Now that Gaddafi is out, what happens to weapons dropped by NATO?
This development has sparked up wide jubilation in many parts of the of the oil-rich nation, particularly among citizens who fought as volunteers alongside NTC’s soldiers for what has been widely described in the western media as the ‘‘liberation of Libya from Gaddafi’s 42 years of military dictatorship and oppression’’. But before Libyans celebrate too […]
This development has sparked up wide jubilation in many parts of the of the oil-rich nation, particularly among citizens who fought as volunteers alongside NTC’s soldiers for what has been widely described in the western media as the ‘‘liberation of Libya from Gaddafi’s 42 years of military dictatorship and oppression’’. But before Libyans celebrate too much on this recent development, here is my humble advice and a word of caution to the ruling NTC currently holding sway in the country and Libyans in general – “beware of the vultures and wolves in sheep clothing from America and the West waiting to feast on your country’s oil wells, now that Gaddafi is out of the way.”
While the intention of the writer is neither to justify the legality of Gaddafi’s 42 years of undemocratic rule in Libya nor to encourage the sit-tight mentality common among African leaders, it will however be unfair to close our eyes to the remarkable achievements recorded by the late Libyan leader and the patriotic zeal with which he managed the affairs of the oil-rich nation and defended its sovereignty in the face of threat from Western influence for the 42 years he ruled Libya.
Though the campaign in the Western media was that Gaddafi was a dictator who ruled Libya with utter impunity and lack of tolerance for opposition, the undisputable fact was that Libya, under Gaddafi could boast of one of the best economies in Africa and by extension the world. For Libyans and other concerned Africans to really appreciate the great dangers posed by this unfortunate development to the peace, stability and development of Libya and Africa in general, we need to draw some lessons from historical developments in recent times. A cursory look at the impact of US and its ally’s invasion of any nation-under the guise of fight against terrorism (as was the case in Afghanistan), search for weapons of mass destruction (as it was in Iraq), or the fight against military dictatorship and attempting to institutionailse democracy – will clearly reveal that all the countries that had been invaded in the past under any of these guises were always left worse off than they were before the intervention of the so-called super powers. The question then is, will Libya’s case be different?
If history is anything to go by, the answer is definitely no! For those of us that can read in-between the lines and reason beyond the propaganda, we are regularly been fed with through Western media, you will agree with me that the greedy desire to exploit nations’ natural resources – especially oil, rather than the quest for global peace, security and people’s welfare is usually the underlying motive behind such American and Western interventions.
Coupled with this is the growing apprehension across the continent over the possible aftermath effects of the Libyan insurgency on peace and stability on the continent. Now that Gaddafi is out of the way, what will happen to light arms and ammunition that were dropped from NATO’s war planes to civilians and rebel fighters during the uprising? What of those that were allegedly looted from Gaddafi’s armoury in the heat of the crisis? Concerned Africans like me will also want to know the fate of those pro-Gaddafi fighters who fled with their arms to neighbouring countries like Algeria and Niger Republic during the unrest in Libya – and the implication of these developments on the general security situation on the continent.
Giving these stack realities therefore, the success or failure of the transitional government and the subsequent governments that will come into being in post Gaddafi’s Libya in maintaining peace, stability and reasonable level of development will be largely dependent on the way they manage the country’s internal reconstruction, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes on one hand, and the way they handle the country’s foreign relations – particularly with the West and US – on the other hand.
Of particular importance however, is the way the current handlers of the country relate with US and the West. Should the Mustafa Abdel Jalil-led transition council of Libya indiscriminately open its national frontiers to the floodgate of American and Western influences, then Libya might just be on the verge of disintegration and socio-economic and political enslavement. It is therefore, up to the NTC to stand up to the current challenge of rebuilding Libya and protecting its sovereignty from the negatively invasive forces of Western imperialism.
As the transitional government attempts to lay the foundation for democratic governance in Libya, I also want to strongly advice that they look away from the American version of Liberal Democracy which promotes exploitative private capital accumulation at the expense of popular welfare and equitable distribution of national resources. Rather, they should adopt Socialist Democracy which places premium on fair and equitable distribution of national wealth.
Another major task before the transitional government is to devise a means of re-uniting Libyans and rallying their patriotic support for the re-building of a new Libya after the exit of Gaddafi. In doing this, the NTC will need to, as a matter of urgency, embark on the quick recovery and mopping up of the light arms and ammunition in the hands of civilians and rebel fighters.
Also, the government needs to grant an unconditional amnesty to Gaddafi’s family members, his civilian loyalists and those soldiers who fought on his side during the bloody battle for the control of the country. These steps are very necessary to forestall the possibility of Gaddafi’s loyalist regrouping and evolving into a rebel group that will attempt to run a parallel government, particularly in those regions of the country that have been identified as Gaddafi strongholds.
The African Union has a critical role to play in this regard by advising and supporting the transitional government in rebuilding Libya. These steps need to be taken as a matter of urgency if Libya is to be set on the right track to becoming a peaceful, democratic and egalitarian state – now that Gaddafi is out of the way.
Omoniyi wrote from the Federal College of Education (Technical) Bichi. Email: [email protected]