Libyans' struggle against autocracy

Except some pockets of resistance by forces loyal to Gaddafi, the Libyan rebel soldiers are at the moment busy consolidating their gains in Tripoli. The ragtag rebel army composed of militias from diverse backgrounds, including Islamists, secularists and soldiers who defected from Gaddafi's army as well as youths, many still in their teens with hardly any training in the art of warfare, are engaged in an uneven fight with a well-equipped professional army of Gaddafi.
Had it not been for the constant support provided by Nato from the air, and special forces from Nato, France, Britain, some East European states and Qatar from the ground, the rebel army could not claim the successes they have been making in chasing Gaddafi's army first out of Benghazi in the east and gradually in the west. Continuous precision bombings by Nato air force, and attacks by pilotless US drones and missile from the US navy from the Mediterranean have been helping the rebel troops in their advance in the areas held by pro-Gaddafi loyalists.
But this easy success is hardly any guarantee for this motley army of some rebels depending totally on the Western military and material backing to win the support of the majority of Libyans.
The fact remains that it is only after Gaddafi failed to make any headway in his desperate diplomatic offensive to stop Nato bombing and was convinced that the US invasion of Libya is imminent that the long-serving dictator has apparently given up his grip on Tripoli and vanished as if into thin air.
But there is still no reason to think that he has abandoned the war and forsaken his claim on his country where he created many vested interests during his four decades plus years of unchallenged authority over the nation. The way his army is putting up a stiff resistance and snipers from rooftops are shooting at the rebel forces and their sympathisers shows that he has still some following among the population. This is why he is still trying to put up a bold face through occasional audio messages to his loyalists to keep on fighting against the rebels.
There is no mistaking the fact that with the fall of Tripoli at the hands of the rebels, Gaddafi is already in the process of becoming history. But the problem is that during the years he was in power, he not only crushed all opposition, but also nipped any prospect of growing new leadership of the nation in the bud. The aim was to install a dynastic rule in the country.
At present, there is no people's institution in Libya that might help the NTC or any emerging generation of leadership to take charge and thereby replace the long-serving dictator effectively. There are also no notable personalities in leadership of the National Transitional Council (NTC) now presiding over the ongoing war against Gaddafi.
The political leadership vested in the NTC is a loose coalition of individuals picked from various backgrounds. They have hardly any proven track record of guiding a nation undergoing a civil war towards peace, stability and democracy.
The current chairperson of the coalition, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, is undoubtedly a man of integrity. He has proved so during his earlier stint in Gaddafi's cabinet as justice minister by challenging the dictator's decisions on his face. But he is yet to prove his ability to lead in this critical hour of the nation, particularly to fill the vacuum created by Gaddafi's departure from the scene.
Similarly, Mahmoud Jibril, head of the executive team of the NTC and acting as interim prime minister, is basically an academician and a technocrat who until 2007 had been working outside Libya. After being inducted in the NTC, he visited the British, French and Italian capitals to garner political and financial support for the transitional authority. But he is practically an outsider so far as Libyan political landscape is concerned. It is worthwhile to note that the NTC is acting as a legislature, while the executive board is discharging the function of a government until a transitional authority is formed to hold a free and fair election to represent the people of Libya.
So, it would be naïve to think that occupation of the capital and shifting of the NTC's headquarters from Benghazi to Tripoli would automatically give it (NTC) the legitimacy and the authority to govern Libya.
Now the rebels have concentrated their campaign on freeing Sirte, the hometown of Gaddafi, from the clutch of his loyalists. The rebels' taking control of this support base of Gaddafi is undoubtedly a crucial phase of this war. But will the war end as soon as the rebels' military victory over Libya is complete? Again, it all depends on the NTC's ability to exert its leadership to forge national unity. Otherwise there is the risk of continued instability and chaos leading to Balkanisation of Libya.
In fact, the chaos and anarchy have already set in. There are gruesome reports of war casualties. The retreating soldiers of Gaddafi's army are leaving behind a trail of blood and devastation. Hundreds of victims of revenge killing are rotting in the corridors of hospitals and on roads. The utility services of Tripoli are in shambles. The stench from the dead has become unbearable, and there is no water to wash it away. The condition of the injured is worsening as the hospitals are running short of medicines and other essential supplies. The international community will have to urgently respond to this humanitarian catastrophe in Libya.
There is the growing fear of a prolonged civil war that may slink into an even uglier fratricidal war. Iraq provides ample evidence for what may happen in a country in the absence of a credible leadership, even if that is a dictatorial one.
Another reason for serious concern is Libya's resources, especially its oil reserves. Foreign powers that appear to have extended a helping hand in the Libyan people's struggle against autocratic rule may not have been driven by purely altruistic motives. So, challenges before the present leadership are manifold. They should have the ability to choose real friends of the Libyan people. And first and foremost, the primary task before them would be to restore order in this war-ravaged country.

The writer is Editor, Science & Life, The Daily Star.