Libya Is on the Brink of All-Out War
Libya Is on the Brink of All-Out War
(Bloomberg) -- Libya’s internationally backed prime minister tried to stanch an offensive on the capital, urging strongman Khalifa Haftar’s loyalists to abandon the battle so negotiations could resume.
Fayez Al-Sarraj’s appeal to keep the fighting from degenerating into all-out war came as Haftar’s troops threatened to advance from Tripoli’s outskirts. Haftar, who controls much of Libya’s east and south, launched a campaign to take the capital earlier this month. The premier accused his forces of shelling the city overnight Tuesday, killing several civilians.
The offensive scuttled a United Nations-backed push for a reconciliation conference planned for April 14, and the risk of new oil-supply outages from the OPEC member has risen. Resistance to Haftar runs deep in much of the west where Tripoli is located. A battle between his forces and militias loyal to Sarraj could lead to some of the bloodiest fighting since the 2011 civil war in which longtime leader Moammar Al Qaddafi was toppled and killed.
“Call your children to return to their homes and their families,” Sarraj said in his appeal Tuesday. “There’s still a chance to avoid the loss of life and for dialogue between Libyans, and not with those calling for death and destruction.”
Libya slipped into chaos after Qaddafi’s removal, and has been ruled by two feuding administrations and dozens of regional militias since 2014. The chaos provided fertile ground for the rise of militants including Islamic State. Haftar’s declared reason for consolidating power is a self-proclaimed war on terrorism.
A diplomatic effort to end the violence and reunify the country has been impeded by the dueling interests of nations most vested in the conflict.
Haftar’s found support in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which share his hatred of Islamists. His other backers, Russia and France, see him as the best hope for stabilizing a nation that’s known little but conflict since Qaddafi’s ouster.
Sarraj’s backers -- mostly former colonial power Italy and other European countries -- have rallied behind him for fear the fighting will trigger an exodus of migrants to European shores. Italy also has many oil interests in Libya, through energy giant Eni.
The overnight shelling on the neighborhoods of Abu Salim and al-Intisar killed and wounded several civilians, and deepened the strife Tripoli residents have endured since the offensive began. Electricity and water have been cut, residents have been displaced and few dare to venture out for fear of being caught in the crossfire. The latest UN figures put the toll at 174 dead and 756 wounded.
Haftar’s forces denied carrying out the latest assault, and called for holding its perpetrators accountable, saying in a statement that “they’re known to us by name.”
The UN Security Council is expected to consider a U.K.-introduced resolution that would demand a cease-fire -- a move that could risk a veto by Russia. Without real teeth, though, such efforts are unlikely to carry much weight on the ground.
To contact the reporters on this story: Tarek El-Tablawy in Cairo at teltablawy@bloomberg.net;Salma El Wardany in Cairo at selwardany@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Amy Teibel, Paul Abelsky
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