Blog #9 : Libya ethnic conflict risks spilling over borders

Taking a break from the conflicts in Myanmar, this blog entry focuses on Libya, specifically southeastern Libya. According to Capital News, which is based out of Kenya, the conflict between the Toubou and the Zawiya is causing a lot of issues because it is spilling over into the other triangle of countries surrounding Libya (Chad, Sudan, and Egypt). The other countries along with Libya are trying to keep the fighting from spreading to other countries, but not with a lot of success. The police force is capturing every illegal immigrant they can find so that they can be deported back to their home country in order to keep the peace.

The "Sheild of Libya" brigade is the force which keeps the fighting and other illegal practices under control across the boarders. Right now, the fighting has stopped because of an army mandated truce, but the Toubou are fighting for their revenge and power. Even though they are not physically fighting the Zawiya, they are dominant in their other illegal activities, which gain some power within the region.

There is a lot of smuggling going on in the area. Southeastern Libya is one of the epicenters of transit for trafficking items, substances, and people. They are smuggling in drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, weapons, counterfit items, and most importantly, illegal immigrants. These immigrants are trying to escape to Europe. Most of these immigrants are trying to flee their war torn countries, but they are being treated as though they are coming to assist in the fighting that has claimed many lives in the last month.

Of course when it comes to the specific groups, the Zawiya are mad because they believe that the Toubou are being helped by foreigners and the Toubou believe that the Zawiya have commited genocide and an ethnic cleansing among their people. Right now, each group is threatening to reignite the fighting because of the smuggling and under the table violence that is going on right now.

I think it is so sad how much of Africa has to live in ethnically torn areas. Many African countries are torn by war and I don't believe that that is a good life for anyone, especially children. At the end of the article there is a mention of teenage rebel soilders. I can't imagine what it feels like to be fifteen and a soilder in a rebel army, commiting crime after crime. When I was fifteen I was more worried about my first marching band performance or whether or not I wanted to take AP classes, not a war.

What's even worse and maybe the scariest thing about war is the possibility that it may spread. If the conflict was to spread it could easily take over those countries that cover the Sahara. What would they do then? Who would help them? The Europeans stepped in already and messed up the dynamics of Africa and left the continent war torn and underdeveloped. They took what they wanted from the land and then left the countries, creating a dynamic that put one ethnicity over the other. I think that we, the western countries, need to figure out ways to go in and fix what we essentially started in the first place.

http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2012/03/libya-ethnic-conflict-risks-spilling-over-borders/