th th The Hague International Model United Nations ONLINE 2021| 25 ​ January 2021 – 29 ​ January 2021 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Forum: Security Council (SC) Issue: The situation in Libya Student Officer: Chris Moustakis Position: Deputy President Introduction st The situation in Libya has been on the spotlight of the global scene ever since the 1 ​ Libyan civil ​ war, back in 2011. Although that conflict wasn’t as long and didn’t cause as much damage to the nation when compared to the situation today, it is noteworthy that this war, when it ended, was not complete nd and didn’t leave all parties fully satisfied. 3 years later, in 2014, the 2 ​ Libyan civil war started and the ​ end has not yet been seen. The main issue is that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has not yet been able to take significant action, due to the combination of controversy and the power of veto. With many member-states being involved in this matter, the deliberations in the UNSC often gets heated and leads to counter-productive debate. A matter such as this, however, is not something that can be faced by the local authorities, by the government or by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). It is a matter that requires the authority of international cooperation; the unity of many powerful state actors whose combined power has taken down similar threats: civil wars, armed conflict and foreign political controversy, in the past. It is a matter that requires the United Nations, and that is exactly what the UNSC will be attempting during the conference. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that when dealing with the situation in Libya, we aren’t dealing with a single government or a single, territorially united nation but with a country which is – literally and figuratively – broken to pieces. If one wishes to resolve the conflict, it isn’t enough to deliver humanitarian aid or assist the economic and social crisis. The most important crisis that must be resolved is definitely the political one, which should be the focus of this session of the Security Council. It is the one that caused the fragmentation of the nation into several pieces led by different groups (refer to Figure 1.0). It th is the core of the issue and one of the most difficult and complicated situations of the 20 ​ century so far ​ (a century that makes the word “eventful” seem like an understatement). It is time for change that can be delivered by the UNSC. Research Report | Page 1 of 12 ​ ​ th st The Hague International Model United Nations ONLINE 2021| 25 ​ January 2021 – 29 ​ January 2021 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 1 FIGURE 1: Military situation in Libya on 11 June 2020 ​ Under the control of the House of Representatives (HoR) and the Libyan National Accord (LNA) ​ Under the control of the Government of National Accord (GNA) and different militias forming the Libya Shield ​ Force (LSF) Controlled by local forces ​ Definition of Key Terms Militia group An army composed of ordinary citizens rather than professional soldiers. Militia groups are found all across the country of Libya, as they use their topical and local forces to control small portions of territory. Political party A group of persons organized to acquire and exercise political power. Political parties originated in their modern form in Europe and the United States in the 19th century, along with the electoral and parliamentary systems, whose development reflects the evolution of parties. The term party has since come to be applied to all organized groups seeking political power, whether by democratic elections or by revolution. Certainly, in the matter at hand, there are quite a few political parties, each seeking to achieve different goals. (Adapted from Britannica) War 1 Page 2 of 12 | Research Report ​ th th The Hague International Model United Nations ONLINE 2021| 25 ​ January 2021 – 29 ​ January 2021 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ A state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations. A simple concept, yet one that is responsible for most the problems we face in the modern day and age. (Adapted from Merriam Webster) Civil war A war between people of the same origin/nationality. The war in Libya is classified as a civil war, which makes it all the more damaging towards the nation. Sovereignty A sovereign state is one that is autonomous. Libya’s sovereignty (or lack thereof) is quite noticeable in the events of the war, as foreign intervention is often and without any significant consequences. (Adapted from Merriam Webster) Territory A geographic area belonging to or under the jurisdiction of a governmental authority. Every opposing side of the war controls a certain part of the total Libyan territory, causing territorial disputes to form. (Adapted from Merriam Webster) Conflict Conflict: to come into collision or disagreement; be contradictory, at variance, or in opposition; clash. (Adapted