General rejects U.N.-brokered government
BENGHAZI, Libya — A powerful Libyan general whose forces recently captured several key oil facilities has rejected a U.N.-brokered government and said the country would be better served by a leader with “highlevel military experience.”
In a series of written responses to questions from reporters this week, Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter said his army only recognizes the authority of the Libyan parliament based in the east, which has also rejected the U.N.-backed government in the capital, Tripoli.
Libya was plunged into chaos by the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime leader Moammar Khadafy, and for the last two years has been split by rival authorities based in the far east and in Tripoli, in the west.
The two sides are deeply divided on Hifter’s future role in the country. In the east, he is seen as the kind of strong, experienced military leader who can defeat Islamic extremists and restore order to the oil-rich North African country. In the west, where powerful Islamist militias hold sway, he is seen as a remnant of the Khadafy government — which he once served — and an aspiring strongman.
Hifter said little to put such fears to rest.
He cited generals who went on to lead Western nations, as well as President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in neighboring Egypt, who led the military ouster of an elected Islamist president in 2013 and has presided over a sweeping crackdown on dissent.
“Military people who were elected to lead their country achieved remarkable success,” Hifter said.
Asked if he intended to seek the highest office, Hifter demurred, saying the country first needed security, political and social stability, and that he would not answer the question until that was achieved.
The U.N.-backed government is led by a presidential council headed by Fayez Serraj, an independent technocrat. It was supposed to present a new Cabinet to parliament for approval after lawmakers rejected the last one in August, but has yet to do so.
Egypt has backed Hifter who, like el-Sissi, blames much of his country’s problems on the Muslim Brotherhood group. He says Tripoli has been “hijacked” by armed gangs, blaming disorder there and the expansion of rogue militias on Islamist factions.
Both Hifter’s troops and forces loyal to the U.N.-backed government are battling the Islamic State and other extremists.
But there are concerns that victory against Islamic State could bring renewed conflict between east and west.