On October 21, 2020, the Council hosted the Ambassador of Chad to Egypt Al-Amin Dodo Abdullah Al-Khatri, and the Ambassador of the State of Niger, Moumouni Boureima, to discuss the impacts of the developments in Libya on security and stability in both Chad and Niger, and the efforts with which the two countries can contribute to settling the Libyan crisis.
The following points were emphasized during the meeting:
– The Chadian ambassador affirmed that the Libyan crisis needs a definition that comprises the challenges and negative effects it left behind, which also extended to its neighbor Chad at the political, economic, social and in particular security levels in light of the massive proliferation of huge numbers of weapons and ammunition and the access of terrorist groups such as Boko Haram to them, amid the lack of border control between the two countries.
Afterwards, the ambassador presented his vision to solve the Libyan crisis through Libya’s neighboring countries, which are in fact the most affected by the Libyan crisis and from regional interventions in the country to impose their agendas and visions. These countries have an obligation to unify the Libyan tribes in countering armed militias, reaching about 300 militias, which do not belong to these tribes, noting the importance of continuing the recent Egyptian efforts in order to unify the Libyan tribes (the tribes of the East and the South), as if they convene, the eastern and southern borders will be secured, thus stopping the supply of weapons to militias and being able to achieve stability in the Libyan regions.
On his part, the ambassador of Niger tackled the repercussions of the Libyan crisis on his country, and noted that his country is suffering from the Libyan crisis like the rest of the Sahel and Sahara countries that are hit by terrorism, and which suffers from the flow of weapons to terrorist groups and the inability of the state to control this flow under the instability it is witnessing, along with the weak security institutions. The deteriorating security situation has also caused the suspension of commercial exchanges between Mali and Niger and replaced by the exchange of weapons, the activities of unorganized groups, and kidnappings to seek ransom, as these funds are used to finance terrorist groups, as well as the rising rates of youth migration to search for better job opportunities.
