US Should Use Sanctions, Enforce UN Arms Embargo to Improve Situation in Libya, Panelists Tell House Subcommittee
The U.S. should impose sanctions and limit weapons shipments from countries and companies that contribute to terrorism and conflict in Libya, panelists said at a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on May 15. The Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism sought testimony on "The Conflict in Libya."
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Although the United Nations placed an arms embargo on Libya in 2011, the embargo is not enforced, said Ben Fishman, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Among other defense-related products, Fishman said Khalifa Haftar, head of the Libyan National Army, has recently received “strike-capable Chinese-made drones” and continues to receive weapons. “The U.S. can change this dynamic if it threatens sanctions against violators of the U.N. arms embargo,” Fishman said in his written testimony.
Frederic Wehrey, a senior fellow for the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the subcommittee that a U.N. panel of investigators is investigating Chinese-made drones in the United Arab Emirates’ “inventory” and said the UAE has been an “important provider of close air support” in Libya. Wehrey said the U.S. can limit its involvement in Libya while still substantially helping improve the country’s humanitarian crisis. “Even modest U.S. diplomacy could prevent the country from spiraling into broader conflict,” Wehrey wrote in his testimony. Wehrey suggested the U.S. use the “threat of sanctions … to deter attacks” and stop weapons shipments to the country.
Megan Doherty, senior director for policy and advocacy for Mercy Corps, said in her testimony that the U.S. should “warn those who impede or threaten humanitarian providers that they may face sanctions.” Fishman added that U.S. sanctions on shipping or aircraft companies involved in the arms trade would give “a much-needed boost to the long dormant” U.N. arms embargo. “Absent an enforcement mechanism, diplomatic appeals to cut off the weapons supplies will fall on deaf ears,” Fishman said.