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Director’s Letter Dear esteemed delegates:

You are cordially invited to the fifth annual Model UN Conference hosted by Central Peel Secondary School! My name is Maryna Huynh and I am your co-director, along with Cheshta Gupta. Himisha Nagar and Hiba Al-Falahi will be your moderators. We welcome you to the Congress of Libya Specialized Agency of 2018.

This committee is a modern specialized committee and focuses on three major topics, the battle between the people in power, the economic collapse of 2014, and an outrageous reality, a slave trade in the twenty-first century. This committee was created and organized with the objective to inform and educate students and staff about the political, economic, and social turmoil in Libya.

The Congress of Libya SA will provide an exciting, quick paced and interactive experience for more experienced delegates. You will be assigned various roles as influential stakeholders in this crisis, such as ‘government’ representatives and leaders. Your task is to stabilize and unite the government of Libya, and by extension, be able to save the economy of Libya and take down the Libyan slave trade. This will require all delegates to prepare for this conference by learning as much as possible about their roles and carefully researching the topics in the given background guide. Please remember, your actions may have immediate consequences. It is advised that delegates bring a laptop or tablet to the conference for research purposes.

My team and I are passionate about Model United Nations and what it has to offer. We have chosen this topic specifically after the footage of a slave auction in Libya went viral. After completing some research, we knew that we wanted to research the situation in Libya extensively and inform others. Although there has been some public response, the overall situation in Libya has been overlooked and it is completely unacceptable. This committee was created in order to flip that and hopefully promote public awareness about Libya. We have been working on this background guide and committee as a dais for several months, almost a year, and we hope that you can feel like you have contributed to the world in some way after you leave this conference. It is our pleasure to welcome you to the COL Specialized Agency and we especially look forward to hearing the ideas you will bring forward throughout this conference in October! Sincerely, Maryna Huynh Co-Director of the Congress of Libya congressoflibyamun@gmail.com

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Table of Contents Characters 4 Topic A: Which government is the true government of Libya? 6

Background 6 The Governments of Libya 7 Uprising of Muammar Gaddafi 8 Problems Standing Between Libya and a Stable Government 11 Helpful Links 12 Questions to Consider 13

Topic B: The Economic Collapse of 2014 14

Libya’s Economy 15 Libyan Resources 16 Corruption and Crime 17 The Attack on the Oil Crescent 18 Repercussions of the Attack 19 Improvements 20 Questions to Consider 21

Topic C: The Slave Trade of Libya 22

Background 22 What Happens to these Migrants and Refugees? 22 European Migrant Crisis (2015-present) 25 Actions of World Leaders and the Public 27 Helpful Links 29 Questions to Consider 29

Research Guide 31 Bibliography 32

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Character List Foreign Ambassadors Delegate of Algeria Delegate of Egypt Delegate of France Delegate of Nigeria Delegate of Qatar Delegate of Romania Delegate of Rwanda Delegate of Tunisie Delegate of Turkey Delegate of the United States Jean-Claude Juncker; President of the European Commission Paul Kagame; Chairperson of the African Union and president of the Republic of Rwanda Journalists Hala Misrati; Former novelist and current television anchor and journalist in Libya Nima Elbagir; Sudanese journalist and CNN Reporter Libyan Leaders Ali Faraj al-Qatrani; Vice President of Presidential Council Ahmed Maiteeq; Deputy of Presidency Council

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Omar Ahmed al-Aswad; Member of the Presidency Council Fayez al-Sarraj; Chairman of the Presidency Council and prime minister of the Government of National Accord Osama Bin Laden; Defence Minister of the Government of National Accord Aref al-Khodja; Minister of Interior of the Government of National Accord Khalifa Ghwell; Prime Minister of the Government of National Salvation Abdullah al-Thinni; former Prime Minister and leader of the House of Representatives Khalifa Haftar; Leader of National Army Haitham Tajouri; Leader of the Tripoli Revolutionaries’ Brigade Moussa Faki; Chairman of the African Union Commission Nouri Abusahmain; Speaker of the General National Congress Saif al-Islam Gaddafi; Son of Gaddafi and Libyan political figure Abdulrazaq Nazhuri; military governor of eastern Libya Abdel Rauf Kara; leader of the Special Deterrent Force (or Rada) Salah Badi; former parliamentarian and militia leader in the Libya Dawn alliance in 2014

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Topic A: Which government is the true government of Libya?