from Merriam Webster) Research Report | Page 3 of 12 ​ ​ th st The Hague International Model United Nations ONLINE 2021| 25 ​ January 2021 – 29 ​ January 2021 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Background Information Libya before the civil wars Be the situation in Libya as it may, it is important to understand it before the occurrence of the two wars, purely for contextual reasons. Libya is a country located in North Africa in the Maghreb region and its current capital is Tripoli. The main languages are Arabic and Berber and it currently has a population of almost seven million people. Until 2011 it was one of the African countries with the highest life expectancy and highest GDP on the entire African continent. st 1 ​ Libyan civil war and Muammar Gadaffi (2011) ​ Arguably, the emergence of the political figure Muammar Gaddafi, who proved himself a defining factor in Libyan history has had a huge impact in the build-up to the 1st Libyan civil war. He was more commonly referred to as Colonel Gadaffi and he was elected as President of the nation all the way back in 1969. He governed as Revolutionary Chairman of the Libyan Arab Republic up until 1977, after which he became the de facto leader of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011. He was initially ideologically committed to Arab nationalism and Arab socialism but later ruled according to his own Third International Theory.Gaddafi abolished the post-1951 Libyan Constitution and introduced his own political philosophy, based on his Green Book published in the 1970s and that was what his party was fighting to maintain, while the overthrown government combined with various other groups was aiming to re-establish and potentially even make some minor alterations to the old constitution. Protests against Gadaffi began in early January of 2011, starting from the town of Benghazi. The protests would lead to an uprising and civil war, as part of the wider Arab Spring, which had already ​ ​ resulted in the ousting of long-term presidents of adjacent Tunisia and Egypt. The belligerents of this conflict were the National Liberation Army, affiliated with the National Transit Council (NTC) with the support of NATO versus the Libyan Jamahiriya (pro-Gaddafi tribes) with the support of Belarus. The rebel groups led by Gadaffi were met with opposition as the standing government announced that the rebels were allegedly linked to Al-Qaeda and major drug cartels, announcing a nation-wide search which led to many stand-offs involving open fire. Gadaffi’s reputation in the international community labelled him as a gruesome and violent dictator whose actions are in favour of serving his personal, and not the national interest. On the 26th of February, the UNSC drafted and passed resolution 1970, suspending Libya from the Human Rights Council (HRC). In March, the UNSC declared a no-fly zone to protect the civilian Page 4 of 12 | Research Report ​ th th The Hague International Model United Nations ONLINE 2021| 25 ​ January 2021 – 29 ​ January 2021 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ population from aerial bombardment, calling on foreign nations to enforce it; it also specifically prohibited foreign occupation. Despite this, Qatar sent hundreds of troops to support the dissidents and, along with France and the United Arab Emirates, provided weaponry and military training to the NTC (a committee formed as the interim government). Later on, NATO agreed to enforce the UNSC’s established no-fly zone and with an airstrike they killed Gaddafi's family. This Western military intervention was criticized by various leftist governments, including those that had criticized Gaddafi's response to the protests, because they regarded it as an imperialist attempt to secure control of Libya's resources. Gadaffi was later captured by Misrata militia and assassinated. As a result, the rebellion disbanded and the 1st Libyan civil war ended. nd The lead-up to the 2 ​ Libyan civil war ​ The ongoing conflict in Libya didn’t happen overnight and out of nowhere. Tension had been building up over a long time but there was a specific sequence of events that finally pushed the people of Libya off the edge. A year after the 1st civil war, democratic elections were held within Libya, in which, by winning the popular vote, the General National Congress (GNC) became the new government. The 2012 elections, overseen by the Libyan electoral commission with the support of the UN Special Mission In Libya (UNSMIL) and NGOs like the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), have been considered fair and free by most Libyans. The GNC was made of two major political groups, the National Forces Alliance (NFC) and the Justice and Construction Party (JCP). The two major groups in parliament had failed to reach political compromises on the larger more important issues that the GNC faced, which is why, ultimately, the GNC failed to effectively govern the nation of Libya.