Arms' proliferation: A major problem for Dbeibeh's gov't in Libya
The proliferation of arms is proving a major problem for the government of new Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.
The same problem is a
stumbling block on the road to bringing stability back to Libya.
This problem finds
its roots in 2011 when unrest started to reign in this North African country.
Chairman of the
Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamad al-Manfi, has called on the international
community to honor its commitments to Libya, including by preventing
interference in his country's internal affairs and banning the export of arms
to Libya.
Landmines
A United Nations
official wondered recently at the enormity of arms' proliferation in Libya. The
official said he had not seen this extent of arms in one country over his
professional life of 40 years.
The official noted
that spending on ammunitions is rising in Libya. He pointed to the threats
posed by the presence of landmines in different parts of the country.
He warned against the
adverse ramifications for the presence of these landmines and the proliferation
of arms.
The Libyan people,
the official said, bear the brunt of these problems alone.
Exploitation
Observers warn,
meanwhile, against the effects of the spread of arms on security around Libya.
The presence of these
arms, they said, would empower militant groups.
The same observers
said that apart from threatening Libya's security, the proliferation of arms
also threatens the security of Libya's neighboring countries.
Challenge
Libya is also
proving a security challenge for Europe. Politico magazine referred to a recent
visit to Libya by the foreign ministers of Italy, France and Germany.
The magazine also
referred to other recent visits to the Libyan capital by other European senior
officials.
The magazine called
on European policy-makers to help the new government in Libya regain security
and stability across the North African state.
