Source: CNN International

In the wake of the attack on the U.S. consulate and the killing of four American citizens, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, the Libyan government has ordered all militias within the country to disband. Appearing on CNN International, Frederic Wehrey noted that this decision is “a positive signal, but will be a very long process.” In a sort of devil’s bargain, the Libyan government has subsidized these militias in the absence of a cohesive police force or army. “It is difficult to imagine these militias simply disarming or demobilizing and they should not be incorporated into the army and allowed to maintain their cohesion and identity,” asserted Wehrey. Indeed, the most effective mechanisms for ensuring these militias disband is to incentivize the young men that went to war against Qaddafi to go to school, receive vocational training or join the army as individuals. With the dust hardly settled and little answers, any linkages between the Salafi militias suspected in taking part in the attacks and al-Qaeda remain tenuous. Ultimately, Wehrey said, “This is a Libyan problem that needs to be addressed through government reform and the building of an army. The solution is better governance.”