NATO success? Heavy fighting in Libya could escalate into the 3. civil war; the country is divided. Elections are being prevented. Militias and a corrupt elite rule in cooperation with foreign powers.

In 2011, NATO, in violation of international law, overthrew Libyan revolutionary leader Muammar al-Gaddafi in cooperation with Islamist militias. Now, little is heard or read in the Western media about whether this has improved people's lives. Before Gaddafi's overthrow and assassination, Libyans had the highest standard of living in Africa, higher than in some European countries. Gaddafi wanted to unite Africans in order to free them from the neo-colonial constraints of Western states. He initiated the founding of the African Union, wanted to unite the continent, create a common African currency and promote intra-African development cooperation. Now the Neue Züricher Zeitung is painting a grim picture of the situation of the people in Libya. When will we hold NATO accountable for the crimes it has committed against the Libyan people under the slogan of bringing democracy and liberating a country from a dictator?

Excerpts from the report in the Neue Züricher Zeitung (NZZ): After several days of heavy fighting, a tense calm has prevailed in the Libyan capital since Friday morning. Tanks rolled through the streets. Doctors from the particularly embattled districts of Abu Slim and Suk al-Juma estimate to the NZZ that there were at least 75 dead and over 130 injured. There are no official casualty figures.

Overnight, formerly hostile militias forged a new alliance against the prime minister. They now present themselves as champions against the corrupt political elite surrounding Dbaiba. His critics blame the businessman and multimillionaire from the port city of Misrata for the rampant corruption in western Libya. But even they view his possible downfall with concern. This is because there is currently no serious political alternative. Numerous opposition representatives have disappeared into militia prisons or fled in recent years.

Now fears are growing once again of a new civil war in Libya, which could have international implications. Dbaiba is supported by Turkey. In 2019 and 2020, Ankara provided massive military aid to ensure that Tripoli and Misrata did not fall to Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who is supported by Russia and rules eastern and southern Libya. In return for Turkey's help, the central bank of what is probably Africa's most oil-rich country is supporting Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government with various loans.

Well-informed officers told the NZZ that Turkish military aircraft landed in Misrata on Wednesday with weapons. According to them, several convoys from the trading city are on their way to Tripoli to help Dbaiba in the fight against the militias.

Khalifa Haftar, who has just returned from a week-long trip to Moscow, would welcome a power vacuum in Tripoli. Since Tuesday, Ilyushin-76 military transporters belonging to his Libyan National Army have been flying military equipment from the east of the country to Sirte in central Libya. Haftar could join the anti-Dbaiba alliance – or he could join forces with him.

Many Libyans are completely at a loss as to how things should proceed. They have had enough of their political elite, but new elections were last prevented by the militias in December 2011. The UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Libya, Hanna Tetteh, delivered an angry speech to the UN Security Council on Thursday, addressing the international allies of the warring parties. ‘We have had enough of attempts to find only temporary solutions without real commitment. They always lead to the same result: the power of the strongest.’

In Libyen eskaliert der Machtkampf der Milizen – nun droht der Bürgerkrieg erneut auszubrechen

We recall this brutal success story about a murder for which NATO is responsible: