Egypt urged to act in Libya war

LIBYA’S eastern-based parliament has called for Egypt to directly intervene in the country’s civil war to counter Turkish support for the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), based in the capital, Tripoli.

On Monday, the House of Representatives, based in the eastern port of Tobruk, said Egyptian backing was needed to stave off what it described as a Turkish invasion and occupation.

The statement underscores the growing stakes in Libya, where battle lines solidified earlier this month near the city of Sirte, after the GNA and Turkey drove the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) back from a yearlong assault on Tripoli.

Since 2014, Libya has been divided between Tripoli’s GNA and a rival eastern administration in Benghazi, where LNA commander Khalifa Haftar dominates. There is also a separate House of Representatives based in Tripoli.

Any major new escalation could risk igniting a direct conflict in Libya among the foreign powers that have already poured in weapons and fighters in violation of an arms embargo.

The LNA is backed by the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Egypt.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has warned its army might enter Libya if the GNA and its Turkish allies renew an assault on Sirte, the gateway to Libya’s main oil export terminals.

Control over oil, the main source of state revenue, has emerged as the biggest prize in the conflict, with eastern forces having imposed a blockade on production and exports since January.