Libyan presidential candidate makes campaign stop in DC
Officials meeting on the sidelines of an Africa summit in Washington discuss the deteriorating security situation in Libya, while a Libyan businessman networks to run for president back home.
Among the topics for discussion on the sidelines of this week’s Africa summit in Washington was the deteriorating situation in Libya, where militants have declared an “Islamic emirate” in the eastern city of Benghazi and are battling secular and tribal rivals in the capital, Tripoli.
Libyan interim Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni had a series of high-level meetings with Barack Obama administration officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry, White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice and Gen. David Rodriguez, commander of US Africa Command. Representatives from the United States, Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia issued a joint statement on Aug. 6 expressing “deep concern about the political and security challenges facing Libya and the impact of these challenges across North Africa and the Sahel region.” They called on “all parties in Libya to adopt an immediate ceasefire and to undertake negotiations to address the country’s security and stability needs.”
Chances for a cease-fire do not look promising, however. Clashes in Tripoli have closed the airport to most international flights in recent weeks and many Western embassies have shut down and moved staff abroad. More than 2 million Libyans are now refugees in neighboring Tunisia, according to Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, while another 1 million are in Egypt.
Libya’s neighbors are so concerned about the spreading instability that they may seek a UN Security Council resolution endorsing foreign military intervention, Karim Mezran, a Libya expert at the Atlantic Council, told Al-Monitor. Egypt and Algeria, both adamantly opposed to political Islam, are among likely contributors if foreign forces get involved, Mezran said.