Background

Dating all the way back to 1911, Libya and Italy were two intertwined colonies as Libya was an Italian colony after Italy seized the country from the Ottoman Empire. Due to the inhumane techniques that the Italians used against the Libyans, the Italian rule ignited an era of freedom fighters in Libya. Large groups of Libyans fled to the mountain ranges to carry out their lives and plan attacks against the Italians, one of the most well-known freedom fighters being Omar al-Mukhtar. Libyan citizens lived through nearly 30 years of torture from Italian leaders as 1

dictators such as Mussolini and Graziani planned murderous attacks against Libya. Mussolini stated, “If you are not with me, you are against me,” declaring that he will potentially kill half of the population of Libya either directly or indirectly. After experiencing the death of Mukhtar in 1931, Libya was impoverished, underpopulated and divided into three distinct regions that all had differing political views. Libya did not gain independence until 1951. Libya’s independence was a result of Italy being defeated by the Allies in World War II and Libya becoming part of the Allies. 2

1 “Libya: The Italian Occupation and the Libyan Resistance”, Libya - Watanona, n.d., http://www.libya-watanona.com/libya/resist.htm 2 Ibid

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The future of the Libyan government was in shaky hands after its liberation from the Italians. However, Libya began to feel safe once again as the British foreign minister promised the Senussi (a Muslim political-religious clan in colonial Libya) that Libya would not be subject to foreign rule again. Over a four year period, the United Nations came to an agreement that Libya would become a united and independent kingdom no later than January 1, 1952. A federal state 3

with a separate parliament was drawn in a constitution for each province and King Muhammad Idris was chosen King of Libya by a national assembly. King Idris’ authority became sovereign and no parties were allowed to be formed at the time. After Libya joined the Allies in WWII, one of the main reasons the citizens of Tripoli accepted the monarchy was due to the benefits they received from Britain who promised that the Senussi, as well as all other Libyan citizens, would not be subjected to Italian Rule. Following this Italian era, Libya went through several political changes such as the uprising of Gaddafi, the Lockerbie bombing, the release of Al-Megrahi (the man behind the Lockerbie bombing), the Benghazi attack, a civil war and even the rise of the Islamic State. The Governments of Libya

Today there are three distinct official governments in Libya. 1. The Presidency Council

This council has been based in Tripoli since March 30, 2016, and is headed by Fayez al-Sarraj. Sarraj was a former member of the Tobruk Parliament and he represented a constituency from Tripoli. The Presidency Council acts as a head of state and the commander of the armed forces. Created in 2015 as a result of the Libyan Political Agreement, the PC has authority over the Government of National Accord, also based in Tripoli. 4

2. The Government of National Accord The second most apparent government in Libya is the Government of National Salvation

also based in Tripoli and is considered the rival of the PC. It is headed by Prime Minister Khalifa Ghwell but it no longer controls any significant institutions. Ghwell attempted for the citizens of Libya to recognize him in 2016 but failed to gain support and was consequently kicked out of Tripoli in the spring of 2017. The members of the GNC are members of the State Council, run by Abdul Rahman Swehli . 5

3. The Council of Deputies

3 Gary L. Fowler, Mukhtar Muftasa Buru, “Libya”, Encyclopedia Britannica, last modified August 9, 2018, https://www.britannica.com/place/Libya/History#ref46561 4 Mattia Toaldo, “Political Actors”, European Council on Foreign Relations, accessed March 12, 2018, http://www.ecfr.eu/mena/mapping_libya_conflict# 5 Ibid

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The third government is the Council of Deputies, also known as the House of Representatives, took office in August 2014. The elections of 2014 were said to be the most democratic elections yet, until November 2014 when the Supreme Court ruled that the elections were corrupt. Sadly, the Supreme Court was threatened with violence before coming to this conclusion but because of this allegation, the House of Representatives refused to step down.

It is important to note that after the 2014 elections, the New General Congress was also created and it primarily consisted of the members from political parties such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the Loyalty to Martyrs Bloc and the Justice and Construction party. When they lost, this government created two military forces known as the Libya Shield Force and the Libyan Revolutionaries Operations Room. These military forces took over Tripoli and forced the House of Representatives to take refuge in Tobruk 6

Uprising of Muammar Gaddafi

Muammar Gaddafi, before being overthrown in 2011, ruled as a dictator for 40 years after seizing rule over Libya in 1969. At age 27, Gaddafi became the ruler of Libya when the Libyan military staged a coup to overthrow the Italian King Idris. Some of Gaddafi’s first orders of business were as following:

6 “What Type of Government Does Libya Have”, World Atlas, accessed March 20, 2018 https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-type-of-government-does-libya-have.html

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● Close down the American and British military bases in Libya, specifically the British airbase in Tobruk and the US Wheelus air force base in Tripoli

● Demanded that the foreign oil companies situated in Libya share a larger portion of their income with the government as one of his main goals was to nationalize most economic activity including the oil industry 7

● Replace the Italian Georgian calendar with the Islamic calendar ● Forbid the selling of alcohol 8

Gaddafi’s overarching themes when it came to ruling over Libya were nepotism and tight control of the police state. In the early years of his rule, Gaddafi became intimidated by his fellow Libyan leaders, as in 1969, they attempted to stage a coup against Gaddafi himself. As a way to protect himself, Gaddafi created laws criminalizing people that had a dissenting opinion of the government. He involved Libya in several international matters such as the civil war in Chad, however, Libyan citizens believe that Gaddafi’s worst doings occurred in the 1980’s . During 9

this time period, Muammar Gaddafi declared a “cultural revolution” in 1973. This revolution called for “people's committees: to set up throughout hospitals, administrative districts, universities and workplaces in Libya.” Anyone living abroad that opposed Gaddafi’s leadership was murdered as political dissent was criminalized. This was followed by Libya being shunned and sanctioned from Western countries due to being responsible for the bombing of Lockerbie (the bombing of an airliner over the Scottish town of Lockerbie). In order to show his control over the police state, Gaddafi announced that Libya would be leaving and shutting down its nuclear and biological programmes after the US invasion of Iraq. There were certain benefits that came out of the ruling of Gaddafi as well. First of all, despite wages being extremely low and the wealth and profits of foreign partners only benefiting a small group of people in the country, Gaddafi’s extreme socialist approach provided free education as well as free healthcare. In addition, all housing and transportation were partly paid for by Gaddafi’s government as newlyweds received $50,000 USD. other benefits include the following:

● Gaddafi carried out the world’s largest irrigation project called The Great Man-Made River Project

● People had enough food because The Food and Agriculture Organization confirmed that undernourishment was under 5%

● Libya only had external debts of $150 billion compared to the USA’s debts of $18 trillion

7 “Libya Profile - Timeline”, BBC News, May 29, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13755445 8 “Muamar Al-Qadaffi Biography”, Biography.com, accessed April 2, 2018 https://www.biography.com/people/muammar-al-Gaddafi-39014 9 “Libya Profile - Timeline”, BBC News, May 29, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13755445

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● Oil was privatized to every citizen which allowed for the cost of oil to be a mere $0.14/litre

● Having a home was considered a human right 10

Although Gaddafi ruled over Libya for nearly 40 years, his downfall happened in less than a year. There were a series of events in 2011 into 2012 that caused the downfall of Gaddafi, particularly during the Arab Spring. The citizens of Libya were inspired by the overthrowing of dictators in other countries such as Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia and Honis Mubarak of Egypt. The first order of business in order to overthrow Gaddafi was set into place by the United Nations Security Council when they authorized a no-fly zone over Libya and air strikes to protect the civilians. There were several attacks on Gaddafi causing him to be in hiding for a while. By the end of February 2011, after several attacks and acts of rebellion had been carried, the Transitional National Council was recognized as the official government of Libya as they surrounded Tripoli, where most of Gaddafi's support lied. Shortly after, NATO formed a 11

10 Tatenda Gwaambuka, “Ten Reasons Libya Under Gadaffi was a Great Place to Live”, The African Exponent, April 9, 2016, https://www.africanexponent.com/post/ten-reasons-libya-under-gaddafi-was-a-great-place-to-live-2746 11 “Timeline: Libya’s Uprising Against Muammar Gadaffi”, Reuters, last edited August 21, 2011, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-events/timeline-libyas-uprising-against-muammar-Gaddafi-

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coalition that provided support for the rebellions in the form of air strikes, decisive military intervention and the killing of one of Gaddafi’s sons. In June 2011, warrants were issued to arrest Gaddafi's son, Saif-al Islam and his brother in law. In October 2011, Gaddafi was found dead but this was announced highly controversial as some thought he was killed in a gun battle while others thought he was killed during an airstrike carried out by NATO. Although the death of 12

Gaddafi marked the end of an era with dictatorship, the next government of Libya, the General National Congress has yet to make substantial improvements. Libya remains without a central government with authority as there several militia groups located throughout Libya that is hunting for power. Perhaps this greed for power is what started the two civil wars in Libya.

Problems Standing Between Libya and a Stable Government

Currently, it is quite evident that Libya still has a very unstable government. It is believed that Libya’s best chance of reconstruction after a long political and armed struggle over power and resources is the Libya Political Agreement hammered out by the United Nations. This agreement, if successfully used, has the potential to put Libya on a path to stability but there are several fault lines with this agreements. If used incorrectly, the agreement has the potential to ignite instability, a separation of Libya into several divisions and an uprising in violence. The 13

following are some issues that the government will have to look into in order to put Libya on its path for peace:

1. Legality and Legitimacy of the Libya Political Agreement The House of Representatives and the rival, General National Congress was originally supposed to support the agreement before signing it, but a former UN representative, Bernardino Leon knew that this would not happen as significant people in the groups would disagree. Consequently, the UN article 67 was drafted stating that the two governments did not have to vote on the agreement before it is signed. Both the House of Representatives and the GNC declared that this agreement was not legitimate and by extension, the General National Accord created from the LPA was illegal and unconstitutional.

2. Rule of ISIS in Libya The Government of National Accord will also face problems relating to the expansion of the Islamic State and by extension the foreign intervention of Western countries. Specifically, London, Paris and Rome are standing by and will attack with the use of air-strikes and troops to

12“Libya Profile - Timeline”, BBC News, May 29, 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13755445 13 Emily Estelle, “ A Strategy for Success in Libya”, American Enterprise Institute, last edited, November 2017, https://www.criticalthreats.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/A-Strategy-for-Success-in-Libya.pdf 11

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help Libyan forces combat ISIS. If these plans fail to be strategically formulated, it can lead to detrimental consequences on Libya. In order to defeat ISIS, the GNA and the key international players must collaborate and find a way to reconcile the key local groups that have been pitting against each other for a very long time. This reconciliation requires serious measures that include building trust between the opposing local groups, and these measures can include direct meetings between the leaders of the groups. 14

Helpful Links

1. Full Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) https://unsmil.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/Libyan%20Political%20Agreement%20-%20ENG%20.pdf

2. The Multiple Challenges of Libya’s Reconstruction http://fride.org/download/PB_114_Libya_reconstruction.pdf

3. Multiple Strategies for a Successful Government in Libya

14 Mohamed Eljarh, “The Five Key Challenged to Sustainable Peace in Libya”, Atlantic Council, last edited December 22, 2015, http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/the-five-key-challenges-to-a-sustainable-peace-in-libya

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https://www.criticalthreats.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/A-Strategy-for-Success-in-Libya.pdf

4. A Case Study of Libya Discussing Revolution, Civil War, etc, http://ase-scoop.org/papers/IWAHS-2016/6.Poljarevic_IWAHS.pdf

5. An Article Explaining the Urgency for a Stable Government in Libya https://www.thenational.ae/opinion/libya-needs-help-to-create-stability-and-a-government-1.97050

Questions to Consider

● What were the benefits and shortcomings of having Muammar Gaddafi as a leader?

● Did the Transitional National Council do a good job handling Libya during this crisis?

● Which government style is best suited for Libya currently?

● How can the different militia groups residing in Libya be united in order to create a peaceful Libya?

● Are there any changes that should be made to the Libyan Political Agreement that can benefit Libya?

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Topic B: The Economic Collapse of 2014 On September 1, 1969, a nonviolent revolution created by a man named Muammar al-Gaddafi and his group of young Libyan military officers occurred against King Idris I, who was the former leader in Libya at the time. Once the King had fled the country, the Libyan Revolutionary Command Council, also known as the RCC, headed by Gaddafi, took charge over the country. The RCC government took control of all the petroleum companies, and this caused a sudden development in health care, education, and jobs. The per capita income rose to more than USD $11,000 under the control of Muammar Gaddafi. However, by the 1980s, oil revenue was dramatically decreasing as state trade unions and industrial organizations took control over the oil industries, and revenue of the oil was not distributed equally throughout the nation. Moreover, around the 1980s, oil prices were falling drastically all around the world, which also had a severe impact on the revenue Libya made from their oil exports. By 2001, the price of oil had once again increased, and the annual GDP of Libya in 2004 became a large 4.6%. 15

However, after the second Libyan Civil War in 2014, the economy is now, once again, facing heavy drawbacks.

15 “Libya Economy Stats”, Nation Master, accessed May 6th 2018, http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/profiles/Libya/Economy

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Libya’s Economy - Background Information

The Libyan economy has been descending since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. 16

From 2011 to 2016, there have been negative growth rates of real GDP, rising unemployment, higher inflation, high decline of exports, a fall in the foreign exchange reserves of the Central Bank of Libya (CBL), and a rapidly depreciating value of the Libyan dinar vs. the US dollar. The nominal GDP in 2016 fell by more than half compared to 2010, to $33.2 billion from $73.6 billion. Also, Libya had a per capita income of over $11,000 in 2010, but by 2016 it had fallen to a little over $5,000. Libya is already suffering a severe liquidity crisis, with commercial banks limiting cash withdrawals. Liquidity describes the phenomenon how easily assets are able to convert to cash, thus a liquidity crisis refers to the absence of cash flow at businesses and/or banks. Libyans have to wait in a queue for hours to withdraw a maximum of $300 per day; sometimes weeks can go by without any cash in the bank.

The Civil War also predominantly disrupted the oil production in Libya, henceforth reducing its exports and imports to other nations as well. Oil is the lifeblood of the Libyan economy and anything that affects oil production and exports has a very large effect on the overall economy. Oil accounts for over two-thirds of GDP, ninety-six percent of exports, and nearly ninety-eight percent of government revenues. This very high degree of dependency naturally ensures that oil production is the fundamental driver of the Libyan economy.

16 “Robin Mills: Oil Cause of, and Solution to, Libya’s Problems”, The National, last edited February 19, 2017, https://www.thenational.ae/business/robin-mills-oil-cause-of-and-solution-to-libya-s-problems-1.11145

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Libyan Resources

Libya is an OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) member and holds the largest number of oil reserves in all of Africa. The state-owned National Oil 17

Corporation (NOC) dominates Libya's oil industry, along with smaller subsidiaries, which when combined, account for around 50% of the country's oil output. Three-quarters of employment surrounding oil are in the public sector of Libya’s economy, whereas 2% is in the private investment sector. Apart from petroleum, Libya’s other major exports are natural gas and gypsum. Libya's first productive oil well was struck in 1959 at Amal and Zelten, now known as Nasser. The country began exporting oil in 1961.

17 “Organization of Petroleum Exporting Companies”, last accessed May 10, 2018, https://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/about_us/166.html

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Corruption and Crime - A Major Cause for the Depleting Economy

The spread of corruption in Libya threatens the whole Libyan economy. There are several tactics of corruption in the banking sector practiced by almost 86% of Libya’s residents. 18

Tactic 1: The growth of money smuggling overseas through the manipulation of Letters of Credit (LC) and overseas bank transfers.

