Article: https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-libya-africa-middle-east-europe-176cee919badac6b2841396b9cc57d3f
Analysis:
Recently, a joint news conference was held where Libya’s top foreign diplomat of their interim government, Najla al-Manqoush, called on Tukey to implement the U.N. Security Council resolutions. This was further backed up by France and Italy. She additionally called on Turkey to immediately remove the foreign fighters and mercenaries that are currently in Libya.
Turkey has deployed troops and Syrian mercenaries to fight with Tripoli militias. In addition, Turkish foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu responded during the conference saying that Turkish forces were allowed to be in Libya as a part of a training agreement reached with the previous administration.
The removal of troops that Libya is pushing for is going to be difficult to achieve because Turkey has been working to maintain a presence in Libya. The reason Turkey in particular is interested in Libya is the GNA that was signed giving Turkey maritime power.
Still, the Security Council had agreed in an informal meeting that removing these troops is the only way forward for Libya after years of being hindered by the Civil War. The European Union has also echoed their support for the removal of these troops.
Geopolitically, it is clear why Libya is a place of interest for the international community. Libya is rich in oil and holds the largest crude oil reserves in Africa. Yet, the government is struggling because of years of conflict resulting in damage to its oil fields. The state-run National Oil Corp has to repair damages in order to reestablish this profitable industry, but it could be a source for countries that are interested in their oil.
In addition, Africa is a shatterbelt that is without any realm power. This means that one powerful country has the ability to gain control in Africa, which often makes conflicts arise here. This is also why this removal of troops needs to be monitored as shifts in realm or regional powers could possibly be at play.