Haftar, accepts “popular mandate” to rule Libya: scenarios, reactions and consequences
Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the unrecognized leader of the executive in eastern Libya, announced on Monday that the Libyan National Liberation Army (LNA) has accepted "the will of the people" to take political control of the country. In a televised speech, Haftar announced that the historic UN-sponsored agreement in the Moroccan city of Skhirat - through which the formation of the current National Accord Government in Tripoli (GNA) was imposed - was "a thing of the past". Haftar's forces - already in control of the eastern regions of the country - launched an offensive in April 2019 to take control of the capital, the location of the Government led by Fayez Sarraj.
The North African nation has been divided since 2014 between the areas controlled by the internationally recognized GNA and the territory controlled by the eastern authorities, commanded by the LNA. Since then, fighting between the two factions has intensified, while foreign interference in the conflict has increased, turning this war into a battle of foreign interests. Haftar is supported by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia, while Sarraj is backed by Turkey and Qatar.
During his speech, the LNA marshal doesn't explain what the new power structure will look like, although he does insist that this decision has been taken in order for Libyan citizens to live "free" in their own country. "The armed forces couldn't have achieved these victories without the trust of the Libyan people, because of the sacrifices of their officers and soldiers with their lives and their blood, to ensure the security of the country and for the Libyans to live free on their own soil," Haftar said in a televised speech recorded by the daily Al Marsad.
"We have followed your response to our call to announce the fall of the Political Agreement, which has destroyed the country and led it into the abyss, and to authorize those you consider eligible to lead this stage," the marshal continued in his speech. The LNA leader then thanked the Libyan people for authorizing him to "undertake this historic mission in the present exceptional circumstances". The speech continues with the announcement that the National Liberation Army accepts "the will of the people" to take control of the country, despite the "burden of that trust, the multiplicity of obligations and the magnitude of the responsibilities before God, our people, and conscience and history".
The aim of this new Executive would be "to serve the citizens, protect their rights, realize their hopes and aspirations and use all resources for the demands of the public benefit," he said. "We will work to create the conditions for building lasting institutions of civil status in accordance with the will and ambitions of the Libyan people, while completing the liberation march until full success is achieved, if God wills it," concluded the speech, which came just a week after Haftar said the UN-sponsored agreement "had failed".
Since the death of Muammar Qadhafi in 2011, Libya has been a country where chaos and instability have claimed power. In December 2015, hope returned to this nation after the two rival governments of Tobruk and Tripoli signed an agreement in Sjirat, Morocco, establishing the Government of National Unity, with a nine-member Presidential Council, a Parliament and a Council of State.
In a joint press release by the German, British, Spanish, American, French and Italian ambassadors and special envoys as well as the head of the EU delegation in Libya the international community showed "its firm support for the political agreement negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations in Skhirat as the only way to reach a solution to the political, security and institutional crisis in Libya".
At the same time, they expressed concern "about the suffering of the Libyan people due to the serious humanitarian situation, the deterioration of the economy and the growing terrorist threat from Daesh and other extremists" and insisted on the "need for a unified government to deal with this situation". However, both the GNA and eastern authorities continued to pursue their ambitions, relegating the thousands of civilians who have died in this bloody conflict and the many others who have been forced to flee their country to the background.
With Haftar's announcement of political control of the North African nation, the hope of creating a government in which all parts of the country are represented has disappeared, as the Political Agreement signed in Skhirat has become a dead letter. The GNA has responded to this speech by publishing an official statement in which they assure that "the obsession for power has reached its limit". Haftar's announcement of taking power in the country "goes against the political agreement" signed in Morocco and "did not surprise us". In this same note, Sarraj's executive calls on all members of the House of Representatives to begin "a comprehensive dialogue and to continue the democratic path leading to a comprehensive and lasting solution through the ballot box".
The U.S. Embassy in Libya has also reacted to this announcement by stressing that the American giant welcomes "any opportunity to engage in serious dialogue with LNA Commander Haftar and all parties on how the country can move forward," although they "regret" Haftar's unilateral proposal to "alter the political structure of Libya".
Even so, they have urged the LNA to join the GNA "in declaring an immediate humanitarian cessation of hostilities leading to a lasting ceasefire, as formulated in the 5+5 talks under UNSMIL facilitation on 23 February in Geneva", given the situation that civilians are experiencing during the holy month of Ramadan which this year, moreover, has coincided with an unprecedented health crisis.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) used the social networking site Twitter to explain that "as part of its continuing efforts to end the ongoing fighting and seek a political solution to the crisis in Libya by reaching out to all Libyan interlocutors, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Stephanie Williams, discussed the latest developments in Libya with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, on Monday".
"The debate also referred to the recent initiative of Saleh, which Williams considered a positive sign. He welcomed all-inclusive initiatives that aim to end the fighting and division and call for a return to political dialogue in the framework of the outcome of the Berlin Conference. The special representative of the Secretary-General also stressed the importance of listening to the Libyans' calls for a humanitarian truce during the holy month of Ramadan and for the resumption of the political process as soon as possible in order to end the ongoing war for the benefit of all Libyans," they said through this social network several hours before Haftar made his announcement.
For the moment, the UN has not reacted to the LNA leader's statements. However, it has been Russia that has done so. "This is surprising. There are decisions from the Berlin summit and, most importantly, UN Security Council Resolution 2510, which must be implemented first by the Libyans themselves, with the support of the international community and the UN Secretary General," said a Russian foreign ministry spokesman and picked up by the Russian news agency Sputnik. "We are in favour of the continuation of the inclusive intra-Libyan dialogue as part of the political process, there is no military solution to the conflict," added the spokesman, after explaining that Moscow is in contact with all the parties to the Libyan conflict, including Haftar, whom it has traditionally supported in the dispute.
Fighting and clashes to take control of Tripoli have been a constant over the past few weeks. Following this announcement, the GNA has carried out an air strike on the Al-Watiya base, which is controlled by militias loyal to Haftar, according to local media reports.
The military spokesman of the Sarraj government, Mohammed Kanunu, issued a statement explaining that five air attacks were carried out against the pro-Haftar militias and military vehicles that were at the base, considered one of the most important in the country after Mitiga airport. This attack came several hours after the LNA attacked the airport of Maitika (Mitiga), north of Libyan territory and located near Tripoli. This air base hosts part of the Turkish Armed Forces that are present in Libya to support the GNA.
Therefore, it should be noted that the agreement sponsored by the UN has not succeeded in restoring stability to Libya. This announcement comes several months after the UN special envoy, Ghassan Salame, resigned, highlighting the inability of foreign powers to find a peaceful solution to this conflict. Since then, both sides have ignored calls from the UN and the European Union for a ceasefire to enable the international community to reduce the impact of a pandemic such as the coronavirus.