Alwaght | News & Analysis Website

Alwaght- After the events of 2013 in Libya, the country has been fraught with many problems, and thrown into disorder, to the extent that it is on the verge of collapse. In the absence of a central government, the country has become a haven for terrorists; besides, war and manslaughter are about to devastate the country. It should be noted that these movements are supported by some countries that seek domination over Libya. Currently, there are two major movements, Islamist and secular, in Libya which receive support from foreign countries.
The secular movement in Libya that is mainly concentrated in Eastern Libya's borders with Egypt is supported by Saudi Arabia and Western countries, especially the United States. The foreign supporters seek to establish a government in Libya, similar to that of Abdulfattah Al-sisi, to stand against Islamist movement and prevent its dominance. Abdullah Al-Thinni, the current prime minister of Libya is the representative of the secular movement, in an interview with Okaz daily newspaper disclosed its line of thought and said: some armed groups backed by foreign countries have formed an alliance and have allegedly established Islamic groups aimed at destroying Libya. Abdullah Al-Thinni praised and thanked the support of the House of Saud, and stressed that there have been some cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Libya to strengthen the relations between the two countries.
Khalifa Haftar commander of Operation Dignity, is one of the most prominent figures of the secular movement who is supported by foreign groups. Based on a report released by Reuter's news agency Haftar is linked to some political groups and Western intelligence agencies especially the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Islamist groups are against the secularists. Islamist movement is the second set of players in the current political and security arenas of Libya, and receives support from Qatar and Turkey. The Islamist movement is mainly active in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, and does not endorse the new parliament which was formed in Tubruq, working under the guise of former General National Congress. The movement has also elected Omar Al-Hassi as the legitimate Prime Minister and believes that Abdullah Al-Thinni’s government lacks legitimacy. It is noteworthy that both Islamist and secular movements just lack public legitimacy since the legitimate term of former Libyan General National Congress has ended in the summer of 2014, and it is not legitimate to extend the term of the former Congress, and consequently, it is illegal to elect Omar Al-Hassi as the Prime Minister. Abdullah Al-Thinni also emphasized in a press conference in 2014 that the former General National Congress of Libya ended in 2014 and lacks legitimacy and parliament is the only legally relevant body.
Omar Al-Hassi and the Islamist movement receive support from Turkey and Qatar. The meeting between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Omar Al-Hassi implies that Turkey and Qatar give support to Islamist movement to promote their economic interests in the country. It is said that Turkey's share of Libya's economy in 2014 amounted to 28 billion dollars.
Resorting to military operations, Secularists and Islamists seek domination over the country. After the emergence of Khalifa Haftar in Libya, Abdullah Al-Thinni managed to form a league with some westernized and secular groups, including battalions of "Al-Sawa'iq and Al-qa’qa" in Al- Zintan region in the north-west of Libya. However, the Islamist movements with the help of some Islamic groups such as the "Fajr Libya" that is associated with the Taliban, has expanded the scope of its influence.
The current political and military conflicts between the two groups have led to instability in Libya. Given that the political regime in the country is based on a tribal system, and there are about 140 tribes in Libya of which 30 tribes play a major role in the political process, this lays the ground for activities of armed Takfiri groups including ISIS in the cities of Tripoli and Fezzan.
Given the above, it can be concluded that the current situation in Libya is not to Libyans’ benefit. Meanwhile, groups that are supported by foreign countries and serve the interests of Western-Arabic colonization are trying to dominate the country with support of armed terrorist groups. It should be noted that the war, massacre and destruction do not matter for the West whereas to safeguard their interests is the only thing that matters for the colonizers.