Archive for the ‘Libya’ Category

Human Rights Council Hears Presentation on Cooperation with Georgia and Concludes Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Fact-finding Mission on…

The Human Rights Council this afternoon heard a presentation on cooperation with Georgia and concluded its interactive dialogue with the Independent Fact-finding Mission on Libya.

Hulan Tsedev, Chief of the Europe and Central Asia Section at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, presenting the High Commissioners oral update on Georgia, said the lack of political solutions to address security and humanitarian related risks for the enjoyment of human rights had been compounded by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The absence of regular monitoring and availability of effective remedies was exacerbated by the lack of access, in some instances, for international human rights organizations and mechanisms, especially in the context of South Ossetia. The Office called on all those concerned to put human rights sensitive approaches at the centre of efforts to address outstanding issues and individual cases with a view to minimising tensions and building trust.

Georgia, speaking as a country concerned, said Georgia stood in solidarity with Ukraine, as this was an example of the same pattern of behaviour that Russia had been carrying out against Georgia. As much as Russia tried to deny responsibility, it was responsible for gross violations carried out against the Georgian population. The consolidated approach of the international community was essential for reminding Russia to comply with the cease fire agreement and ensure the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons. No progress had been made in executing justice and perpetrators of crimes remained at large, contributing to the sense of impunity.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Council concluded its interactive dialogue with the Independent Fact-finding Mission on Libya.

In the interactive dialogue, some speakers said that although they were aware of the challenges facing the Independent Fact-finding Mission on Libya, there was concern at the lack of documentation of many violations amounting to war crimes. The report should have documented grave violations and crimes and initiated accountability. Crimes against humanity and other crimes against international law had been committed with impunity, and successive governments had unaccountably integrated perpetrators, continuing the lack of accountability for organized crime and terrorism, among other violations of human rights, and causing a shrinking of civil space. The Mission should continue its mandate, and be supported until its work was complete and there had been significant improvement of the human rights situation on the ground. The Mission or an alternative mission was required to oversee efforts for peace, and failure to do this would only hamper them, as it was crucial to ensure domestic accountability. The Government had cooperated with the Mission during recent visits, but the Missions work was incomplete.

In concluding remarks, Tracy Robinson, Member of Independent Fact-finding Mission on Libya, said that the human rights situation in Libya was grave and accountability was still outstanding. While the Council awaited the March 2023 report, there was no need to delay attention to the recommendations made by the Fact-Finding Mission, including providing a framework for technical support, focusing on truth, justice and reconciliation. The international community could support Libyans through dialogue around human rights in online spaces.

Chaloka Beyani, Member of the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya, said in concluding remarks that the Mission was a means by which the international community was supporting the Libyan peoples quest for self-determination through free and fair elections, accountability and justice, and this should be fully supported. The Mission had made and would make more concrete recommendations to this end, and he encouraged members of the Human Rights Council to follow-up on the implementation of these recommendations.

Speaking in the discussion on Libya were Human Rights Solidarity Organization, Amnesty International, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, International Commission of Jurists, Human Rights Watch, Partners for Transparency, Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights Association, Rencontre Africaine pour la defense des droits de lhomme, World Organization Against Torture and Institut International pour les Droits et le Dveloppement.

Speaking in right of reply was the Russian Federation.

The webcast of the Human Rights Council meetings can be found here. All meeting summaries can be found here. Documents and reports related to the Human Rights Councils fiftieth regular session can be found here.

The next meeting of the Human Rights Council will be at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 7 July, when it is scheduled to begin consideration of draft decisions and resolutions before closing its fiftieth regular session.

Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Fact-finding Mission on Libya

The interactive dialogue with the Independent Fact-finding Mission on Libya started in the previous meeting and a summary can be found here.