Tactic 2: Counterfeit imports of goods (through the import of empty containers or containers containing vastly undervalued goods).

Tactic 3: The acceptance of money laundering transactions

Tactic 4: The manipulation in the use of debit cards.

Tactic 5: Counterfeit deposits through the manipulation of the clearing system.

Due to these corruption tactics, Libyan citizens are not receiving hard currency (especially from the revenue of oil exports), and in turn, this is damaging the whole Libyan economy.

18 “Libya Corruption Report”, Business Anti-Corruption Portal, last acessed may 10, 2018, https://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/libya/

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The Attack on the Oil Crescent - The Beginning of the Economic Collapse- 2014 Civil War

On 7 December 2014, a coalition of militias began an offensive to take control of the oil export facilities of the Gulf of Sirte, an area known as the “oil crescent” - one of Libya’s main economic lifelines. The attacking forces moved from Jufra, south of Sirte, and advanced to Ben Jawwad, around 30 km west of Libya’s largest oil export terminal. The forces of General Khalifa Haftar, which control the area, responded with airstrikes and pushed the assault force back to Jufra. Many Libyans, including members of forces who launched the assault, claim the operation was carried out under the leadership of al-Mahdi al-Barghathi, the defence minister in Serraj’s government. The aim of the attack was clearly to strike a blow against Haftar-led forces, whose control of the oil crescent is ill-tolerated by various Tripoli-based groups, including some members of the Presidency Council. 19

For those attacking, regaining the oil crescent would not only mean controlling the oil terminals there but also opening strategic supply roads to Benghazi, where forces allied with the Council against Haftar have suffered successive defeats since the beginning of the year.

Haftar’s takeover of the oil fields had also allowed a 50 percent rise in Libya’s oil exports at a time where Libya’s foreign cash reserves were becoming dangerously exhausted and depleted.

19 “BDB and Jathran Attack Libya’s OIl Crescent Region”, Libya Times, last edited June 14, 2018, http://www.libyatimes.net/news/145-bdb-and-jathran-attack-libya-s-oil-crescent-region

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Repercussions of the Attack

Since Haftar seized control of the oil crescent in September, he allowed oil exports from the terminals to resume and repairs to damaged facilities to be carried out. Revenues from these sales, made by the National Oil Corporation (NOC), were paid to the Central Bank of Libya. Both institutions recognized and worked with the Presidency Council. The Haftar-supporting eastern government tried to create its own branches of the NOC and Central Bank, but Haftar himself had so far worked through the Tripoli-based NOC chairman. 20

Now, after the 7th December Attack, it has broken the delicate evenness that allowed the NOC to both cooperate with Haftar forces in the oil crescent and also to collaborate with the Presidency Council. Haftar could claim that the Council has allowed state funds to be used to finance the attack and end cooperation with the NOC. Now, Haftar is very likely to cut back on exports. If Haftar does cut back exports, this would put a huge new strain on Libya’s already struggling economy. The loss in oil exports due to the ports’ closure (when they were controlled by Jadran) and blocks of critical oil and gas infrastructure elsewhere over the last three years have significantly reduced oil production. From a high of 1.8 million barrels per day during the late former leader Muammar Gaddafi's era, it remained under 400,000 bpd for much of 2016. Since Haftar took control of the fields, it has begun to recover, reaching 600,000 bpd in November. Together, low oil production, prices and exports have resulted in a deficit of 56 percent of GDP in 2015, expected to remain the same for 2016.

However, at this rate, Libya could be completely bankrupt by the end of 2017.

20Mustafa Fetouri, “Renewed Fight Over Libya’s Oil Threatens Entire Country”, Al-Monitor, last edited June 19, 2018 https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/06/libya-oil-terminals-militia-attacks-cut-production.html

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Improvements That Should be Made

In the short term, the key for Libya to uplift its fallen economy is to restore and improve basic public services. In the long term, Libya needs to develop a more diversified, market-based economy that goes beyond the oil and gas sector. Moreover, for long-term benefits, Libya needs political stability. Should it have this, then it will much easier to implement improvement strategies in the first place. 21

Libya should drastically change the management and distribution of the revenues of oil

and gas exports that they receive. Instead of having the money go towards private companies, it should be invested in creating the infrastructure (creating productive jobs for citizens in the progress), etc. More money should be distributed throughout the real economy rather than just to the private sector. Agriculture could be developed again, as could the renewable energy sector (and solar energy in particular), and the hospitality and tourism industries could regrow once there is some stability and adequate infrastructure. In terms of unemployment, in order to have a developed and competitive workforce, Libya needs to implement apprenticeship programs, vocational training, and interventions that seek skills advancement.

21 “Libya”, World Bank, last accessed May 20, 2018, http://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/860391507055170984/MEM-Oct2017-Libya-ENG.pdf

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Questions to Consider

● Why is the private sector of the Libyan economy more successful than the public sector?

