Libya seeks Nigeria’s help to restore peace

President Muhammadu Buhari has said a peaceful Libya will greatly help the overall development of Africa.

He said the early restoration of peace and stability in the country will greatly minimize the current state of insecurity experienced in some parts of Africa.

Mr Buhari said this concerning the ongoing conflict and unrest in Libya, according to a statement on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.

The president said this when he received Letters of Credence from the Ambassador of Libya, Ayad Musbah Faraj Attayary, at the State House in Abuja on Thursday.

“Our efforts should be directed towards the restoration of peace. It is expedient that peace and stability return to Libya as soon as possible; peace in Libya will translate to economic prosperity and development as well as a more secure Africa,” he said.

Mr Buhari told the Libyan Ambassador that, as a strong member of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), peace in Libya will also help stabilise the oil industry.

He said with more commitment from all parties in the conflict and other well-meaning individuals, the North African country “will soon be back as it was so that it can resume its roles in Africa.”

According to the statement, the Libyan Ambassador said his country was “counting on Nigeria to use its position in Africa to help his country return to normalcy”.

Conflict

The conflict in Libya, which is also known as the Libyan crisis, began with the Arab Spring protests of 2011, which led to a civil war. The aftermath of the war and the proliferation of armed groups led to violence and instability across the country, which erupted into renewed civil war in 2014.

The ongoing crisis in Libya has so far resulted in tens of thousands of casualties since the onset of violence in early 2011. During both civil wars, the output of Libya’s oil industry collapsed to a small fraction of its usual level, with most facilities blockaded or damaged by rival groups.

This development was very economically repressing as Libya’s economy relies heavily on its oil industry. Libya has the highest oil reserves of any African country.

PREMIUM TIMES has reported some instances of violence and their aftermath on the Libyan populace.

PREMIUM TIMES also reported how recently, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflict in Libya and regional issues.