War-torn Libya confronts Qatar and Turkey amid talks to resolve crisis


Amid the ongoing crisis that has long shaken Libya, representatives from Egypt and Libya boycotted the presence of Qatari and Turkish officials in an international conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The conference was convened to discuss the crisis in Libya. After one hour of discussion, the two men were persuaded to attend the meetings. Relations between Egypt and Turkey have been strained since the first democratically elected president was ousted in July 2013. Libya's internationally recognized government in Tobruk also accuses Qatar and Turkey of backing a rival government.As violence prevails in the country, the international human rights organization Amnesty International called on the United Nations for further sanctions and accountability to end spiraling war crimes in Benghazi. The report, called "Benghazi's descent into chaos: abductions, summary killings and other abuses," highlights a series of human rights abuses and war crimes committed by the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries (SCBR) and armed groups loyal to renegade General Khalifa Haftar."Over the past few months, as tit-for-tat attacks by rival forces in the city continue to escalate, Benghazi has steadily descended into chaos and misrule. The city has been ripped apart by spiraling violence waged by rival groups and their supporters seeking vengeance," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International."Unless the international community demonstrates the will to investigate war crimes and hold perpetrators accountable, the cycle of abuses and the suffering of victims are likely to worsen. This climate of impunity compounded by lawlessness must be ended," he added.Libya has suffered from instability and a lack of a central power. Successive Libyan governments have struggled to impose authority and law and order over brigades of former rebels and militias that refuse to disarm. Rival brigades of former rebels and their political allies have endangered the country's integrity. Various actors have come to the fore, including the fragile central government, the two main armed militias -- the Zintanis and the Misratans -- and the Libyan National Army, led by renegade General Khalifa Haftar.