The Libyan National Army (LNA) halts hostilities against the forces of the Government of National Accord for humanitarian reasons against the backdrop of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. This was reported by Al Arabiya TV channel, citing an official statement by the LNA, led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

The UN has already welcomed the decision of the warring parties to end hostilities against the backdrop of a pandemic. According to a statement issued on behalf of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, a pause in hostilities will help ensure humanitarian access to all areas of the crisis region in order to prevent the threat of the spread of COVID-19.

"Given the already dire humanitarian situation in Libya and the possible negative consequences of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the UN Secretary-General calls on the parties to join forces to combat the threat and ensure unhindered access for humanitarian aid throughout the country," the statement said.

The UN Secretary General also expressed the hope that a humanitarian pause in hostilities will develop into a long-term ceasefire.

Virus as an excuse

Recall that starting in 2011, Libya has been in a state of ongoing military-political crisis. After the overthrow and death of the leader of the Libyan Jamahiriya Muammar Gaddafi, a single centralized government was not formed in the country. Instead, two centers have emerged in Libya that challenge each other’s right to power. A government based in northeast Libya enjoys the support of the Libyan National Army under the command of Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

  • Khalifa Haftar
  • Reuters
  • © Costas Baltas

In the west, in the city of Tripoli, there is a government of national accord (PNS) under the leadership of Faiz Saraj. At the beginning of 2019, a new round of military confrontation started in the region. Active hostilities resumed after the LNA launched an attack on Tripoli. In turn, forces based in the western regions of the country announced the start of the “Volcano of Wrath” military operation.

It should be noted that to date, cases of coronavirus have not been officially recorded in Libya. Earlier, several people who came to the country from Italy, Egypt and Iran fell under suspicion of infection. This was told in the government sitting in Tobruk. However, there is no official information on cases of infection.

Syria, in the territory of which there are also active hostilities, has also been able so far to avoid cases of infection with COVID-19. As stated on March 21 by the head of the Syrian Ministry of Health, Nizar Yazigi, the results of all tests done in the ATS showed a negative result. However, the authorities continue to take measures to prevent the entry of a dangerous virus into the country, in particular, they are preparing places for quarantine of people entering Syria.

So far, no cases of infection have been recorded in Yemen, where hostilities are taking place between Hussite rebels and a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia. However, against the backdrop of hostilities in the country, the world's largest humanitarian disaster began. According to the UN, about 80% of the population of Yemen will not be able to survive in the current conditions without humanitarian assistance.

Even the danger hanging over the whole world in the form of the coronavirus COVID-19 did not force the majority of the warring parties to suspend hostilities. So, in early March, the coalition led by Riyadh announced that it had prevented the Houthis attack on an oil tanker in the Arabian Sea. A few days after this statement, the Arabian coalition attacked a number of targets in the Yemeni port of Salif. According to representatives of the coalition forces, the objects that allegedly launched UAVs and boats stuffed with explosives were destroyed.

At the same time, members of the unrecognized Hussite government accuse Saudi Arabia of trying to provoke an outbreak of coronavirus in Yemen. According to Iranian media, Hussein Makbuli, deputy head of the Hussite government, made such accusations. The official said that Riyadh allegedly specially organized congestion on the land approaches to Yemen, sending about four thousand people to the border. According to the Hussites, the mission of these people is to spread the coronavirus in the republic.

In turn, the head of the Yemeni Ministry of Health noted that the country is already suffering from a shortage of medicines and medical specialists.

  • People stock up on fresh water during the humanitarian crisis in Yemen
  • Reuters
  • © Mohamed al-Sayaghi

Meanwhile, on March 22, the first two cases of coronavirus infection were recorded in the Gaza Strip. This was reported by Reuters with reference to Palestinian officials. It is clarified that the virus was detected in two Palestinians who had previously arrived from Pakistan in transit through Egypt.

The number of COVID-19 carriers is also growing in Afghanistan, where the number of infected people reached 34 by March 22. Such statistics were cited by the Minister of Health of the country Ferozuddin Feroz. At the same time, the war will continue in the country - on March 19, the Government of Afghanistan announced the resumption of hostilities against the Taliban *.

As explained in a commentary by RT, Doctor of Political Sciences, member of the Scientific Council under the Security Council of Russia Andrei Manoilo, to establish the exact number of people infected with COVID-19 in the zones of military operations and humanitarian crises is not easy.

“Where there is a war, there are hardly any conditions and opportunities for identifying and counting patients with coronavirus. In such regions, people no longer have the time to fight the pandemic - just some other part of the population is at risk of dying without waiting for medical help. However, it is not necessary to expect that the experience of Libya, where a truce is being introduced, will be distributed in other hot spots, ”the expert said.

According to Andrei Manoilo, the decision of the warring parties in Libya was made not so much from humanitarian as from military-tactical considerations.

“The fact is that now neither the Haftar army, nor the PNS forces can prevail in the military confrontation. Therefore, a ceasefire would have to begin anyway, and the coronavirus in this case became a convenient excuse, ”the expert is sure.

At the same time, the continuation of hostilities in other hot spots of the planet may result in additional risks in a pandemic, this point of view is shared by Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of the Moscow State Pedagogical University. As the expert explained in a commentary on RT, war zones can become “gray zones” in which COVID-19 can spread almost unchecked.

“In conditions of active hostilities and humanitarian crises, there will be practically no one to control the spread of the virus. We must not forget about the factor of refugees, who in the future can unwittingly become potential distributors of COVID-19 from hot spots. Such risks increase, given that there are no conditions for sanitation and quarantine in refugee camps. In addition, many refugees enter the third countries illegally, and it will be very difficult to control their movement, ”the expert explained.

According to the head of the regional problems and conflicts sector, IMEMO named after E.M. Primakov RAS Konstantin Voronov, in a pandemic, humanity has a serious need for a common approach to a number of global problems.

“Of course, the pandemic alone is not capable of seriously weakening the military-political tension in the world, even though now the attention of governments is switched to the fight against the virus. But a pandemic can still push the world's major players to moderate their political ambitions and ardor, reducing efforts to foment local wars and conflicts, ”the expert summed up.

* "Taliban" - the organization was recognized as terrorist by decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 02.14.2003