Libya rejects the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) process, which “enables criminals, illegal militias and corrupt officials to form a unity government for Libya,” said Emadeddin Muntasser, head of the US-based Foundation for Democracy and Human Rights. Thursday.
Muntasser told the Daily Sabah that a petition signed by more than 10,000 Libyans was sent to the UN, the European Union and US officials this week stating that “UNSMIL’s decommissioning process does not serve the Libyans. It fails to benefit the people for whom it exists for the first time, legally, morally and when it comes to fundamental issues of sovereignty and self-determination. ”
“Only accountability and choice will bring peace to Libya,” Muntasser said.
The letter emphasized that such self-determination is a core value of the UN, and states that it stands in “sharp contrast to the dark motives of international actors with interests in Libya and beyond, and war criminals and terrorists – Libyan or otherwise – who try or have traced the prospects for a peaceful and democratic Libya. ”
It was emphasized in the letter that the UN served the people of Libya better in the past.
“The list of signatories in this petition represents the largest public expression of Libyan views since 2014. This list is three times the verifiable number of participants in any UNSMIL or Center for Humanitarian Dialogue survey, event or conference,” it added.
As part of the decommissioning process, UNSMIL had selected 75 delegations to plan a preliminary roadmap for “free, fair, inclusive and credible presidential and parliamentary elections.” It was recently agreed that elections would be held in December 2021.
Elected from existing government bodies and groups from across Libya’s political and social spectrum, criticized and questioned by the legitimacy of the 75 delegates, as well as how they were elected, by some Libyans.
“The identity of these participants is of the utmost importance, and yet several of the UNSMIL delegates are known instigators of violence and hatred,” the letter said.
Libya has been divided between forces loyal to the UN-recognized National Accord Government (GNA) based in Tripoli and its rival, Putchist General Khalifa Haftar.
After a year-long but ultimately abortive attempt by warlord Haftar to seize Tripoli, the two sides signed a formal ceasefire in October and pumped new life into UN-led efforts for a political solution to the conflict. After the deal, the competing sides agreed to work on a mechanism to elect a transitional government that would lead the conflict-affected country to national elections next year.
However, critics and the GNA have often stated that they would not accept Haftar, who plays a role in a future political agreement, and emphasizes that he is a war criminal who attacked the capital and led to the deaths of hundreds of people. Mass graves were also found in regions previously controlled by the warlord, which is evidence of war crimes committed by Haftar’s forces.
Similarly, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) reported last month that Haftar’s offensive against the capital Tripoli involved “a pattern of violence involving indiscriminate airstrikes and shelling of civilian areas, arbitrary abduction, detention and torture of civilians, extrajudicial killings and coercion. plunder of civil property. ”
The Foundation for Democracy and Human Rights emphasized: “Justice must be served and criminals from all sides must be held accountable. Corruption must be tackled by targeting local and foreign partners. Spoilers must be pursued with international sanctions and arrest warrants. Libya does not need another transitional period, which allows crime and corruption to continue indefinitely. “
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