Discussion

Some speakers said that although they were aware of the challenges facing the Independent Fact-finding Mission on Libya, there was concern at the lack of documentation of many violations amounting to war crimes. The report did not document the enforced displacement of tens of thousands of citizens, some since 2014, from various regions. The report should have documented grave violations and crimes and initiated accountability. Crimes against humanity and other crimes against international law had been committed with impunity in Libya, and successive governments had unaccountably integrated perpetrators, continuing the lack of accountability for organized crime and terrorism, among other violations of human rights, and causing a shrinking of civil space.

The Mission should continue its mandate and be supported until its work was complete, and there had been significant improvement of the human rights situation on the ground, some speakers said. There was concern that the current draft resolution submitted once again contained an abbreviated timeframe for the mandate of the Mission of only nine months. This break of usual practice broke the Councils duty to oversee the situation, a speaker said, and the resolution before the Council sent a dangerous message to armed groups, that the international community lacked the will to oversee a sustained accountability process. The Mission or an alternative mission was required to oversee efforts for peace, and failure to do this would only hamper them, as it was crucial to ensure domestic accountability.

Some speakers said that the Government had cooperated with the Mission during recent visits, but the Missions work was incomplete. Human rights conditions remained precarious, as serious human rights violations committed by armed groups continued, and abuse was rampant. To date, no perpetrators had been held to account. The investigative work of the Mission held the key to ensuring that this situation was remedied. Violations of the rights of human rights defenders, judges and other actors continued. The rights of children needed to be further defended. The activities of those blocking the establishment of a Government of National Unity should be put to an end.

Concluding Remarks

TRACY ROBINSON, Member of Independent Fact-finding Mission on Libya, thanked all the delegations and civil society for their comments and questions. There was key consensus on the Fact-Finding Mission and its mandate, including the importance of extending the work of the Mission. The human rights situation in Libya was grave and accountability was still outstanding. The international community must help. While the Council awaited the March 2023 report, there was no need to delay attention to the recommendations made by the Fact-Finding Mission, including providing a framework for technical support, focusing on truth, justice and reconciliation. This had been welcomed by the State and by many delegations, and was now open for action.

Ms. Robinson said areas where the international community could assist included the pervasive family-wide victimisation, in which children were victims and women were left to manage family structures with little support, while searching for disappeared family members. There was a strong pattern of online abuse which included abuse against children. It was critical to ensure that recovery was a victim-led process, and space could be found for their participation. A good signal of cooperation would be the repeal of the Presidential Decree and the beginning of preparing a code of conduct for public officials speech. Ms. Robinson said that the international community could support Libyans through dialogue around human rights in online spaces.

CHALOKA BEYANI, Member of the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya, said the national human rights plan of action was a Libyan holistic approach to the better protection and promotion of human rights, as well as to assist the pillars of transitional justice. This latter was one of the major solutions for sustainable justice, but it should also include the right to truth, accountability for perpetrators, reparation and memorialisation for victims, and the righting of wrongs. This was an area of technical cooperation which the international community could assist with, including investigating, prosecutorial integrity, and the establishment of special tribunals.

The Mission was a means by which the international community was supporting the Libyan peoples quest for self-determination through free and fair elections, accountability and justice, and this should be fully supported. The Mission had made and would make more concrete recommendations to this end, and Mr. Beyani encouraged members of the Human Rights Council to follow-up on the implementation of these recommendations. The attack on the Hadaba military academy had been documented in the report, as well as the attack on Tajura and other incidents. War crimes had been documented. With regard to internally displaced persons, there were copious paragraphs relating to them, and the report noted that attacks on them had in some cases constituted war crimes.

