Support grows for Libya’s new unity govt

France says be ready for Tripoli intervention

TRIPOLI, April 1, (AFP): Libya’s UN-backed unity government has won increasing pledges of loyalty as it gradually exerts its authority in the face of strong opposition from rival political forces in the conflict-wracked country.

Libya’s warring sides are under intense international pressure to cede power to prime minister-designate Fayez al-Sarraj, whose arrival in the capital on Wednesday angered a rival Tripoli-based government.

But there are signs that allegiances are starting to shift in favour of Sarraj, a businessman from Tripoli who was a member of a committee that paved the way to national dialogue in Libya.

Ten western cities called on all Libyans Thursday to back the Government of National Accord (GNA) in a major blow to the unrecognised Tripoli authority which is refusing to give up power. The announcement came in a statement on the official Facebook page of the Sabratha municipality near the border with Tunisia.

“The situation of the country is sad. Life is very expensive, there is no cash, and so we saw that it’s time to support this government in order to start solving all of these issues,” said Sabratha mayor Hussein al-Dawadi.

Oil-rich Libya was plunged into turmoil after the 2011 ouster and killing of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Two rival governments have been vying for control since mid-2014 when the Libya Dawn militia alliance overran Tripoli, forcing the internationally recognised parliament to flee to the east. The Tripoli government demanded that Sarraj leave or surrender following his arrival by sea this week with a naval escort, after the airspace was closed to prevent him flying into the capital.

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Friday urged the international community to prepare to help Libya’s unity government if asked, providing military support if necessary.

The country’s UN-backed unity government is trying to assert its authority in Tripoli, but the sudden arrival of a new prime minister-designate has drawn fury from the unrecognised body in charge of the capital.

“Libya is a concern shared by all the countries of the region and beyond,” Ayrault said in comments to a French newspaper.

“The chaos which reigns there today aids the rapid development of terrorism. It is a direct threat to the region and to Europe,” he said.

While Islamic State militants are being pushed back in Syria and Iraq with the help of international intervention, the jihadists are gaining ground in Libya, the foreign minister warned.

“We must be prepared to respond if the national unity government of (prime ministerdesignate Fayez) al-Sarraj asks for help, including on the military front,” he said.

Asked specifically on the likelihood of military intervention, Ayrault replied: “That will depend on the legal government. To think of launching air strikes outside of the political process is not an option.”