This paper explores armed group–community relations in Libya and the sources of revenue that have allowed armed groups to grow in power and influence. It draws out the implications for policy and identifies options for mitigating conflict dynamics.
About the Authors
Tim Eaton is a senior research fellow with the MENA Programme at Chatham House, where he focuses on the political economy of the Libyan conflict. In 2018 Tim authored a report on the development of Libya’s war economy, in which he examined the increasing connection between economic activities and violence. In 2019, he was lead author of a major paper that compares the economic drivers of conflict in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen. Prior to this, Tim managed Chatham House’s research on the Syrian conflict, including its ‘Syria and its Neighbours’ policy initiative. An Arabic speaker, Tim previously worked for BBC Media Action, the BBC’s international development charity, on projects in Iraq, Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, and helped to set up and manage its Libya bureau from 2013 to 2014.
Abdul Rahman Alageli is an associate fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Programme, based in Tripoli, Libya. He is currently an adviser to the GNA Chief-of-General Staff of the Libyan Army. Abdul Rahman previously worked with the stabilization team of the Libyan Prime Minister’s Office in 2011 before becoming the national security file coordinator in the Office of the Libyan Prime Minister and a member of the Libyan government’s National Security Coordination Team until 2015. He is a founder of the Libyan Youth Forum, as well as being a founding member of the Libyan Experts Forum. Abdul Rahman is a master’s graduate and a fellow of the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. He holds the Associateship of King’s College (AKC) Award in Philosophy and Theology.
Emadeddin Badi is a researcher and political analyst who focuses on governance, conflict and the political economy of Libya. He has worked with multiple international development organizations and business risk firms as a consultant, and his analysis has been published widely. Emad studied French language, economics and business as well as conflict and development in Libya and the UK. He is a non-resident scholar at the Counterterrorism and Extremism Program of the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC. He is also a Policy Leader Fellow at the School of Transnational Governance of the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.
Mohamed Eljarh is a Libyan affairs specialist who has covered Libya’s developments since 2011. He is the co-founder and CEO of Libya Outlook, and he acts as the regional manager for CRCM North Africa in Libya. Previously, Eljarh worked with the Atlantic Council and Foreign Policy magazine. Eljarh worked on individual projects with a number of think-tanks, international NGOs and business risk consultancies. Eljarh has published extensively on Libya. His most important works include two book chapters, various think-tank reports and policy briefs. Eljarh was an adviser to the UK’s special envoy to Libya for more than two years and worked briefly as a political consultant for the Libyan embassy to the EU in 2015.
Valerie Stocker is a researcher who has studied Libyan politics and society extensively, mostly focusing on the southern region. She has worked with various development organizations since 2013, conducting fieldwork and analysis on conflict dynamics, peace processes, migration and other subjects. Valerie was based in Tripoli for several years starting in 2008, and has previously worked as a freelance journalist and business risk consultant.