Oral Update by the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Cooperation with Georgia

Presentation

HULAN TSEDEV, Chief of the Europe and Central Asia Section at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, presenting the High Commissioners oral update, said as in previous years, the Office of the High Commissioners Senior Human Rights Adviser for the South Caucasus, based in Tbilisi, had continued to provide technical assistance to the Government and institutions of Georgia, civil society organizations and other actors, to strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights in the country. The Office of the High Commissioner called on the authorities in Georgia to adopt the national human rights strategy and the national human rights action plan. It was essential to maintain the level of the functional independence of institutions dealing with torture prevention and privacy protection while ensuring transparency and public debate. The lack of political solutions to address security and humanitarian related risks for the enjoyment of human rights had been compounded by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The absence of regular monitoring and availability of effective remedies in Georgia was exacerbated by the lack of access, in some instances, for international human rights organizations and mechanisms, especially in the context of South Ossetia. These features combined also contributed to the deepening of the existing vulnerabilities and socio-economic isolation of the affected populations. All relevant parties should ensure prompt, impartial and thorough investigation into the cases of alleged violations of the right to life that had occurred since 2014 in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, including those mentioned in previous reports by the Office to this Council. All relevant parties should build on some positive examples from 2021 and conduct a thorough and transparent review of all alleged cases of arbitrary and prolonged deprivations of liberty in both Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The Office called on all those concerned to put human rights sensitive approaches at the centre of efforts to address outstanding issues and individual cases with a view to minimising tensions and building trust.

Statement by Country Concerned

Georgia, speaking as a country concerned, expressed gratitude for the oral update. Georgia stood in solidarity with Ukraine, as this was an example of the same pattern of behaviour that Russia had been carrying out against Georgia. As much as Russia tried to deny responsibility, it was responsible for gross violations carried out against the Georgian population. The consolidated approach of the international society was essential for reminding Russia to comply with the cease fire agreement and ensure the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons. The conflict affected people in Georgia were prevented from access to their families, healthcare, and education due to various sanctions enforced by Russian forces.

The oral update spoke about the persistent reoccurrence of human rights violations, particularly affecting ethnic Georgians. Movement restrictions had put pressure on the most vulnerable members of society, including the elderly and those with medical conditions. No progress had been made in executing justice and perpetrators of crimes remained at large, contributing to the sense of impunity. There were also cases of illegal detention of Georgian citizens who must immediately be released. The Geneva Discussions remained the only format to ensure that the Russian Federation would adhere to its international obligations.

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Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the information media;not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.

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Human Rights Council Hears Presentation on Cooperation with Georgia and Concludes Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Fact-finding Mission on...

Gazprom cuts Italy’s gas supplies by a third – Libya Update

Russian energy giant Gazprom on Monday cut its gas supplies to Italy by a third, Italian fuels giant Eni said.

The cut came on the same day Gazprom shut down the Nord Stream1 gas pipeline to Europe for 10 days, officially for maintenance, Italian ANSA news reported.

Germany and France, as well as the EU, voices fears of a total stop to Russian gas supplies amid the Ukraine war.

Gazprom cut its flow of gas into Italy to 21 million cubic meters, a third down on the average of the last few days.

Gas prices fell markedly in Europe thanks to Canadas decision to allow the delivery of a turbine that should enable supplies to Germany to return.

In Amsterdam gas quotations lost as much as 12%, only to rise to a 7% loss, at 163 euros per MegaWattHour.

Italy has been pressing for Europe to introduce a gas price cap and Premier Mario Draghi extracted a pledge from the June 23-4 EU summit to draft a report on the issue to be examined by the end of September, according to ANSA.

Oil and gas infrastructure operator Snam said Monday that gas stocks were now up to 6.1 billion cubic metres or 64% of their target.

Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani said Monday that the government was discussing a campaign to save gas and water, to be launched shortly.

We are discussing with other ministries about a rapid information project on two major sectors: water and energy.

Among other things, they are closely connected. We are thinking of constructing a series of messages to give suggestions for behaviour and sobriety in the use of resources.

It will be fundamental to launch these messages shortly, seeing that the period in which consumption grows will start after the summer.

The Italian government has been working hard to end the nations reliance on Russian gas since Moscows invasion of Ukraine, reaching and preparing a series of agreements to boost supplies from elsewhere.

The proportion of Italys gas supplied by Moscow has already fallen from 40% at the start of the conflict to around 25% now, sources said recently.

