The Role of UAE in the Libyan Conflict

Introduction:

Libya gained independence on 24^th December 1951, when it was declared as a constitutional and hereditary monarchy under King Idris. It was the first country to achieve autonomy through the United Nations (UN) and one of the first former European colonies in Africa to gain independence. On 1^st September 1969, the Constitutional Monarchy ended by a bloodless military coup led by junior military officers, the leader of the coup Col. Gaddafi ruled Libya for a little more than 42 years.

Gaddafi’s dictatorship came to an end in 2011. Libyans took to the streets on 17^th February 2011 in peaceful demonstrations encouraged by the peaceful uprisings of Tunisia & Egypt. But Gaddafi’s violent attempt to repress the population, turned the Libyan revolution to a bloody armed conflict, which lasted 8 months and involved NATO which imposed a United Nations Security Council authorized none-fly zone over Libya. Gaddafi was captured and killed on 20^th October 2011.

The political democratic transformation of Libya started before the demise of Gaddafi when the National Transitional Council (NTC) adopted an interim Constitution on 3^rd August 2011. Article 30 of this interim Constitution drew the Roadmap of the democratic transition. This democratic process came to halt in the summer of 2014, and Libya relapsed in conflict since then.

 

The Role of UAE:

The UAE, and specifically its de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohamed Ben Zaid (MBZ), played and continues to play leading role in the destabilization and prolongation of the war in Libya. MBZ’s negative, and in some cases destructive, interference in the internal affairs, is not just in Libya, but also in several other countries in the region, including Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Syria, and Somalia. He was even accused of involvement in the failed military coup in Turkey last year.

 

UAE Interference in Libya (Phase I):

In 2012, UAE backed a group of militias, which had major control in Tripoli. The militias from Zintan, a small town in the Western Mountain, about 140 Km SW Tripoli. They controlled the Ministry of Interior, Military Police, Tripoli International Airport, Tripoli Tower (where most of Embassies are located), and several military compounds and instillations. UAE armed & trained these militias. They were the military wing of the Alliance of National Forces (ANF) which was headed by Mahmoud Gebril, a Libyan politician based in UAE.

The reign of Zintan militias in Tripoli came to an end when they were defeated and driven out of the Capital on 24^th August 2014, after 6 weeks of fighting. The UAE tried to help its allies in Tripoli by launching air raids on positions of the coalition forces, from Misrata and Tripoli, fighting the Zintan militias. Air raids by unidentified warplanes hit several locations in Tripoli on 18^th and 23^rd August 2014. The air raids killed 21 people & injured over 80, some severely. United States officials (Pentagon) exposed the involvement of UAE in the air strikes[i].

 

UAE Interference in Libya (Phase II):

With the defeat of the military allies in August 2014, UAE resorted to derail the diplomatic efforts of the United Nations and Western Countries to resolve the conflict through political agreement. Emails sent by the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) of the United Nations to Libya, Mr. Bernardino Leon, to UAE Foreign Minister were leaked to the Guardian Newspaper[ii]. The leaked emails[iii] showed the UN envoy was not acting as an impartial & independent mediator but as one acting according to an agenda set by the UAE. While he was doing this, he was negotiating a lucrative contract with the UAE.

Further emails, between UAE diplomats in New York with their Foreign Ministry in Abu Dhabi, were leaked to the press[iv] which revealed that “The United Arab Emirates was shipping weapons to favoured belligerents in Libya over the summer in violation of an international arms embargo while simultaneously offering a highly paid job to the United Nations diplomat drafting a peace accord there”. The New York Times report stated:

“In the emails, the Emirati diplomats frankly acknowledge their government was shipping arms to its Libyan allies in violation of the United Nations embargo — a policy they say is overseen at the “head of state level” — and they strategize about hiding the shipments from a United Nations monitoring panel.

Answering questions and complying with procedures required by the United Nations resolution “will expose how deeply we are involved in Libya,” Mr. Qasimi wrote, adding, “We should try to provide a cover to lessen the damage.””

