Khartoum’s meeting of Libya: Neighboring countries are ready to pick up the gauntlet

Mubarak Mahjoub Musa

Hovering about its ninth year, the Libyan crisis has been a major concern for the region in general and the neighboring countries in particular; the collapse of the state in 2011 and the control of the militias, metamorphosed most of Libyan cities and deserts, into arenas, incubators and a breeding place for all types of unruly movements. In other words, Libya has become a starting point for a number of terrorist groups and cross-border insurgents.

The infiltration and the foothold of these armed elements, especially those in the south of Libya, has left behind a very serious impact on the social fabric of the region; having involved in transnational organized crimes such as human trafficking, illegal immigration, plundering of mineral resources and the drug trade, these destructive activities continue to bring about very serious security and humanitarian repercussions on the domestic, regional and international environment.

In pursue of the proverb “If you want a thing done well, do it yourself” and mindful of the above emanating security and economic ramifications, neighboring countries who met in Khartoum on the 29th of last November, defying long alienation, continued to show their determination to pick up the gauntlet and assume their responsibilities, to offer further momentum to the international efforts, racing to bring about a political settlement to the protracted impasse in Libya, by means of dialogue and consensus.

In other words, driven by many binding factors like geographical proximity and other formerly cited common threats and challenges , neighboring countries gathered in Khartoum, to delineate and outline their common goals and principles ; at the foremost of which come the commitment to the political solution as the one and the only way to end the crisis, achieving reconciliation between the different sectors of the Libyan people without exclusion or marginalization, rejection of both foreign intervention and the military option to resolve the crisis, as well as, the need to preserve and reinstate the entity and the unity of the Libyan state and its national institutions.

Worth mentioning, Khartoum in December 2014, hosted the fifth meeting of the neighboring countries of Libya (held alternately), with similar broad participation of the foreign ministers and stakeholders concerned.

The said meeting, besides according support for the political process, called for the immediate prevention of the flow of arms to Libya, by some regional and international powers, in their fervent pursuit to ransack the wealth of the Libyan people and bolster their regional clout.

Khartoum’s meeting upheld again the importance of the domestic solution Libya, as experience has proven beyond doubt, that there is no ground or future for coated solutions that do not truly reflect the will of the Libyan people, dictated from abroad. In other words, Libya should not left to fall prey to the parties and forces, that are only interested in achieving their narrow interests, and controlling the capabilities and the riches of the Libyan people, turning the country into a battleground for a proxy war, a total disarray that brought the levels of violence to a new intensity.

Sudan, having offered to host the meeting, reiterates again and again, that it does not work in isolation of its regional space, the African Union, United Nations or even the EU. In fact, in preparation for the said conference, and order to advance Sudan’s firm position and objectives, Sudan’s Foreign Affairs Dr. Al-Dirdiri, toured and held open talks in some important European capitals including France, Germany and Belgium, in addition to the Presidency of the European Union.

Sudan makes it clear that it’s high time for all Libyan parties, to take stock of the current favorable winds of peace and reconciliation that began to blow and overwhelm the whole region. More importantly, Sudan shall not only continue to stand at equal distance from all the parties in Libya, but also remains ready to proceed with its positive role, in support of regional and international efforts, for the reinstatement of strong state institutions, that preserve Libya’s stability and territorial integrity.

It’s worth noting here that the former UN envoy to Libya, Martin Kobler, has praised the Sudanese stance towards the Libyan crisis, maintaining that Sudanese and UN positions are consistent vis-à-vis the Libyan crisis, especially on the need to find a strong government that preserves the unity and stability of the Libyan territories.

Obviously, Sudan as one of the most negatively affected countries by the crisis in Libya, has arguably been kept absent for a while, from many international forums seeking solutions to the Libyan crisis. Therefore, Sudan’s invitation to attend the recent Palermo conference in Italy might have been a new turning point; perhaps a belated acknowledgment that a country like Sudan cannot be bypassed vis-à-vis Libya, besides Sudan’s recent record of diplomatic successes in the region.

As a matter of fact, EU countries have continued to emphasize the pivotal role of Sudan in the region, maintaining that stability of Sudan serves both regional security as well as the common Western interests, foremost of which is stopping the flow of illegal immigration. Bulgarian minister of foreign affairs, Ekaterina Zaharieva, has described the Sudan in April 2017, as one of the best partners for the EU in combating terrorism, violent fundamentalism, illegal migration and human trafficking, and as an anchor of stability in a region of no stability.

In the same context, the representative of the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Salah al-Jamali, said that the recent meeting of neighboring countries in Khartoum, is a clear indication of the continuation of Sudan's constructive role in all efforts of bringing together the conflicting parties, breaking the deadlock, in order to save the country and the region from the bottleneck.

Naturally, the ongoing criminal and terrorist acts, especially in the southern Libya, have become a source of concern and inconvenience to neighboring countries; the former UN envoy to Libya, Martin Kobler, considered restoring stability in Libya to be an important and essential step, to dispel the fears of the neighboring countries like the Sudan. Consequently, the reinstatement strong Libyan government and institutions that can control the situation, and end the free sanctuary to transnational rebel groups within the Libyan territories, remains one the Sudan’s salient and strategic objective.

Indeed, the Sudanese position remains steadfast in supporting peace and stability in this neighboring country beset by conflicts and divisions, however, at the same time, Sudan sticks to its legitimate demands; Sudan in accordance with international laws and norms and well-established principles of good-neighborliness, will not accept the unfolding exploitation of Libyan territories, to threaten Sudan’s very national security and territorial integrity.

Apparently, in the aftermath of their successive military defeats in Darfur, accompanied by waning public support domestically, the remnants of Darfurian rebel movements, like other negative forces, chosen to take advantage of the political vacuum and military chaos in Libya, in order to rebuild their ramshackle military forces and return to resume fighting in Sudan. Having made no success of whatsoever, they later acquiesced ended up miserably, into hired guns and freebooters, spreading chaos and pillage wherever they went, according to the very international and UN official reports.

By the same token, enumerating their negative implications on the situation in Libya, UN envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salamah, has classified these groups, as mercenaries that fuel conflicts, trade and prolong wars - worse yet - they are exploited for hideous military and political agendas and projects, involving external parties to the conflict, in return for money and weapons.

On his part, the Libyan journalist Abdullah al-Kabir, described the situation in southern Libya, as a time bomb, indicating that the training camps of a large number of non-Libyan militants which created their foothold in Southern part of Libya, will pose a threat to both Libya and neighboring countries.

With open heart and mind, Sudan has been extending helping hands, seeking to share and disseminate the multiple and tangible benefits, keep and continue to emanate from the Sudanese-Chadian joint forces, in securing the borders and achieving praiseworthy levels security and stability. To that effect, Sudan has had submitted a draft protocol for joint security cooperation covering Sudan, Chad and Niger, which could include Libya in the near future, for the very purpose of combating terrorism and related crimes and the maintenance of national security for the two countries.

On a brighter note, Libyans were quite responsive; last May in the capital of Chad N'Djamena, Libya had signed an agreement with its southern neighboring countries Niger, Chad and Sudan to secure the joint borders against terrorism, organized and transnational crimes, human trafficking and weapons smuggling. Worth noting here, preparations are currently underway for Sudan’s participation in the coming ministerial meeting of neighboring countries in southern Libya, with the participation of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security Services, which will be held in the city of "Niamey" in Niger next week, on the coming 14th of December.