August 24, 2020
H.E. Mr. António Guterres
Secretary General
United Nations
Your Excellency, greetings, and respects.
Further to our letter of June 29, we would like to thank you for taking on board some of the ideas proposed in that letter, and for your recent remark (July 8) that:
“[I]n this gloomy context, all opportunities to unblock the political stalemate must be seized. De-escalation efforts, including the creation of a possible demilitarized zone, are being undertaken by UNSMIL to reach a negotiated solution and spare lives.”
Your proactive approach, and that of your UNSMIL team, has led to important aligned statements by several stakeholders including US National Security Adviser H.E. Mr. Robert C. O’Brien (August 5), and German Foreign Minister H.E. Mr. Heiko Maas (August 17), and to a flurry of shuttle diplomacy by several Western diplomats, especially H.E. Ambassador Richard Norland of the USA.
As a result, two important positive statements regarding an immediate Ceasefire were made on August 21 by both H.E. the President of the Libyan House of Representatives (HoR) and H.E. the President of the Presidential Council of the Government of National Accord (GNA).
Ihya Libya (Reviving Libya) welcomed both statements on the same day they were issued (kindly see attached press release).
Despite the important discrepancies between the two statements, we believe they can jointly be built upon to relaunch a Libyan-Libyan political process that restores the Libyan people’s rights to security, safety, services-delivery, and “Right to Development”, and to choose their own leaders in fair and transparent Presidential and Parliamentarian direct elections.
Unfortunately, however, since the issuing of the two positive statements on August 21, some alarming actions have been taken by the GNA and its security forces, including:
1. The launch of attacks on Al-Asabaa city and adjacent localities, and the crackdown on civilians there.
2. The firing of live ammunition of various calibers (including anti-aircraft 14.5-caliber) on peaceful demonstrators in Tripoli, who were simply demanding their basic rights of dignified living and delivery of basic services.
3. The continued procurement of terrorism-linked mercenaries from Syria via Turkey.
UNSMIL has already issued helpful statements regarding the first two items. However, Your Excellency’s personal support of Libyan civilians would be much appreciated. That support can be expressed in various ways, including:
1. Making strong statements, as General Secretary of the esteemed United Nations.
2. Expanding the mandate of your recently appointed Fact-Finding Mission (appointed by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, August 23) to include abuses and violations from 2011 (and NOT just since 2016, as UNSMIL recently), and to include abuses and violations up to date, including the Al-Asabaa and Tripoli attacks on civilians.
3. Re-invoking UN Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973, regarding the Protection of Civilians.
4. Re-invoking UN Charter Chapter 7, in order to impose direct Presidential Elections, as per the GNC’s February Committee Recommendations, and the HoR’s Decree Number 5 for the year 2014, which established Presidential Elections in principle, but postponed them.
5. Appointing a new Envoy to Libya, and the reshaping of the UN mission to become an Election-Delivery and Support Mission.
As pointed out in our previous letter, both the GNA and the HoR can protect elections in their own areas, and the UN, EU, African Union, and Arab League can provide necessary election integrity guarantees, and ensure the implementation of their results.
It is blatantly clear that an entire political clique in all regions of Libya is working very hard to stay in power and to continue their abuse and corruption. Only urgent direct elections can end this multifaceted tyranny and can restore legitimacy to its rightful owners: the Libyan people.
As for the continued use of mercenaries, Your Excellency’s support of the Libyan people’s demand to eject ALL mercenaries from Libyan Territory is vitally important.
Meanwhile, all sides of the conflict must be reminded of their international and humanitarian obligations as compiled in the famous 2008 “Montreux Document on Pertinent International Legal Obligations and Good Practiced for States Related to Operations of Private Military and Security Companies During Armed Conflict.”
Thank you very much, Your Excellency for your kind consideration. I would be very pleased to discuss all this further, with you or your esteemed Envoy, at your convenience.
Best regards.
Aref Ali Nayed,
Chairman, Ihya Libya (Reviving Libya)
