The murder in Benghazi on Tuesday, of the US ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, along with three colleagues could have catastrophic consequences for Libya. The crime demonstrates vividly the impotence of the authorities, thus far, to rein in heavily-armed militias in a country that is still awash with weaponry from the revolution.
In the light of this appalling deadly attack, many international companies that have committed to operations in post-Qaddafi Libya will be reviewing their decisions. Meanwhile, those like Shell, who decided the country was still too dangerous to return to, will be congratulating themselves on their decisions.
Without foreign investment, the oil-driven Libyan economy will not be able to broaden and diversify, to create much needed jobs. Worse, unless the militias are confronted and disarmed, they will continue to undermine what stability there is in the country, and drive increased factionalism.
Yet it is not all bad news. The Libyans voted in July for a legislature that will oversee the drafting of a new constitution within the next 18 months. On Wednesday, even as the world was still getting to grips with the news of the Benghazi assassinations, that legislature went ahead and in two ballots, chose a new prime minister from a candidate list of eight. Mustafa Abu Shagur, now has two weeks in which to form his government. It is absolutely clear that the new premier’s priority has to be security.
The slaying of the US ambassador came about after an angry crowd demonstrated outside the American Consulate, to protest a bigoted, anti-Islamic film, made in California by religious extremists. However contrary to many press reports, the actual attack with rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices, only took place after the crowd was infiltrated by armed extremists.
These same killers are widely believed to be responsible for a failed attack, also in Benghazi, on the British ambassador, as well as on the headquarters of the Red Cross. They may also be behind the series of murders of former Qaddafi-era officers who are still serving in the armed forces. Then again, there is a suspicion that these killings could be the work of Qaddafi loyalists, mounting revenge attacks on officers who changed sides during the revolution. Whatever the truth, the new government has to get a grip on security. Unlike in Iraq, where the American occupation forces stupidly swept away all Saddam Hussein’s police and army, many of Qaddafi’s former security forces, certainly at medium and lower levels, remain in place and are content to work with the new order. However they have been under-resourced and neglected. New army units have been made up of former militiamen, but their training has often been superficial and their morale is reportedly low.
Law and order still largely rests in the hands of the Supreme Security Committee (SSC), which sprang up after the revolution. This body has frequently ignored the instructions of the interim government, for instance refusing to intervene last month when extremists began destroying religious monuments.
One of Abu Shagur’s first tasks will be to insist that the SSC makes itself accountable to the elected government, and ultimately is integrated into the normal security services. This may not be an easy task. However, one strong argument against the SSC, is that for all its claims to be the main upholders of law and order, it has failed spectacularly to prevent the recent terror attacks, which culminated on Tuesday with the killing of the US ambassador and three of his colleagues.
The truth is that until now, the unelected Libyan government has had neither the mandate nor the appetite to confront all those armed groups that are acting outside the law. Within a fortnight, after Abu Shagur has formed his Cabinet, this situation will have changed. A legitimate government will have a legitimate reason to demand that all the armed groups respect its authority and the rule of law.
Disarming the militias will not be easy. The small number of dedicated terrorists in their midst will have to be hunted down by the authorities, but this is a task that can no longer be postponed. Libyans are a moderate people. The vast majority want firm action against all the armed thugs. They have been revolted by the Benghazi crimes, which have been a wake up call for the whole country. Abu Shagur’s new government must start to respond, the minute it takes office.
Editorial: A wake-up call for new Libyan govt