● If Libya had a stable government throughout its history, would Libya’s economy be different? How?

● Why is Libya so reliant on oil and gas rather than exporting its abundance of other natural resources?

● Why is it so effortless for individuals to perform acts of corruption in Libya regarding money and to not face any consequences for it?

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Topic C: The Slave Trade of Libya *Note: The Slave Trade is an ongoing crisis and some information in this background guide might be outdated. Further independent research is needed. On November 14, 2017, CNN released a video that showed slave traders during an auction that later became viral and shocked the world . Men were lined up side by side while auctioneers 22

listed off prices. Prices increased from 500 Libyan dinars ($476 CAD) to 1,200 Libyan dinars ($1,144 CAD). In Tripoli, Libya, men were being sold and bought by buyers and these buyers become the new masters of slaves. This was a slave auction, one of the hundreds, and counting, in Libya. This was the beginning of the Slave Trade in Libya. Background

Modern-day slavery and forced labour in the Middle East and North Africa is not new. Years before the CNN footage of a slave auction was released, activist groups, aid workers, human rights groups, and analysts were diligent in warning the public about the atrocities. These atrocities included “hostage-takings, violence, torture, and rape”, along with slavery and forced labour, that was “well-documented in Libya.” Lack of media coverage 23

caused a national blind-eye until the CNN footage became viral. What Happens to these Refugees and Migrants? Migrants or refugees pay smugglers significant sums of money, even whole livelihoods for some, to fund the journey to Europe by bus and boat from across the continent to Libya. This is

22 Nima Elbagir et al., “People for sale Where lives are auctioned for $400,” CNN, n.d., https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/14/africa/libya-migrant-auctions/index.html 23AFP, “Libya slave auctions: World leaders accused of hypocrisy,” Daily Nation, November 25, 2017, https://www.nation.co.ke/news/africa/Slave-auctions-in-Libya/1066-4201978-ckuoxx/index.html

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known as the trafficking hub. Fleeing conflict, persecution, and/or poor economic conditions, 24

migrants are exploited, and for a majority of the time, smugglers or militia groups will repeatedly ask for increased payments throughout the journey. When the migrants are usually unable and fail to pay, they are either sold at slave auctions and/or sent to detention facilities with grim living conditions.

Smugglers become captors as migrants are either held in warehouses and sold into forced

labour. In the warehouses, there have been reports in which migrants are mistreated and abused, i.e. beaten and denied freedom. Captors demand ransom payments from the migrants which are sums of money for the release of a slave, prisoner and/or kidnapped person. As a way to pay off the ‘debt’, people are sold as labourers in slave auctions throughout Libya. A majority of the labour is farmwork and slaves are either paid nothing or paid on a day-to-day basis, day labour;

24Lillian Leposo et al., “After finding freedom, this former slave is now homeless and hungry,” CNN, March 1, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/01/africa/nigeria-freed-slave-libya-intl/index.html

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however, this is rare. Many migrants in these detention centres retell their experiences as solely slavery, exploitation, inhumane conditions, abuse, etc. Many slaves are held at gunpoint when working and are whipped when they disobey or rebel. Eventually, they are released, only after certain negotiations are sorted out or if payments are made before being sent to detention centres. Staying at detention centres for extended periods of time, even weeks at a time, is a mere reality at a majority of the detention facilities today. The Libyan Coast Guard, Libyan authorities and other defences, capture migrants and send them to government-run detention facilities where approximately 400,000 to 1,000,000 migrants are held. They are sent to these centres for the purpose of awaiting arrangements for deportation back to their home countries. Due to the overcrowding and lack of documentation, migrants are often forgotten and return home after several weeks and months. More than 8,800 people have chosen to voluntarily return home on flights organized by the International Organization of Migration. However, there are alarmingly numerous reports of robbery, rape, and murder 25

among the migrants in the detention centres. There is a significant lack of supplies, such as “clothes, covers, pillows, slippers”, and even places to sleep and lie down.” There is a history 26

of detention centres with poor living conditions used to hold migrants. In 2013, even before the European Migrant Crisis, militia groups were using a zoo in Tripoli to hold asylum seekers from sub-Saharan Africa. Although leaders insisted that these facilities were temporary, living conditions were nonetheless cruel . Migrants were held in cages with rampant overcrowding and 27

25 Ibid. 26Raja Razek, “They don’t know my name,” CNN, November 14, 2017, https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/14/africa/libya-migrant-detention-centers/index.html 27 Rahawa Haile, “Libya’s Slave Trade didn’t appear out of thin air,” Pacific Standard, December 6, 2017, https://psmag.com/social-justice/understanding-libyas-slave-trade

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neglect. Even when health conditions were life-threatening, migrants were denied access to food, water, treatment or healthcare. European Migrant Crisis (2015-present)

Although the European migrant and refugee crisis is the period of rising numbers of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers arriving in Europe, starting in 2015, African and Middle-Eastern refugees in Europe became a national issue. In 2008, before the Arab Spring and civil wars in Libya, Muammar al-Gaddafi presented agreements to Italy and the European Union to slow down the flow of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. A proposal with the European Union was where Libya would receive $6.3 billion annually from the EU, insisting that it was necessary to prevent Europe from ‘turning into Africa.’ Another mutual agreement between Italy and Libya

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consisted of Italy paying $5 billion over 25 years as reparations for the Italian colonization and 28

Gaddafi working to prevent refugees from entering Europe, particularly the Mediterranean. After establishing a role of security in the Mediterranean through the proposal, the Arab Spring started and Gaddafi was killed. This proposal was denied as the EU did not agree with the terms. This left the Mediterranean sea route open, where the European migrant crisis would eventually begin.

