NATO embargo may also hurt struggling rebels, military analyst says

[David__77]

As rebels struggle to gain ground, an end to the war in Libya seems a distant objective. Military strategy expert Alexandre Vautravers says a NATO arms embargo will hurt the rebels' already complicated effort to topple Gaddafi.

Almost a week after an international coalition began military strikes on forces loyal to leader Muammar Gaddafi, rebels are no closer to toppling the Libyan regime. In fact, Gaddafi’s forces seem better equipped and motivated than previously thought, and disagreements have broken out between the international powers involved.

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Professor Alexandre Vautravers, head of the international relations department at Webster University in Geneva and a military strategy expert and historian: "The embargo may actually be detrimental to the rebels. Even if the embargo is efficient, the Libyan army still has equipment for years, fighting day-in and day-out. It is relatively easy to enforce embargo by sea, and at the Egyptian border, near the rebel strongholds in the Benghazi area. However, the Libyan armed forces would still be receiving arms from the south, and unfortunately this border is more porous, more difficult to control. The smuggling there will to continue whether or not the arms embargo is decreed."

"If you look at the last fifteen years, it’s clear these arms embargoes can never be tight. Simply, the money involved is so high that you will always find someone willing to smuggle these kinds of weapons - I’m talking about the low-tech weaponry and kits used on the front lines."

http://www.france24.com/en/20110324-libya-war-military-intervention-arms-embargo-rebels-gaddafi-coalition-vautravers