Libya After Gaddaffi

With the burial of the former strongman of Libya, Muammar Gaddaffi, a very significant chapter in the life of Libya has come to a close. Similarly, the surrender of one of the sons of Gaddaffi that threatened to avenge the death of his father should effectively bring to an end all hostilities in Libya.

Even as the unfortunate incident in Libya commends a lot of lessons for nations, the elimination of Gaddaffi has opened another chapter for Libya and thrust on the shoulders of the free world a great responsibility. Indeed, if the post-Gaddaffi Libya is not aided to settle, the world may have a very bad case at hand.

It is common knowledge that as a result of the crisis in Libya, a lot of arms got into civilian hands and the temptation to put them to use already exist. During the crisis, the unity of the country was threatened, while roles played by some people may be misinterpreted and used as canon fodder for ethnic strife.

These may be some of the reasons why the National Transitional Council (NTC), the Interim Government of Libya, and other well meaning people were calling on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to continue with their supportive roles in Libya until conditions in the country stabilised.

As NATO considers its mission in Libya as being accomplished with the ouster of Gaddaffi, the concerns of the NTC should be taken into consideration. As usual, after every major offensive, countries embark on reconciliation, rehabilitation and re-construction. These are done in the interest of the people who should not be allowed to be crushed by consequences of the fight.

Besides, the country will need to quickly form a government decided by the people and rebuild the economy. Indeed, the country will have to deal with the change that comes with the new order. They will need to work on national unity and re-new ties with neighbouring countries.

Libya and its leadership are also saddled with the responsibility of recovering stolen funds, re-building the military and re-orientating the population. All these cannot be left for a group of people that were regarded as rebels only months ago. They will need the help of the western world in every way.

That is why we hope that Nigeria would join in encouraging the United States of America and NATO to effectively finish the mission in Libya, as it were. The reason NATO undertook to throw bombs in Libya was the people. Unless, they stayed to stabilise the system, the bombs would not stop exploding on the heads of the people as they wade through the rubbles created by NATO strikes.

Already, the handling of aspects of the revolution had tended to create some problems for Libya. The killing, instead of capturing alive of Gaddaffi clearly deprived the country of some vital information and denied some sit-tight leaders across the world the opportunity of hearing the confessions of a dying despot.

Similarly, the imposition of Sharia law by the NTC, a group not elected by the people, could be seen as hasty. Like other people, Libyans are members of the civilised global community whose cravings for change in a variety of ways have become apparent.

In fact, the decision to ignore death and confront a despot like Muammar Gaddaffi is enough evidence for the desire for change and to do so fundamentally. Perhaps, the only area the people of Libya should be asked to retain is the unity of the country and the peaceful co-existence of its people.

It is also in the realisation of that objective that Libya should necessarily transit into a truly democratic state. To do otherwise is to predispose the country to the development of strong people instead of strong institutions. To do so is to create room for another Gaddaffi. This must not be allowed.

While we sympathise with the people of Libya for the calamities they had to contend with even before the crisis that brought Gaddaffi to an end, every man and woman in Libya should be proud. The fall of Gaddaffi is victory for the people, even to generations unborn.

The Libyan people should quickly rise from the challenges of the Gaddaffi-crisis and put themselves together. They must rally round the NTC and NATO to re-build their country no matter the temptation to do otherwise. Above all, they must be painstaking in building the foundation of the new Libya and ensure that only conditions recognised by the United Nations charter prevailed in their country forever.