On 19 August, Radio France Internationale (RFI) published an article by French journalist Melissa Chemam, in which she comments on the recent spike of violence in Tripoli, arguing that such escalation ‘indicates Libya's armed groups have consolidated their power’. In her article, Chemam speaks to several Libya experts and analysts, including Rhiannon Smith of Libya-Analysis, who explains how the recent clashes indicate ongoing issues around who controls security in the country, especially amid the uncertainty of the political situation. Despite controlling Tripoli and some of the western regions, Smith argues, ‘in theory, [the Government of National Unity] is the legitimate government, but it hardly controls its own areas of influence’. While Smith predicts that similar escalations in fighting could become more frequent, Chemam also cites observers who say that the international community ‘has given up on Libya's transition’, with the European Union reducing its involvement in trying to solve the crisis and the United Nations prioritising the war in Ukraine.
Read the full article here.