Algerias share has risen to over 30%.

The Italian government has moved rapidly to diversify suppliers by scrambling to set up alternatives with countries like Algeria, Angola, Congo, Libya, Egypt, Israel and Mozambique, Premier Mario Draghi said recently.

Eni recently joined the worlds largest Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project in Qatar.

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Gazprom cuts Italy's gas supplies by a third - Libya Update

Outcomes of the 50th Session of the UN Human Rights Council – United States Department of State – Department of State

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In line with the Biden-Harris Administrations commitment to robust re-engagement and leadership in multilateral institutions, the United States marked its second session back on the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) by actively advancing respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms during the bodys 50th regular session.

The United States supported the Councils role of shining a spotlight on countries of concern, promoting accountability for governments and actors that abuse human rights, and addressing human rights issues across the globe.

Defending the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons:The United States strongly supported the mandate renewal of the UN Independent Expert (IE) on protection against violence and discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI). As a co-sponsor of the resolution, the United States successfully worked with partners to galvanize support to renew the mandate for the next three years and to secure inclusion of new language on intersectionality; decriminalization of consensual adult, same-sex conduct; and the importance of non-discrimination. The United States welcomes the SOGI IEs official visit to the United States in August.

Supporting the Rights of Women and Girls: Across several resolutions, joint statements, interactive dialogues, and side events, the United States strongly advocated for greater respect for the human rights and health of women and girls in all their diversity. The United States co-sponsored resolutions focused on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and Girls and the mandate renewal of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and its consequences. The Biden-Harris Administration remains resolutely committed to advancing and protecting sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) at home and abroadSRHR are essential to health, gender equality and equity, and sustainable development and are a central U.S. foreign policy priority.

Highlighting Human Rights Concerns in Afghanistan with an Urgent Debate: The United States, with the international community, supported an Urgent Debate and a resolution focused on the human rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. We are alarmed by human rights abuses in Afghanistan, often attributed to the Taliban, and are disturbed by the extensive restrictions on the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms by Afghan women and girls. The resolution will enable Afghan civil society to address the HRC directly during its September session.

Opposing the Open-Ended Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Israel:The United States led a joint statementon behalf of 22 countries (representing all UN regional groups) expressing deep concern about the unprecedented and open-ended COI on the situation in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza.

Condemning the Human Rights Situation in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC):The United States was proud to be one of the record-breaking 47 countries to publicly condemn Beijings domestic human rights recordvia a Netherlands-led joint statement that expressed deep concernover human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong.

Addressing the Deteriorating Human Rights Situation in Russia:The United Stateswas one of 47 signatories to a strong European Union (EU)-led joint statement addressing the deteriorating human rights situation inside Russia. This statement highlighted serious concerns about the arrest of peaceful protestors, political prisoners including Alexei Navalny, the closure of civil society and media outlets, the particularly concerning situation in the Chechen Republic up to and including extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances, and discriminatory laws, policies, and practices against LGBTI persons and members of religious minority groups.

Upholding Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and of Association (FOAA):The United States was a member of the Core Group that drafted the resolution renewing the mandate for the Special Rapporteur on FOAA. As a co-sponsor, the United States successfully lobbied for the resolution to include language encouraging States to support diverse civil society participation in UN fora, stressing the importance of ensuring internet access extends to everyone, and calling upon States to establish and maintain a safe environment in which civil society can operate freely.

Promoting and Protecting Peaceful Protest:The United States co-sponsored the resolution on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protests. This resolution urges States to facilitate peaceful protests by providing protesters with access to public space within sight and sound of their intended target audience and to promote a safe and enabling environment for individuals to exercise their rights to freedoms of peaceful assembly, expression, and association, both online and offline.

Exposing Violations and Abuses in Belarus:The United States co-sponsored the EU-led resolution to extend the mandate for the Special Rapporteur on Belarus so they can continue to expose the Lukashenka regimes systemic and systematic human rights violations and abuses, including restrictions on the media and freedom of expression and interference with the work of journalists and civil society.

