Zawaya

Gaddafi applies a carrot-and-stick policy with the Sahel

By: Jemal Mohamed Oumar

Sahelian governments and peoples are closely following the unrest in Libya with much concern, caution and attention, as most of them maintain non-trusting relations with the regime of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, and are likely to be directly impacted by the country’s current events.

Some Sahel countries were forced to deal with Gaddafi’s regime to avoid his evil plan of arming rebel groups to foment chaos in their societies; while others deal with Libya due to their economic need to the Colonel’s dollars and investment projects.

These relations resulted in the emergence of loyalists to the Libyan regime in the Sahel countries, within political parties, secret movements, revolutionary commissions and Green Book study centers. They even have their own media, with slogans that clearly display their ideological affiliation to the Libyan leader and his Third Universal Theory. Some groups are even accused of receiving monthly salaries from the Libyan regime. Consequently, Colonel Gaddafi obtained the title of the King of Kings of Africa, and attempted to assume a leading role in solving the conflicts of African peoples.

Some Sahel countries (Mauritania, for instance) had a tug of war with Libya and its supporting groups, accusing them repeatedly of attempting to change the ruling system in favor of the Libyan Colonel.

This thorny relationship might explain the severity of the potential impact of Libya’s unrest on the Sahel.

One of the manifestations of this impact is the flows of citizens returning from Libya to their home countries in the Sahel. This had a toll on the local economic and social levels, as there are already daily protests in front of governmental institutions to claim solving the issues of unemployment, soaring prices, and unfair wealth distribution. People returning from Libya are also joining the protesters to claim decent housing and job opportunities, as it’s happening in Mauritania.

Another major aspect of the impact of Libya’s unrest on the Sahel is Gaddafi’s speeches expressing his hostility towards the Arab League members, and constantly threatening the peoples and governments of the region and Europe with terrorist groups. Some States are starting to take this threat seriously, given the Colonel’s history in arming rebel groups and supporting terrorism around the world. Besides, the armed conflict in Libya might enable al-Qaeda members to enter the country, and then gain access to the Sahel.

Yet, the biggest danger is the chaotic spread of weapons in Libya, after Gaddafi vowed a few weeks earlier to open weapons depots to citizens. This will incite arms dealers to buy large quantities of weapons for any excuse and with all possible tricks, because they are like drug dealers, always finding a way to buy what they want. Consequently, weapons might end up in the hands of al-Qaeda militants in the region, thus leading to terrible consequences for the entire region.