Libyan Strongman Haftar Says Offensive on Tripoli Will Go On
Libyan Strongman Haftar Says Offensive on Tripoli Will Go On
(Bloomberg) -- Libya’s eastern commander, Khalifa Haftar, vowed to press ahead with an offensive on the capital until militias there are disbanded, despite mounting international pressure to end the conflict that threatens to rip apart the OPEC member.
Haftar, who has secured control over much of the rest of the country, including vital oil fields and installations, also said in overnight interviews with Libyan media that he intends to dissolve the UN-backed government currently headed by Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj.
Al-Sarraj proposed a peace plan earlier this week, but it effectively excluded Haftar, leaving little hope that the eastern strongman would sign on. The snub appears to have only stiffened his resolve. Haftar said that a unity government would be formed if he takes Tripoli, setting the stage for fresh elections and the drafting of a new constitution.
The Libyan National Army’s “military situation in Tripoli is excellent,” Haftar said. The operation “will not stop until all its objectives are accomplished.”
The LNA -- the country’s strongest and most organized military force -- has stalled at Tripoli’s outskirts since launching its campaign in April.
From the start, Haftar cast his fight as one against terrorists. The military commander now also argues that the powerful militias in the capital, which serve as the main force for Al-Sarraj, are increasingly in control of key state institutions such as the central bank.
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In the interviews, Haftar said the new unity government would also “re-balance” oil revenues. The comments were a reference to claims that the oil-rich eastern region doesn’t get its fair share of the proceeds from crude sales.
In addition, he said other entities born of a 2015 political agreement, like the presidential council that governs the nation, would be disbanded. The council’s mandate has expired.
“We will have a transitional phase that will be managed by a national unity government that will immediately start working upon liberating Tripoli,” he said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Samer Khalil Al-Atrush in Cairo at skhalilalatr@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lin Noueihed at lnoueihed@bloomberg.net, Tarek El-Tablawy, Paul Abelsky
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