Addressing Ongoing Violations and Abuses in Syria:As part of the Core Group, the United States supported a resolutionaddressing a range of ongoing human rights violations and abuses in Syria, particularly against women and girls and including the issues of arbitrarily detained and missing persons.

Renewing the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya:The United States worked closely with Libya to renew the mandate for the Independent Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Libya. The FFM will release its final report in March 2023.

Calling for Cooperation on the Situation in Eritrea:The United States co-sponsored the EU-led resolution that successfully extended the mandate for the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea. The resolution calls for the government to fully cooperate with the Special Rapporteur.

Ensuring Continued Reporting on Sudan:As part of the Core Group, the United States helped draft and co-sponsored the resolution on the situation in Sudan, ensuring continued support for the Independent Expert (IE) on Sudan and ensuring the IEs mandate remains, along with reporting requirements on the human rights situation, until the restoration of Sudans civilian-led government.

Co-sponsored Resolutions: The United States co-sponsored more than half of the resolutions adopted this session, including the resolutionson SOGI, FOAA, Freedom of Expression and Opinion, Peaceful Protest, Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and Girls, Violence Against Women and Girls, Internally Displaced Persons, the Independence and Impartiality of the Judiciary with a focus on womens participation, the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, as well as the human rights situations in Belarus, Eritrea, Libya, Sudan, and Syria.

Joint Statements: Besides leading the joint statement on the COI on the situation in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza and signing onto the joint statements on the PRC and Russia, the United States also joined the joint statements on Sri Lanka and Ukraine (with a specific focus on Mariupol). The United States also supported thematic joint statements focused on SOGI, food security, special procedures, migrants, responsibility to protect, women and girls in the context of atrocities, the importance of ensuring stronger language on gender equality across HRC activity, water, and extreme poverty.

Across resolutions, joint statements, and interactive dialogues, the United States advanced language to promote equity and inclusion, including regarding women and girls in all their diversity, internally displaced persons, LGBTQI+ persons, persons with disabilities, indigenous persons, members of ethnic and religious minority groups, and members of other marginalized and vulnerable groups.

Additionally, the United States participated in multiple interactive dialogues related to the human rights situation in Ukraine. We were also pleased to participate in the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on racism, highlighting the Administrations commitment to racial justice.

Side Events:

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Outcomes of the 50th Session of the UN Human Rights Council - United States Department of State - Department of State

Saif al-Islam says has initiative to solve the political crisis – The Libya Observer

Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi has announced a political initiative with two proposals to get the country out of its crisis, as he put it.

The first proposal provides that a neutral party sets urgent legal and executive arrangements for non-exclusive parliamentary and presidential elections in which everyone participates, without exclusion, and leaves the decision to the Libyan people to choose.

In his second proposal, Gaddafi calls on controversial candidates to withdraw from the presidential elections collectively without exception, saying that this would be "a last attempt to save the country and find a peaceful solution to its crisis."

"All those in the positions are holding on to power, for the.. benefits they obtained as a result of their presence in the sovereign positions.. this has become clear to the Libyans and the international community." He added.

He said the situation in Libya is getting worse every day, and the door is open to all possibilities as everyone "refuses to make concessions," warning that the country will be facing major and grave events.

The son and one-time heir apparent of the late dictator Muammar Gadafi was disqualified from running for the presidential elections in December last year, on the backdrop of his previous convictions.

Saif Al-Islam had been sentenced to death by a Tripoli court in 2015 for using violence against protesters in the 2011 uprising against his father. He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.

