James Cummings
Escalation in violence could make foreign nationals ‘targets of opportunity’
Aspiring Libyan prime minister Fadel Lamen said Malta should ‘revisit’ its dealings with ‘unsavoury people’ like recently assassinated militia chief Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, to whom it granted a Schengen visa.
A contender for the leadership of Libya has warned against further evacuations of Maltese citizens from his country amid rising instability, insisting such a step could send a “message of desperation”.
Libyan writer and political analyst Fadel Lamen, who claims to be in the running to take over from embattled prime minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, said Malta should instead try to prevent the country from “descending to escalating violence”.
Acknowledging that “everyone is at risk at some point,” however, the aspiring prime minister said that while Libyans usually would not attack foreigners, an escalation in violence could make foreign nationals “targets of opportunity” for terrorist sleeper cells.
“Evacuations of foreigners can send a message of desperation to the Libyan people and a green light to troublemakers and terrorists. A message of abandonment is very tricky,” he said.
Lamen was speaking to Times of Malta from Istanbul while on route to Libya on Friday, a day after Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri announced that 38 Maltese nationals had been evacuated from Libya amid fierce fighting in the nation’s capital Tripoli.
Fighting erupted in Tripoli last week following the assassination of Libyan militia chief Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, who hit the headlines locally in March after it emerged he had travelled to Italy using a Schengen visa issued by Malta.
While early reports indicated the conflict could see the prime minister consolidate his power in Western Libya, Dbeibah’s position remains unclear amid ongoing fighting and popular protests demanding stability and long-delayed general elections.
Local media reported late on Friday that six ministers and deputy ministers from Dbeibah’s cabinet had resigned, according to AFP. Only two confirmed their departure, however.
Libyan protesters gather in Tripoli’s Martyrs Square to call for the resignation of the national unity government. AFP
And on Saturday, the Maltese government quashed rumours that the Libyan PM had fled the country to Malta. Later that day, Dbeibah called on armed groups to align themselves with “state institutions”, AFP reported.
Characterising the embattled prime minister’s style of governance as akin to the “mafia”, Lamen said the Libyan leader had “outstayed his welcome”, pointing to popular discontent at the “corruption he has caused and the devastation of the Libyan country”.
“Over the last year or so, Dbeibah has lost most of his allies and is trying to cling onto power,” he said, adding the “writing on the wall is he is on his way out”.
“The Libyan government has reached a point of total collapse,” he said, while urging the incumbent prime minister to cooperate with the Libyan parliament and United Nations on a “dignified exit” from the post.
Describing al-Kikli – once described as an “infamous warlord” by the Associated Press – as a “trusted friend” of Dbeibah, Lamen stressed the “root of the problem is the alliance of Mr Dbeibah that kept him in power”.
Commenting on the government granting a Schengen visa to al-Kikli, he called it a “sad fact that countries found themselves dealing with unsavoury people… and this is something that Malta should revisit”.
Acknowledging that while action was needed to tackle human trafficking and illegal immigration, he said: “I think we should do better in terms of dealing with militias or armed groups in Libya.
“At the same time, I shouldn’t blame because the lack of a Libyan state and Libyan institutions causes foreign countries to deal with whoever has power on the ground… it’s not an excuse but it’s the reality”.
‘I believe in democracy’
Lamen thinks he can be a force for positive change in the country and is positioning himself as a candidate to take over as prime minister, explaining he is one of 11 people to have submitted their candidacy to the country’s attorney general for consideration.
Despite popular calls for elections, Lamen explained that a new prime minister would be chosen by the country’s parliament instead of by popular vote, a procedure he said was in line with Libya’s constitution and recognised by the UN.
Describing himself as a “consensus candidate” and claiming to wield the most support, the analyst and former journalist said: “I’m not a gambler; we have a good plan and a good track record… I can make a difference.
“I’m a known quantity; I’m not somebody who entered the scene in 2011… I’ve been involved in politics – and opposed Gaddafi – for a long time.”
Insisting he wants to govern Libya differently to previous leaders, Lamen said he had counselled deposed dictator Muammar Gaddafi against violence in 2011 at the outset of the Libyan civil war, and said he is committed to putting an end to corruption.
“I will guarantee that I will work through all the processes that we need to work on to make sure that it [corruption] ends. It may not end in the first or second day, but I believe in human rights,” he said.
“I believe in democracy, and I am completely dedicated to implementing that… We’re going to get an election.”
Should Lamen be appointed prime minister, he said he intends to step up cooperation with Malta, a “partner” in the region.
Asked about Malta’s secretive migration centre in Libya, he said he would “review” the facility to ensure it “complies with Libyan and international law”.
‘I’m going to unify the country’
While Lamen is seeking the leadership of the Tripoli-based GNU, if he succeeds in landing the top job, he does not intend to stop there and has big plans for the country.
“I’m going to unify the country. I’m not going to be the leader for [just] the east or the west,” he said, referencing the Tobruk-based Government of National Stability (GNS) in the east of the country controlled by Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar.
With relations between the GNU and GNS traditionally strained, however, how likely does he think such an outcome is?
“I say we can unify the country, and I mean it knowing what I know about the regional and international community that is supporting it.”
Does he rule out a military campaign against the east of the country in pursuit of his goals?
“No military campaigns. I think we had enough of military campaigns in Libya… There are many good ways of trying to find ways and solutions where consensus can be reached,” he said.
Asked if he would be willing to work with Haftar, who has attracted criticism from international organisations for alleged human rights abuses and crackdowns on opposition figures, he said he was “open to working with all stakeholders in Libya”.
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