Libya: Getting Geneva Right

10 March 2015: Colombia is a step closer to becoming free of landmines after a historic agreement between the Colombian government and FARC rebels. After two and a half years of peace talks in the Cuban capital of Havana, this is the first deal that will have a direct impact on the ground, delivering long-overdue humanitarian relief. In this blog post, senior Colombia/Andes analyst Christian Voelkel explains the benefits of the landmark demining agreement and evaluates its impact on future peace talks.

25 February 2015: The political divisions in Libya, and resulting military clashes between armed groups allied to the two governments and two parliaments, have facilitated the growth of jihadi armed groups. After the Islamic State (IS) beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya, and Egypt's bombing of IS camps in response, it seems clear that Libya has an IS problem. In response to the killing of its citizens, Egypt is calling for the UN to lift the arms embargo. However, what Libya needs is political dialogue, and a push to create common ground between the various factions, both military and political. By requesting an end to the arms embargo, Egypt and those Libyan leaders who back such a request could actually deepen Libya’s woes. In this Q&A, Crisis Group’s senior Libya analyst Claudia Gazzini discusses the upsurge in IS activity in Libya and advises the international community to stand firm against the delivery of weapons to any of the factions in Libya.

23 February 2015 Caracas mayor and opposition politician Antonio Ledezma remains in custody following his arrest last Thursday. The arrest takes place one year since protests and harsh repression erupted in Venezuela's main cities. In this blog post, Javier Ciurlizza recounts his recent trip to Venezuela and urges international and regional support to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe. The country needs urgent help from its friends to build political consensus. Regional states and organisations, as well as the international community at large, must act firmly, not with unilateral sanctions, but with pressure for dialogue between the two sides.