Country/entity

Libya

Region

Middle East and North Africa

Agreement name

Meeting Minutes

Date

23 Sep 2018

Agreement status

Multiparty signed/agreed

Interim arrangement

Yes

Agreement/conflict level

Intrastate/local conflict

Libyan Conflicts (1969 - 1994) (2011 - )

Agreements relate to two distinct conflict dyads.
Libya-Chad. Since the 1970s, Libya under Colonel Muammar Gaddafi had a tense relationship with its neighbour Chad, predominantly focused on the resource-rich Aouzou Strip in northern Chad. Libyan claims of the Aouzou Strip were held in an un-ratified treaty between France and Italy in 1935, similarly Chadian claims of the Strip were argued with support of a 1955 treaty between Libya and France. In 1973, Libya effectively annexed the Strip to gain access to natural resources. This spurred cross-border clashes between 1979 until 1987 until escalated to a brief war known as the Toyota War, wherein Chadian government troops succeeded in repelling Libyan forces. A brief and repeatedly violated ceasefire was held from 1987-88, followed by a series of unsuccessful negotiations, until an International Court of Justice ruling in 1994, which granted sovereignty of the Strip to Chad.

Libya post-Gaddafi. Gaddafi’s downfall following the Libyan Civil War in 2011-2012, led to several factions fighting for the country’s leadership. Since 2013, the country effectively split into three entities, with the National Army controlling the east including the city of Benghazi, and the New General National Congress and their militias such as the Golden Dawn controlling the northwest including the capital of Tripoli. Significant portions of the country in the south-west are currently held by Tuareg forces. The civil war and chaos continued into 2014 as the General National Congress refused to disband after the expiry of its mandate, resulting in eruption of mass protests. The UN efforts continue to broker peace between the Libyan Army and the Libya Dawn factions, and a partial ceasefire was declared in January 2015. A new interim-government (Tunisia-based) called ‘Government of National Accord’ is formed with the backing of UN despite the refusal of the other forces to recognise its authority and arrived to Tripoli with the UN in 2016. A state of emergency was declared by the UN backed government amid clashed between rival militia in Tripoli’s southern suburbs. Since April 2019 there has been sustained fighting between the Libyan National Army and the UN-backed government in Tripoli as the Libyan National Army aims to seize Tripoli.

Close

Libyan Conflicts (1969 - 1994) (2011 - )

Stage

Implementation/renegotiation

Conflict nature

Inter-group

Peace process

Libyan local processes

Parties

Mustafa Omar Karwad, Mayor of the Misratah Municipality, [SIGNED];
Ramadhan Balfour Qabqoub, Mayor of the Tadjoura Municipality, [SIGNED];
Abdulraouf Hasan Bait Al Mal, Mayor of the Central Tripoli Municipality, [SIGNED];
Abdulrahman Aoun Al Hamidi, Mayor of the Abu Salim Municipality, [SIGNED]
Hashem Al Hashemi Bin Yusuf, Mayor of the Souq Al Jum’ah Municipality, [SIGNED]

Third parties

-

Description

Appears to be a civilian call by mayors from opposing municipalities to implement the Tripoli ceasefire from September 2018.

Agreement document

LY_180923_Meeting Minutes_EN.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Agreement document (original language)

LY_180923_Meeting Minutes_AR.pdf (opens in new tab)| Download PDF

Local agreement properties

Process type

Informal but persistent process

Rationale

-> Link to national level; no external support mechanism; culture of signing Although the agreement was not supported by any formal mechanism at the national/regional level, it is embedded in a culture of signing (and supporting) agreements in this locale and in this timeframe (August/September 2018). The agreement mentions that the parties "Support[ing] the [previous] agreement that was signed between the parties in the Zawiyah municipality, which was sponsored by the United Nations delegation [...]".

Is there a documented link to a national peace process?

Yes

Link to national process: articulated rationale

The agreement seems linked to the national process. It was signed by local state leaders (mayors) from municipalities ostensibly on different sides of the conflict. Also, signing parties "call[ing] upon the UN delegation to bear its full responsibility towards the Libyan people".

Name of Locale

Tripoli

Nature of Locale

Smaller

GPS Lat/Long (DD)

32.824159, 13.217396

Participant type

Local state actor

Mediator, facilitator or similar

No mention of mediator or similar

Local issues

Ritual/prayer and process (including use of scripture)

No specific mention.

Grievance List

Page 1, [...] the attendees of the meeting discussed the implications of the armed clashes that are taking place in the capital, Tripoli.

Cattle rustling/banditry

No specific mention.

Social cover

No specific mention.