Could international intervention help stabilize Libya?

The Heat

TripoliA man stands by his car as black smoke billows across the sky after a petrol depot was set ablaze during clashes between rival militias near Tripoli’s international airport, on the outskirts of the capital, on August 13, 2014. Photo: AFP/STR

Libya is sinking deeper into conflict. Recent fighting between militias has left hundreds dead in Tripoli and Benghazi, the worst since the toppling of Muammur Gaddafi. Who are these militias and what are they fighting for? Should there be some form of outside intervention to stabilize the country?

Three years after the overthrow of Muammur Gaddafi, Libya is nowhere near peace and stability. In the latest escalation, Libyan factions traded gunfire and mortars in Tripoli over the weekend. On Monday, unidentified warplanes even bombed militia positions in the capital city. CCTV America’s Cui Lingnan reports.

Tripoli has become a battle ground once again with Libyan factions trading gunfire around the capital.

Most of the fighting is raging between rival militias from the western cities of Zintan and Misrata. They’re trying to take control of the international airport in Tripoli. The ongoing clashes mostly limited to ground action have killed more than 200 people in recent weeks.

Libya’s newly-elected parliament held its first meeting in the eastern city of Tobruk and pleaded for international intervention. Tobruk is about a thousand kilometers (621 miles) east of Tripoli. That’s how far the new government had to travel to escape the violence.

Several thousand people held rallies in Tripoli last week rejecting the parliament’s decision to allow foreign involvement. Supporters of the government gathered in a show of support in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Many countries, as well as the U.N. and other international organizations, have evacuated their personnel from Libya, fearing an all-out civil war.

The newly named special U.N. representative to Libya, Bernardino Leon, plans to visit Tripoli as early as this week to discuss a ceasefire.

Chris Chivvis is the senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation. Anas El Gomati is the founder and General Director of the Sadeq Institute, a non-government Libyan think-tank. Sukant Chandan is a political analyst from London.

Who are the players in the ongoing crisis in Libya? Pt. 1

Chris Chivvis is the senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation. Anas El Gomati is the founder and General Director of the Sadeq Institute, a non-government Libyan think-tank. Sukant Chandan is a political analyst from London.

Who are the players in the ongoing crisis in Libya? Pt. 2

Chris Chivvis is the senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation. Anas El Gomati is the founder and General Director of the Sadeq Institute, a non-government Libyan think-tank. Sukant Chandan is a political analyst from London.