Omar Swehli
This will not happen while Haftar is among us. So why is it impossible to establish a successful state in Libya under Khalifa Haftar’s control?
***
Libya is now classified as a failed state, and the USA classifies Libya as a threat to its security, as do European countries, which place Libya in level 4 in terms of travel warnings.
Libya faces a state of division and political stalemate, with Khalifa Haftar representing the greatest obstacle to building a stable state, with his military and intelligence control over the eastern and southern regions, and his oppressive rule, Haftar rejects democracy and obstructs any efforts to establish a civil state.
His Control of the House
of Representatives
Haftar uses the House of Representatives to implement his agenda, with the help of its Speaker, Agila Saleh, who is subject to his influence. The repression and assassinations, such as the assassinations of MPs Siham Sergiwa and Ibrahim Al-Drisi, have spread terror among the members, which has thwarted any attempts at change within the House of Representatives.
Rejection of democracy and elections
Khalifa Haftar declares his explicit rejection of democracy and publicly mocks it, stressing his rejection of any laws regulating elections or referendums on the constitution. He seeks to establish a military family rule that keeps him and his sons in power, and he has even gone beyond rejecting democracy to banning it in the areas he controls, he has worked to abolish elected municipal councils, replacing them with people loyal to him. He also ordered his security services and militias to destroy polling stations in areas under his influence, with the aim of preventing any municipal elections from taking place.
In the latest example, the city of Derna witnessed direct security interventions, where independent candidates were threatened and forced to withdraw, confirming his repressive approach to preventing any manifestations of democracy or free local governance.
Tyranny in the Eastern Region
Haftar rules the areas under his control by force, with serious human rights violations and his prisons filled with opponents of opinion with the help of external intelligence support, he carries out a systematic repression against any opposition, with his bloody record extending from the Chad war to internal conflicts. In his attack on Tripoli, he caused the killing of ten thousand of his soldiers, defenders of Tripoli, and innocent civilians, and left behind after his departure mines that claim lives and do not distinguish between children, women, and innocents. Despite being over 85 years old, Haftar has a bloody past and present par excellence, and after this age, no change in his bloody criminal behavior can be expected from him.
His military ambition
Haftar seeks to impose his control over all of Libya, although he currently controls the eastern region and part of the south, while the western region, which includes the majority of the population (60%), remains outside his control. His military ambition and his criminal past undermine any efforts to establish a democratic and civil state.
The presence of Khalifa Haftar constitutes a major obstacle to the stability of Libya and the unification of its institutions, as his practices reflect an authoritarian tendency and an explicit rejection of democratic principles. His military and political control is hampering efforts to form a unified, internationally recognized government and preventing it from extending its sovereignty over the entire country.
Haftar has established a parallel government and almost placed a central bank outside the control of the state. He has also pressured the House of Representatives to enact a law establishing a constitutional court based in Benghazi, with the aim of circumventing the rulings of the High Court in Tripoli, in addition to printing Libyan currency without the approval of the legitimate central bank in Tripoli, which has further complicated the economic and institutional crisis. He is now stealing oil and exporting it through the Hariga port in the far east of Libya, which he exchanges for military purchases that fulfill his ambition to control Libya.
Salvaging Libya requires a new revolution that avoids the mistakes of the past, establishes a just rule that holds criminals against the people accountable, and builds a political system based on respect for human rights and justice, which ensures a unified and stable future for the country.
Perhaps relief will come from Allah prompting Haftar’s disappearance from political life, Allah’s willing, and perhaps the hope is that 2025 will bring us this good news.
____________________
