linked Libya’s future intrinsically to Africa. He was active in the regional African politics, courtesy the grandiose supply of wealth and weapons from the Libyan national kitty. The Arab world is somewhat indifferent to Gaddafi’s plight primarily because his arrogance had antagonized them, and also due to the fact that geopolitically Libya had never shared the strategic importance of countries like Iraq or Egypt.

Road ahead
Libya needs early elections to forge an effective political leadership. International policing in the initial transitional phase is solicited. The international community should help the war ravaged nation chart its roadmap towards attaining a robust and sustainable socio-economic recovery, within an appropriate legal framework. The global bodies should also help the Libyan police to effectively handle the menace of sanitizing the huge a catch of arms that are presently flooding the country. A liberated Libya should better put at bay projected in-fighting amongst its controlling factions. The country has plenty of oil reserves, a small population and an estimated sovereign wealth of around 70bn (£42bn); it now all depends on how the powers at helm can address the concerns and expectations of its residents in face of the fragile global economic recovery and rising global crude prices. Apart from oil, the sectors which can in rope in considerable economic growth for the country are non oil manufacturing, construction and tourism.