Ahmad 
Libya appears at a strategic crossroads, with a clear divergence in the approach taken by the main parties within the country towards its neighbors to the south.
The picture of Libyan-African relations presents a state of division in vision towards the African continent and presents a picture of the Libyan crisis according to a broader area linked primarily to the international system, and to the ability to formulate policies that until this moment appear to be uneven in their view of Libya’s African position, and also affected by the internal crisis between East and West. Libyans.
There is a discrepancy in the relations between Tripoli and Benghazi in its relations with the African Sahel countries, especially those that have shifted in their political orientations, adopted a new reality, and confronted the strategies of France and the United States, which use the fight against terrorism to interfere in African affairs.
The clash between the Libyan parties emerged from the beginning of the conflict within a stark contradiction between the East, which sees Africa as a depth and a vital extension of Libya, and the West, which relies on European capitals, specifically Washington, in formulating its regional policies.
The position of the Libyan parties necessarily affects all the countries of the region. Despite the internal crises, Libya represents an economic weight that gives it the ability to influence African trends regarding policies that are primarily anti-American, which makes the division in the Libyan position more complex and dangerous, as its crisis is not only linked to dialogue over the constitution and elections. But by making all the details of resolving the Libyan crisis support the policies of the West.
Both Washington and NATO countries realize that making Libya part of their tools in their African policies supports everything they do on the continent, which is what makes them try to design the “political system” of Libya compatible with their strategy in Africa, and in a way that makes them benefit from all aspects of the Libyan crisis to their advantage.
The Libyan West: Western alliances and security challenges
The outgoing Government of National Unity in Tripoli follows entirely Western policies. What it is concerned with is the strength of its relationship with Europe and the United States, and the appeasement of their international institutions such as the International Bank and the International Fund. Its vision according to the policies it follows indicates a strong conviction on the part of the Eastern government that all the cards for the crisis are in place. The West, and that any other strategy will lead to problems, as strengthening its relations with the Western powers is considered crucial to the survival of the current political forces, including the government of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, in any upcoming arrangement, whether related to elections or otherwise.
The United States and France, in addition to other European countries, constitute basic pillars of this alliance, as Tripoli focuses on building this approach on two basic factors:
- The first is to consider southern Libya as a line of security threat, not only through the issue of terrorism, but also through the political tendencies of countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which recently formed the Confederation of Sahel countries. There is a complex crisis for Tripoli, divided between the activity of armed groups and smuggling networks, and the political tendencies adopted by the new confederation against the West.
- The second factor is related to the historical lesson of Libya in particular, which faced a stifling siege that affected all aspects of life during the rule of Muammar Gaddafi. The Dbeibeh government sees the West through fear of repeating political stages and does not adopt policies through which it attempts to strengthen power to confront concern about the West’s influence and its colonial history in Libya, and at the same time At the same time, the government’s calculations in Tripoli are reinforced by the tendencies of individuals linked to a network of interests in Europe and the United States.
This picture in the Libyan West constitutes a complete political path that is divorced from all the crises of the African continent, its particularities, and its history of colonialism, and follows the policies of Paris and Washington, as the “power” that the two countries possess is capable of determining Libyan and African political paths in general.
The Libyan East: An independent approach and strengthening southern relations
The scene in eastern Libya is completely different. In addition to taking into consideration the state of the geographical neighborhood with Egypt, with its Arab and African weight, the government in Benghazi sees the African dimension in a completely different way, and looks at the south from the perspective of the security that governs the continent and the ability to have the independence of African sovereign decision-making, and not through… The international division that changes periodically according to the global balance of power. In Benghazi, there is a different vision based on a special challenge in redrawing Libya as part of the general African dimension.
The Libyan East, under the leadership of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, is adopting a strategy that deals directly with the Libyan crisis and African problems, and within a perspective that does not ignore the international dimension but places it within the framework of balancing interests in Africa and the world only.
There is a serious effort to build independent relations with the Sahel countries in particular. In July 2024, Major General Saddam Haftar visited Burkina Faso to strengthen military and security ties, which indicates Benghazi’s desire to achieve its independence from Western influences and expand the scope of its regional influence. This approach stems from two dimensions:
- The first is the nature of African relations through which the continent’s crises can be besieged and resolved through the countries of the continent. The problems of terrorism and security tensions did not arise out of nothing, and are necessarily the result of international policies, and Western ones in particular, that led towards the emergence of armed groups, in addition to the loss of strength in the African continent’s attitudes towards its internal problems.
- The second dimension is specifically Libyan. The Libyan crisis is played by international factors, and the ability to make decisions independently in resolving the crisis will lead to sustainable solutions. The Benghazi government believes that this applies to African problems in general. Respecting the political choices of countries constitutes the keys to stability, which makes openness to countries The Sahel is part of a broader policy that includes the entire African continent
Benghazi stems from the security challenges that are becoming increasingly complex, not due to the formation of new alliances such as the tripartite alliance between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, but rather from the division imposed by Western policies through the monopoly of solutions to terrorism and considering Africa’s crises as separate and not intertwined and linked to the ability of the countries of the continent to draw a balance. Among themselves and strengthen their relations independently of international conflicts.
The difference in visions between the Libyan East and West on how to deal with the South reflects major challenges affecting the future of the country. While the Libyan West focuses on its alliances with major powers, the East seeks to build direct relations with its neighbors in the South, which enhances its ability to achieve stability and security in the country. The region Through joint cooperation, these regional and international dynamics make Libya a focal point in the geopolitical balances in North Africa and beyond.
Written by Nidal Al-Khedary
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