After the fall of the Gaddafi Empire in 2011 and the rise of several unstable governments,

Libya became a congested major transit hub for sub-Saharan migrants seeking refuge and asylum in Europe, particularly in the Mediterranean. Although the mass migration towards Northern Africa and Europe is currently not unique to only Libya, Libya is one of the largest transport/trafficking hubs, which are also called modern African migration tunnels. At these hubs, thousands of refugees are crammed into unsafe and neglected boats headed to Mediterranean shores. The ratio of boats and refugees does not align, which means that there are more refugees on boats than the route can handle. For the past three years, about 150,000 people travel across the Mediterranean sea from Libya every year, and over 3,000 of these refugees die on these boats. 29

The number of refugees continues to rise, especially the number of migrants either dying

or missing during the journey, evident in the Mediterranean boat disaster in April of 2015. Considered to be one of the largest refugee shipwrecks and the deadliest disaster in the Mediterranean in history, the Mediterranean boat disaster had over 800 victims dead and 27 survivors. It is suspected that a smuggling organization deliberately planned out the fatal 30

shipwreck. This boat disaster is one of the many factors that contributes to the humanitarian crisis between African migrants and European immigration policy.

With the support of the European Union, especially Italy, the Libyan Coast Guard has

received funds, support, and training. This training consists of intercepting boats with migrants and refugees to honour the terms of the mutual agreement between Gaddafi and Italy. This has been successful as the arrival of migrants in Italy have reduced by 70% since the summer of

28 Ibid. 29 Casey Quackenbush, “The Libyan Slave Trade Has Shocked the World. Here’s What You Should Know,” Time, December 1, 2017, “Libya’s Slave Trade didn’t appear out of thin air,” Pacific Standard, December 6, 2017, http://time.com/5042560/libya-slave-trade/ 30Alessandra Bonomolo and Stephanie Kirchgaessner, “UN says 800 migrants dead in boat disaster as Italy launches rescue of two more vessels,” The Guardian, April 20, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/20/italy-pm-matteo-renzi-migrant-shipwreck-crisis-srebrenica-massacre

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2017. Due to these recent policies, there is a less likely possibility of boats on the route and thus preventing an accumulation of possible passengers. This policy only benefits the European Union as migrants are returned to detention facilities in Libya with a substantial risk of torture, rape, and forced labour.

A majority of migrants and refugees arriving by sea to Europe are seeking asylum or

protection from war, persecution, violence, and/or poverty and has caused massive internal displacement. The International Organization of Migration has identified and located over 300,000 internally displaced people where resources and basic services are overstretched and the potential to either return or successfully migrate elsewhere is unsafe. There are approximately 31

700,000 migrants in Libya as of now, according to the United Nations. The migration crisis in Libya is the result of several crises in managing the number of asylum seekers, migrants, and refugees to Europe and the conditions in which these refugees and migrants are living in to be willing to risk their livelihoods.

Actions of World Leaders and the Public

After the video was released, national condemnation from world leaders was followed, including United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, former African Union Chairperson Alpha Conde, and French President Emmanuel Macron. Although there were protests and demonstrations concerning slavery that have occurred prior to the CNN footage, the video did raise public awareness. Notable demonstrations took place in Paris, France and outside the Libyan embassy in France calling to “Stop Slavery.” There have been several rescue missions in which migrants have been saved from Libyan shores and on the Mediterranean

route; however, the number of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers continue to increase and the route remains extremely dangerous. Over 1,000 people have either drowned or gone missing

31 “IOM Libya Brief,” International Organization for Migration, last updated September 2016, https://www.iom.int/countries/libya

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while on the Mediterranean sea route in 2018. Rescue missions rely heavily on humanitarian 32

and charity vessels watching the Mediterranean. The UN migration agency has stated that over 14,000 migrants have even returned to their home countries in 2017. From December 2017 to 33

February 2018, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) evacuated and provided flights for over 1,000 Libyan refugees to Niger. However, since March 2018, there have not been 34

further flights and/or evacuations as the resettlement of these refugees to Europe is substantially slow. In contrast, there has been public disdain about this issue. United States President Donald J. Trump, along with several Libyan broadcasters and news outlets, called it “fake news”. Some countries in the European Union have chosen to tighten border control, back-logging further migrants and refugees in Libya. Ships, helicopters, and drones have been sent by Italy to ensure that African refugees and migrants do not reach international waters or life-saving humanitarian vessels and they have been successful. The number of African migrants and refugees reaching Italy has dropped by 87% in 2017.