 

UAE Interference in Libya (Phase III):

Retired Major General Khalifa Hifter appeared on a Saudi owned Satellite Channel Al Arabiya, based in Dubai, and announced that he was in control of the situation in Tripoli and declared the suspension of the Interim Constitution & the elected Parliament (General National Congress) on 14^th February 2014. That coup never materialized, because Hifter’s co-conspirators, the militia battalions from Zintan, did not join him as was planned, had a last-minute change of heart. Hifter fled Tripoli and disappeared for a couple of weeks, he emerged again in Benghazi on 28^th February 2014.

On the 16^th May 2014, Hifter launched surprise attacks on armed groups in Benghazi, and declared a military operation called “Operation Dignity”. Zintan militia battalions declared the launch of military operations in Tripoli on 24^th May 2014. A coalition of forces from Misrata and Tripoli launched “Libya Dawn Operation” on 13^th July 2014, six weeks later Zintan forces were defeated and fled Tripoli on 24^th August 2014. In the East, the war in Benghazi is still ongoing. The city centre and several suburbs were destroyed, extensive damage. Over 100 Thousand residents of Benghazi are now Internally Displaced in Libya.

From End of 2014, UAE shifted its support, militarily, financially and politically, to Hifter. Leaked emails, like the ones published by the New York Times, the Guardian and other major media outlets, have exposed the direct involvement of UAE in the war in Libya. More than that, the reports of the UN Panel of Experts[v] (the Panel), which monitor and report the compliance, and none-compliance, of UN member states with the sanctions, especially the export of military grade equipment, imposed by the UN Security Council.

The Panel’s reports documented extensive UAE, violations of the UN Security Council resolutions. The last report[vi], issued on 1^st June 2017, documented:

• Supply of ammunitions & weapons,
• Supply of military armoured vehicles,
• Supply of Wing Loong unmanned aerial vehicles (Drones),
• Supply of military Helicopter (Mi-24p),
• Special ground attack aircraft, manufactured in the UAE (AT-802i), and
• UAE developed an airbase in Eastern Libya (Khadim airbase).

The Panel summed up its findings in paragraph (132) of its said report:

“The United Arab Emirates have been providing both material support (see paras. 122 ff) and direct support to LNA (see paras. 124 ff), which have significantly increased the air support available to LNA. The Panel has received no response from the United Arab Emirates to its enquiries.”

 

Conclusion:

There is amble evidence of UAE’s direct & indirect interference in Libya’s internal affairs. The interference caused the collapse of the political process (sponsored by the UN and the International Community) to rebuild the State institutions of Libya, prolonged the armed conflict, caused extensive property & infrastructure damage, hundreds of lives lost (substantial portion of the victims were civilians).

We believe the UAE and other regional parties should be held responsible for their violations of International Humanitarian Law, and the violations of International Human Rights Law resulting from their interference. UAE in particular, has been doing this in complete contempt of the UN and the International Community. That is why this document singles out the UAE, and that is why we seek legal actions.

 

Human Rights Solidarity

Tripoli – Libya

 

 

 

 

 

End Notes:

[i] New York Times: “Arab Nations Strike in Libya, Surprising U.S.”, 25^th August 2014. Financial Times: “UAE and Egypt warned over air raids in Libya”, 26^th August 2014. RT [Russia Today]: “Egypt and UAE have been conducting secret air strikes on Libya – report”, 26^th August 2014. The Guardian: “UAE and Egypt behind bombing raids against Libyan militias, say US officials”, 26^th August 2014.

[ii] The Guardian: “UN Libya envoy accepts £1,000-a-day job from backer of one side in civil war”, 4^th November 2015.

[iii] The Middle East Eye: “Full text of email from UN Libya envoy Bernardino Leon to UAE foreign minister”, 5^th November 2015.

[iv] New York Times: “Leaked Emirati Emails Could Threaten Peace Talks in Libya”, 12^th November 2015.

[v] The Panel of Experts on Libya was established pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 (2011) to assist the Libya Sanctions Committee established pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011).

[vi] United Nations Security Council, Libya Sanctions Committee, Panel of Experts on Libya: “Final report of the Panel of Experts in accordance with paragraph 13 of resolution 2278 (2016)”, 1^st June 2017.