Turkiye evacuates 82 nationals from Libya after unrest
ISTANBUL: Turkiye evacuated 82 of its nationals from the Libyan capital Tripoli after several days of fatal clashes between armed groups, foreign ministry sources said late Friday.'Eighty-two citizens who wanted to return to Turkiye were assisted in their departure from Libya and allowed to return home,' the source said, referring to 'the conflict and insecurity' that has gripped the North African nation in recent days.The move came a day after the Turkish embassy said in a post on Facebook that it was preparing to evacuate its nationals via a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul from the Libyan port city of Misrata, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) east of Tripoli. It said it would organize bus transport from the capital.The ministry did not give details about those who returned home and didn't say whether more flights were planned.Violence flared in the Libyan capital late on Monday between loyalist forces and powerful armed groups that the government is trying to dismantle.The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Friday said 'at least eight civilians' were killed in heavy clashes, which took place over the following days, bringing air traffic to an almost total standstill.Although relative calm returned to Tripoli earlier on Friday, the situation remained highly volatile.Turkiye, which backs the UN-recognized government in Tripoli led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, called on Wednesday for a truce and said it was 'closely monitoring' the situation.Libya has struggled to recover from years of unrest since the NATO-backed 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime leader Muammar Qaddafi, with the country split between Dbeibah's government in the west and a rival authority backed by strongman Khalifa Haftar in the east.
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On May 12, Tripoli experienced widespread clashes between rival militias as Libya became the arena for the type of blood-letting and public disorder that recalled the horrors of civil conflicts and war that have devastated the country for more than a decade. Both parts of the divided country, led by rival authorities in Tobruk and Tripoli, are overrun by militias. The administration in the east, headed by the House of Representatives in Tobruk, is supported by the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, commanded by Khalifa Haftar. His army controls political and financial institutions. Haftar's forces also control Libya's oil-producing areas in the east that produce 1.2 million barrels a day. Oil revenues, which are deposited in the Central Bank of Libya, account for 97 percent of the government revenues required to pay for official expenses, salaries, and imports. 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Talmiz Ahmad The rival leaders in Tripoli and Tobruk enjoy the support of one of two major external powers: Turkiye backs Tripoli, while Russia backs Tobruk. Turkiye has provided the Government of National Unity with armored vehicles, air defense systems, armed drones, and artillery. Meanwhile, during a military parade in Benghazi on May 26, Haftar flaunted Russian-supplied weaponry that included air defense systems, helicopters, tanks, military trucks, rocket systems, and infantry fighting vehicles. The parade served to showcase his military prowess, and supported the Libyan Arab Armed Forces' claim to be the legitimate national army. While Libya's leaders enrich themselves and feud with each other, their backers, Turkiye and Russia, are reaping strategic and economic benefits. Russia already has airbases at Al-Khadim and Al-Shatti, and is said to be looking to establish a Mediterranean naval base, possibly at Tobruk itself. Turkiye's agreement with the Tripoli-based government in 2021 strengthened its claims to the energy resources of the Eastern Mediterranean. Since then, the country has obtained lucrative infrastructure contracts from the Tobruk government as well. Russia views Libya as a strategic bridge to the Mediterranean and Africa. In the aftermath of the regime change in Syria, Moscow has targeted Libya as its principal geopolitical center for political, economic, and military outreach in Africa. Its interests on the continent, particularly in the Sahel, are being promoted by the Africa Corps, the successor to the Wagner Group, and are well-served from bases in Libya, particularl Maettan Al-Sarra close to the borders with Chad and Sudan. So far, Turkiye and Russia have been pursuing a policy of 'managed rivalry,' as they have done previously in relation to Syria and the South Caucasus. A recent analysis in an Arabic newspaper contrasted the current lawlessness and violence in western Libya with the unity, discipline, and security provided by Haftar in the east through the elimination of extremists and militias. The author suggested that before seeking free elections and a democratic government, Tripoli needs to establish law and order through a takeover by Haftar's forces and unite the country. Possibly concerned by the corrosive effect of the national divide, Russia and Turkiye just might agree to unify Libya under Haftar. In September last year, there were reports that he was moving his troops to Ghadames, a strategically located oasis with an airport near the border with Tunisia and Algeria. This movement of his armed forces was seen as a precursor to the siege of Tripoli. However, recent history tells us that although in times of disorder and violence military rule might seem alluring, once in power such rule rarely makes way for free and fair elections; instead, it remains entrenched for decades and grows increasingly autocratic, intolerant, and harsh. Libya, sadly, is likely to be the latest example of this historical truth.
