ENOUGH PROJECT, GI-NET/SDC COMMEND PRESIDENT OBAMA’S SWIFT ACTION TO PROTECT CIVILIANS IN LIBYA

(Washington, DC) – Human rights advocacy organizations expressed support today for the Obama administration’s swift action to protect civilians in Libya and reinforce the International Responsibility to Protect doctrine. The United States lent military support to establish a United Nations-approved no-fly zone as Libyan armed forces approached the city of Benghazi.  Many feared widespread civilian fatalities if the forces reached the city of 700,000.

The Genocide Intervention Network/Save Darfur Coalition (GI-NET/SDC) and the Enough Project offered the following statements:

John Prendergast, Co-Founder of the Enough Project:

"As the clock on Libya’s fate ticked inexorably towards midnight, the international community answered the alarm with a degree of clarity and unanimity never before seen so quickly in response to a threat posed to civilian populations. Confusion and inaction in Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur and a host of other lesser-known failures of international will have laid the groundwork, finally, for a spine-stiffening catalytic moment in Libya."

John Bradshaw, Executive Director of the Enough Project:

"Some critics second-guess President Obama's decision to intervene to safeguard civilians facing war crimes in Libya. But the international community's decision to act collectively has so far achieved its purpose of preventing Qaddafi from unleashing carnage on his own people in Benghazi."

Mark Hanis, President of Genocide Intervention Network/Save Darfur Coalition:

“On behalf of our hundreds of thousands of citizen activists and supporters who want the United States to take effective, responsible and prompt action to protect civilian lives and prevent mass atrocities, we commend President Obama for recent U.S. actions in Libya. By supporting the goals of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 and coordinating its operations with regional security organizations, the Obama administration strengthened the legitimacy of multilateral institutions and set the table for the successful invocation of the Responsibility to Protect doctrine. While offensive military operations are not always the right tool to prevent mass atrocities and should be undertaken with great consideration and as a last resort, in this case a show of international military force undoubtedly saved countless civilian lives.”

Background: On March 19, a United Nations-authorized coalition, led by France and the United Kingdom, began military operations designed to protect residents of Libyan cities, including Benghazi.  These operations, which include the creation of a no-fly zone, represent an invocation of the international community’s Responsibility to Protect.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 passed on March 17 and authorized United Nations member states, operating in concert with the Arab League, to take all necessary steps to protect civilians in Libya.  Through this language, the United Nations called on the international community to invoke its Responsibility to Protect in order to defend civilians from Libyan armed forces.

The United Nations approved the Responsibility to Protect doctrine in 2005, declaring that “The international community has the responsibility to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means to help protect populations threatened by these crimes. When a state manifestly fails in its protection responsibilities, and peaceful means are inadequate, the international community must take stronger measures, including collective use of force authorized by the Security Council under Chapter VII.”