On June 29th, 2018, European Union leaders carried a meeting in which they reviewed

migration policies and the asylum system. A controversial decision was reached in which member states are allowed to voluntarily host migrants and allows Italy and Greece to set up migrant centres of their own accord. Following this meeting, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Matteo Salvini, announced NGO rescue ships/vessels carrying migrants

32 Our Foreign Staff, “Up to 100 migrants, including babies, feared dead after boat sinks off the coast of Libya,” The Telegraph, June 29, 2018, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/06/29/100-migrants-including-babies-feared-dead-coast-libya/ 33 Saskya Vandoorne and James Masters, “Refugees escaping Libya arrive in France,” CNN, December 19, 2017, https://edition-m.cnn.com/2017/12/19/europe/france-libya-slavery-niger-intl/index.html 34“UN agency evacuates more than 1,000 refugees from Libya over past three months,” UN News, February 15, 2018, https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/02/1002851

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will not be allowed to dock on any Italian ports throughout the summer. This is critical as over 35

640,000 migrants have travelled along the Mediterranean route to reach Italian ports in particular. 36

The Government of National Accord, supported by the United Nations, announced a formal investigation by the Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency. However, many see the slave 37

trade and smuggling to be a profitable industry for the government that would require substantial international assistance as Libya is considered to be a corrupt and failed state without successfully enforced laws. Helpful Links

1. The infamous video footage of a slave auction in 2017 that shocked the world https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/14/africa/libya-migrant-auctions/index.html

2. General Summary of European Immigration Policies and the Slave Trade https://psmag.com/social-justice/understanding-libyas-slave-trade

3. Full CNN Coverage of the Slave Trade https://www.cnn.com/specials/africa/libya-slave-auctions

Questions to Consider

● Are European migration policies reasonable concerning the circumstances of migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and others who wish to live in Europe?

● How dangerous are immigration policies and governmental condemnation of migrants and refugees? Whom do these policies benefit?

● Besides rescuing the migrants and sanctioning the smuggling industry, what are some long-term and effective solutions to the migrant crisis?

35Our Foreign Staff, “Up to 100 migrants, including babies, feared dead after boat sinks off the coast of Libya,” The Telegraph, June 29, 2018, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/06/29/100-migrants-including-babies-feared-dead-coast-libya/ 36“ ‘NGO ships will only see Italy on postcards’: Italy’s Salvini vows to keep ports closed all summer.” RT, last edited June 30, 2018, https://www.rt.com/news/431259-salvini-no-ngo-ships/ 37Saskya Vandoorne and James Masters, “Refugees escaping Libya arrive in France,” CNN, updated December 19, 2017, https://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/19/europe/france-libya-slavery-niger-intl/index.html

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● Can the circumstances and conditions that cause mass-migration towards North Africa be improved on and solved? How?

● How is resolving the political crisis connected with the slave trade?

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Research Guide Delegates,

Although this background guide provides a brief overview of all topics of debate in this committee, it is imperative that you conduct further independent research to succeed. Thorough research of your character role, whether it is the foreign ambassador of a country, a journalist, or a world leader, will aid you in improvising the likely stance or position of your role concerning various issues (when it is unclear). The dais will entertain your position, so long as it is in accordance and is consistent with the past foreign policies/actions/etc. with your role.

Remember to familiarize yourself with the three topics in this committee before

conducting extensive research. It is advised that you research progressively to effectively understand your role. News articles and videos are recommended as resources that simplify the three complex issues.

Using credible sources is recommended and incredibly important. Take advantage of

your school library and public library. It is advised that you look through the footnotes and bibliography in this background guide. We have provided helpful links and questions to consider to help you further your research. If you have any trouble accessing the resources here, feel free to contact us.

It is expected that you research beyond the topics provided, such as past case studies,

especially for the Governments of Libya and the Economic Collapse of 2014. Try your best to become an expert on your role. Understand what progress has been made and your relations with other leaders and countries. As a delegate, you will be representing the interests and position of your role.

Your goals are simple. Stabilize and unite the governments, rescue the Libyan economy,

and take down the slave trade. It is your job to fill in the blanks and figure out how. Our philosophy is that all participants speak to fellow delegates and the dais and listen to

others respectfully to truly enjoy Model UN and what it has to offer. Do not be afraid to ask questions. If you are confused or unsure of anything, regardless of whether it is research or Model UN in general, please feel free to contact us through congressoflibyamun@gmail.com or cpssmun@gmail.com! If you are struggling during the conference, please talk to the dais. We want you to succeed and make sure your CPSSMUN experience is the best it could possibly be.

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“BDB and Jathran Attack Libya’s OIl Crescent Region.” Libya Times. Last edited June 14, 2018,

http://www.libyatimes.net/news/145-bdb-and-jathran-attack-libya-s-oil-crescent-region Bonomolo, Alessandra, and Stephanie Kirchgaessner. “UN says 800 migrants dead in boat

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Elbagir, Nima, Raja Razek, Alex Platt and Bryony Jones. “People for sale Where lives are

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