Militias in Libya since 2011

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Military situation in Libya in 2016

The militias in Libya since 2011 are various armed groups that arose in the wake of the Libyan civil war. As a result, the country remains deeply divided as different groups fight for political legitimacy and military supremacy. The situation is marked by lawlessness and vigilante justice.

background

Many groups that became strong against the former, authoritarian ex-ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi in the Libyan civil war in 2011 are still carrying weapons today (as of 2014). They were initially celebrated as heroes of the revolution by large parts of the Libyan population. According to observers, however, they have not moved in the direction of democracy since the end of the civil war. The groups fight each other and stubbornly oppose the demands of the weak central government. Many militia leaders see themselves as "guarantors of the revolution" and the power structures of the old regime as still effective.

There are still many weapons in circulation in Libya. The Gaddafi regime had set up huge ammunition dumps and the international community is failing to defuse and destroy these stocks. These weapons are now also used by the militias.

The Libyan government repeatedly tried to disband the various armed militias or to integrate them into the state security forces.

There are always arguments between the individual groups. The Libyan military does not always have the means to face the heavily armed groups.

In October 2013, militiamen kidnapped the Prime Minister Ali Seidan and detained him for several hours.

Assignment of the groups

It is difficult to assign the armed groups in Libya. Their structure and their position vis-à-vis other groups and the Libyan state are often ambiguous.

The main groups are:

as well as other local groups.

The Libyan National Liberation Army was formed from parts of the regular Libyan army and locally formed brigades and militias during the civil war. To this day the Libyan government tries to transfer the various brigades into the regular armed forces of Libya. Almost all groups oppose this. Some groups openly oppose the Libyan state and set up their own domains with their own administrative and government structures. Some groups do not recognize the transitional government or pursue separatist tendencies.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Amnesty International Report 2016/2017: Libya. Amnesty International, accessed October 8, 2017 .
  2. ↑ http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/libyen1792.html ( Memento from November 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ Country Summary: Libya. Human Rights Watch, accessed September 8, 2017 .

Sources and web links