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Saif al-Islam says has initiative to solve the political crisis - The Libya Observer

An Endless Cycle? Libya Teeters on a Return to Civil War – The Organization for World Peace

In its May 2022 meeting on Libya, the UN Security Council (UNSC) lamented how the standoff to determine Libyas leadership has continued. The dispute is between incumbent Prime Minster Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah and former Interior Minister Fathi Bashaga. Dbeibah was elected in February 2021 to head the interim Government of National Unity (GNU) by the Libyan Political Dialogue Front (LPDF), a body responsible for charting the way towards elections. Bashaga meanwhile was elected interim prime minister by the House of Representatives (HoR) on 10th February. This is all part of a broader power struggle between the Tripoli-based GNU and the Tobruk-based HoR, which is aligned with the former General of the Libyan National Army Khalifa Haftar. Haftar stepped down from his position to run in presidential elections scheduled for December 2021 that is now postponed indefinitely. The HoR blames the GNU for failing to hold elections as planned. The GNU is, however, recognized by the UN where the HoR is not, while General Haftar attacked Tripoli in April 2019 when peace talks seemed like they were progressing. In 2022, Tripoli could again find itself beset with clashes and destructive violence to the detriment of its civilian population.

Although a hard ceasefire was achieved for the Second Libyan civil war in October 2020, fears are mounting that renewed conflict could break out in Tripoli. Where efforts to hold a planned election have failed, the HoR and other eastern factions want to replace the GNU, which has refused to step aside. The UNSC reports that there has already been a build-up of arms and troops supporting both sides in Tripoli and elsewhere. Moreover, Libyan Oil facilities have been blockaded by protestors demanding that Dbeibah step down in favor of Bashaga, with western officials accusing Khalifa Haftar of being behind the blockade. Pro Bashaga factions accuse Dbeibah of misusing public funds via the National Oil Corporation (NOC) and Central Bank of Libya (CBL). Dbeibah has denied this, while the CBL and NOC claim to be politically neutral and independent. A US-led effort to ensure transparent oversight and revenue collection has not yet been agreed upon. The trouble here is that oil blockades have been a hallmark of civil unrest since 2011 NATO-backed ousting of Muammar Gaddafi. Large blockades tied to major political forces have often taken months to resolve, boding perilously for the peace process.

International actors also have a stake in Libya. The GNU forces, based on what remains of Libyas Gaddafi-era troops and private militias, are supported by the UN, Turkey, Italy, and Qatar. Turkey supports the GNU mainly to secure drilling rights for oil and gas in the Mediterranean. Turkey has often sent troops into Libya to shore up the GNU. Italy also has oil interests in Libya that it wishes to protect via the GNU. The HoR, Haftar, and the LNA are meanwhile supported by Russia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, and Egypt. The UAE supports the LNA most of all, committing drones, munitions, and troops on their side. Egypt and UAE take issue with the GNUs links to political Islam, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, as both nations see this ideology as a threat to regional stability. Despite there being an arms embargo on Libya since 2011, allied nations on both sides of the conflict have continued to pour weapons into the country, violating International Law. By 2020, fighting in Tripoli had displaced thousands of people and killed 200 civilians. A return to civil war will reproduce these consequences.

The effect of this on migrants and internally displaced people has been catastrophic. Migrants, asylum seekers and refugees have been arbitrarily detained in facilities run by the GNUs Interior Ministry and in warehouses run by smugglers and traffickers. There, they were subjected to forced labour, torture, extortion, and sexual assault. According to the Institute of Migration (IOM) at least 5,000 were held in official detention centres in Libya as of August 2021. With tensions rising, it is unlikely that these conditions will improve. Moving forward, a key concern for the international community is whether instability may further accelerate migration from and through Libya, and toward Europe. Forming a stable, peaceful Libya could allow it to harness its oil wealth in a fair and transparent way. For this to be achieved, both sides must commit to dialogue, re-commit to a joint Military convention and build towards a constitutional settlement for Libya. The countrys leadership must then be decided under free and fair elections, while the international community must allow Libya to resolve its own disputes and curb the inflow of arms that only exacerbate conflict. How Libya navigates this tense period will affect millions of lives across North Africa and the Mediterranean basin.

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An Endless Cycle? Libya Teeters on a Return to Civil War - The Organization for World Peace