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1 1 (May 20, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdatu0001 and id is 1 raw text is: FF. , ,iE SE .$. - & , May 20, 2020 Libya and U.S. Policy Libya has been wracked by major conflict since April 2019, when the Libyan National Army/Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LNA/LAAF) movement a coalition of armed groups led by Khalifa Haftar launched a bid to seize the capital, Tripoli, from local militias and the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA). Fighters in western Libya rallied to blunt the LNA's advance, and inconclusive fighting has continued despite multilateral demands for a ceasefire. As of May 2020, LNA forces and local partners control much of Libya's territory and key oil production and export infrastructure directly or through militia allies. GNA supporters and anti-LNA groups retain control of the capital and have seized several areas west of Tripoli since April 2020 with Turkish military support. Southern Libya remains marginalized and faces threats from criminals, rival ethnic militias, and terrorists. Conflict dynamics have shifted since April 2019 following the introduction of Russian-national Wagner Group contractors into LNA forces, the conclusion of Turkey- GNA maritime and security cooperation agreements, Turkish deployments on behalf of the GNA, and expanded weapons shipments to both sides. According to U.S. officials, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates arm the LNA, and Russia aids LNA operations. Turkey overtly provides military support to GNA forces. Both sides have recruited Syrian militias to aid their respective war efforts. State Department officials condemned toxic foreign interference in March 2020, and have called for a sovereign Libya free of foreign intervention. Fighting between LNA forces, supporters of the GNA, and anti-LNA militias in western Libya is estimated to have killed more than 2,200 fighters, along with hundreds of civilians. In the capital region, the conflict has displaced more than 200,000 people, and U.N. officials report that nearly 345,000 people are in frontline areas. More than 650,000 foreign migrants (largely from sub-Saharan Africa) also are in Libya and remain especially vulnerable. In 2020, multilateral diplomatic initiatives have sought to achieve and sustain a ceasefire between Libyan combatants as a precursor to restarting political reconciliation efforts. Russia and Turkey engineered a temporary truce in January, but did not achieve a ceasefire. Meeting in Berlin, Germany later in January, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council along with other key foreign actors jointly committed to supporting a series of new arrangements with a goal of durably ending the conflict. GNA and LNA figures attended, but did not formally commit to a ceasefire. The Security Council endorsed the Berlin commitments in Resolution 2510. The U.N. Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) then supported intra-Libyan security, political, and economic discussions, but COVID-19 concerns and resumed fighting have largely undermined progress. Figure I. Libya: Areas of Influence As of May 18, 2020 Source: Prepared by CRS using media and social media reporting. Years of division and conflict have weakened the Libyan health care system's ability to mitigate COVID-19-related risks. In April, Acting UNSMIL head Stephanie Williams said ongoing fighting was reckless and inhumane, saying it was stretching the capacity of local authorities and the health infrastructure that is already decimated. U.S. and U.N. officials have condemned post-Berlin weapons shipments to Libya as violations of the U.N. arms embargo and called for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow the country to combat the spread of COVID-19, which, to date, appears to be limited. Notwithstanding a temporary LNA ceasefire declaration for Islamic religious observances during Ramadan, fighting continues, humanitarian access is restricted, and parties to the conflict have shut down national oil production, threatening state finances. Libya's political transition has been disrupted by armed non-state groups and threatened by the indecision and infighting of interim leaders for years. After an armed uprising ended the 40-plus-year rule of Muammar al Qadhafi in 2011, interim authorities proved unable to form a stable government, address pressing security issues, reshape the country's public finances, or create a viable framework for post-conflict reconciliation. Insecurity spread as local armed groups competed for influence and K~:> gognpq 'popmm- , goo g , q 's a X 11LULANJILiN,

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