Libya PM accuses rival of betrayal over Tripoli offensive
TRIPOLI: The head of Libya’s UN-backed government Fayez alSarraj on Saturday accused his rival Khalifa Haftar of betraying him over a military offensive against the capital Tripoli which risks plunging the country into civil war.
Forces loyal to the Libyan commander have pressed on with their assault despite international calls to halt hostilities.
In a televised address, Sarraj warned of a “war without a winner”.
“We have extended our hands towards peace but after the aggression that has taken place on the part of forces belonging to Haftar... he will find nothing but strength and firmness,” he said.
Pro-Haftar fighters have been slowed in their advance by forces loyal to Sarraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA), which is based in the capital.
For the first time, forces backing the GNA launched air strikes earlier Saturday on Haftar’s self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) — which vowed to retaliate — around 50 kilometres south of Tripoli.
Pro-government forces in Tripoli confirmed they had targeted Haftar’s men with “intensive strikes”.
The air strikes came as fresh fighting flared Saturday south of Tripoli between the progovernment forces and Haftar’s troops despite calls from the international community to halt the military offensive.
Several European foreign ministers warned Haftar not to countenance any further military action, with France’s Jean-Yves Le Drian warning “there will be no military victory”.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said there should be pressure on all the actors in Libya “especially general Haftar”.
A similar stance was taken by the UN Security Council which, following a closed-door emergency meeting Friday, said those responsible for reigniting the conflict will be held responsible.
Libya has struggled to counter unrest since the 2011 overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi, leaving dozens of militia to fill the void and ally with either the GNA or the rival administration in the east backed by Haftar.
At least one armed group from Misrata — whose forces are mostly loyal to the UN-backed government — arrived Saturday in eastern Tripoli to join the counter-offensive, according to an AFP photographer.
“We are waiting for orders to repel any advance by the enemy towards Tripoli,” said the group’s spokesman Khaled Abu Jazia.
Dozens of armed vehicles mounted with anti-aircraft guns were gathered in Tajura, in the suburbs east of the capital.
Tripoli residents have expressed concern that largescale fighting could break out and began stocking up on food and petrol.
On Saturday large queues formed at petrol stations and supermarkets, an AFP journalist said.
“We must store everything we need for the family, just in case, especially those with young children,” said Farida, a mother pushing a full shopping cart.
“You never know how long it will last,” she added.
Haftar’s forces were driven back by a few kilometres on Friday evening after briefly seizing Tripoli’s international airport, which was destroyed in 2014.
They were also pushed back from a key checkpoint west of the capital, less than 24 hours after seizing it during their lightning offensive towards Tripoli.
The latest escalation in the conflict-wracked country comes just days ahead of a UN-backed conference intended to unite Libya’s rivals and pave the way for elections.
Russia’s top diplomat on Saturday called for Libyans to “decide their future themselves” through “inclusive” dialogue.
“Without any sort of artificial dates that some are trying to force upon them from outside,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a visit to Cairo.
Despite the Tripoli flareup, UN envoy Ghassan Salame insisted the April 14-16 talks in the Libyan city of Ghadames would go ahead.
“We are determined” to hold the talks “as scheduled” unless prevented by serious obstacles, Salame told a press conference.
“We want to reassure Libyans that we will stay alongside the Libyan people to make the political process a success without resorting to escalation.”
Libya’s unity government was created at UN-backed talks in 2015 but it has struggled to assert control, while a number of international initiatives since have failed to unite the country. — AFP
TRIPOLI: The sudden offensive against Tripoli by Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar has taken pro-government forces and the international community by surprise. But is he really capable of seizing the Libyan capital?
Haftar’s self-proclaimed Libyan National Army launched the assault on Thursday as UN chief Antonio Guterres visited Tripoli ahead of a planned conference later this month to hammer out a roadmap for delayed parliamentary and presidential elections.
Haftar believes that ‘a national conference is a forum in which all the actors must ... show they are willing to accept his absolute supremacy,’ said Jalel Harchaoui, research fellow at The Haguebased Clingendael Institute.
The offensive came weeks after Haftar and key rival Fayez al-Sarraj, who heads the Tripoli-based UN-backed Government of National Accord, met in Abu Dhabi in February to discuss the creation of a new government in which he would be represented.
“Because the new government negotiated at Abu Dhabi was not revealed, Haftar felt that Tripoli players had not submitted enough to him ahead of the national conference,” added Harchaoui.
“So he chose military force to change the facts on the ground.” Analysts also believe Haftar wants to affirm his military clout after launching successful operations in the east and the south of the country — spurred by the fact that the international community failed to react to those past offensives.
He has been encouraged by ‘the silence of the international community during the previous operations, especially in the south’ where he struck tribal alliances, said Tarek Megerisi, an analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Timing the assault to coincide with Guterres’s visit was an act of defiance.
“Haftar made major mistakes. He underestimated the reaction of the foreign powers, being even so daring as to choose the day (Guterres) arrived in Tripoli to order the invasion,” said Libyan analyst Kaouthar Hassan.
Analysts believe that Haftar over-estimates the strength of his LNA.
They say the controversial field marshal, who backs an administration rival to the GNA based in eastern Libya, was counting on a quick collapse of Tripoli militias.
But pro-GNA reinforcements from around Tripoli rushed to assist in driving back his forces.
Haftar’s first setback took place when he seized control of a key checkpoint known as ‘Bridge 27’ less than 30 kilometres west of Tripoli.
Pro-government forces from the coastal town of Zawiya battled them, retook the base and captured more than 100 of Haftar’s men.
“Haftar is not capable of waging the battle for Tripoli,” said Libyan analyst Farhat Asseid.
“He has already faced a moral setback when he hastily decided to attack the checkpoint near Tripoli,” he said. Megerisi agreed. “Haftar is not as strong as he appears and cannot in the end deliver stability to Libya,” he said.
Powerful armed groups from Libya’s western city of Misrata have also said they were ready to halt Haftar’s ‘cursed advance’.
“The Misrata militias are more important (in numbers) than Haftar’s forces,” said Ali Bensaad, an expert on Libya and professor at the French Institute of Geopolitics.
The self-styled LNA is Soviettrained and made up of former officers from the Libyan army, militiamen, fighters from allied tribes and Salafists.
“Despite the effective branding, Haftar is not actually in control of an army in the traditional sense of the term,” said Megerisi. — AFP