Former Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril: Libya Is a 'Stateless Society'
In an exclusive interview in Washington with Al-Monitor's Barbara Slavin, former interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril describes Libya as a "stateless society" requiring assistance from the United States and other Western nations to begin a national dialogue among its disparate factions and to stabilize the country.
WASHINGTON — Former interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril described Libya Thursday as a "stateless society" requiring assistance from the United States and other Western nations to begin a national dialogue among its disparate factions and to stabilize the country.
In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Jibril acknowledged that the security situation in Libya remains fragile amid widespread militia violence and attacks such as the one that killed US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi last month. Jibril indicated that armed groups, including remnants of Moammar Gadhafi's regime, are able to stage attacks and smuggle weapons across Libya's borders almost at will.
"There is a lack of a controlling power on the ground," Jibril said. "I don't think it's fair to assign all that's happening to a certain group because it's a golden opportunity for everybody. It's a fragile environment and everybody wants to mold it toward his own direction."
There have been estimates that there are more than 200 militia groups across Libya and that about a dozen have significant military clout. Two organizations — the Supreme Security Committee and the Shield of Libya Brigades — consist of former militiamen. But their "mandate, reporting and command structure remain unclear," according to a recent report by the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. The report also said that Gadhafi supporters in exile may be supporting armed groups within the country.
