UN should lift arms embargo on Libya

The legitimate government of Libya under Prime Minister Abdullah Al Thinni has asked for the United Nations to end the embargo on all sales of arms to Libya so that the government can find the weapons with which to deal with Daesh and other militants who are destroying what little control the fragile government managed to exercise.

The Libyan government is right to make this request and the embargo should end. Obviously it is important that the arms do not fall into the hands of Daesh and others, but this fear is no reason to continue with the deliberate policy that has fatally weakened the government’s chances of re-establishing control over Libya’s territory.

The Nato-backed toppling of former leader Muammar Gaddafi did not build a national army responsible to the Libyan authorities, and successive Libyan governments have failed to gain control over the armed militias roaming the country. The disintegration of Libya is a major global concern, but it is also a matter of urgency for Libya’s neighbours, who have seen fighters from Libya cause huge problems. For instance when militants took control of half of Mali, and the current insurgency of Boko Haram, which has managed to destabilise large parts of Nigeria and Cameroon.

Egypt has a long border with Libya and the government of President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi is particularly keen that Libya is helped to return to some kind of stability. After the beheading of 21 Egyptians in Libya this week by Daesh supporters, Egypt took a strong line by calling for a UN resolution allowing international forces to intervene in Libya, which would probably have included Egyptian forces. And Cairo has also suggested that the US-led bombing campaign against Daesh in Syria and Iraq could be extended to Libya.

In the event Egypt and Libya backed off this demand and settled for the request to lift the arms embargo. The initial discussions over the mandate to intervene needed more reassurance for many UN members that such a mandate would have a clear political agenda and that it was not some open ended commitment like the Arab world has suffered under in Iraq.