Head of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah was slammed for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Türkiye that grants its forces wide privileges in the North African country.
The agreement was signed in March and came to light recently when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented it to parliament on August 12.
The 24-article MoU grants Turkish forces deployed in western Libya “wide privileges and legal immunity”.
“Any crimes committed by the forces while performing their official duties will be subject to Turkish law” and “if they commit crimes outside their official duties, they will be subject to Libyan laws or punished in line with laws in both countries.”
The agreement obligates the Tripoli-based GNU to cover the fuel and logistics needs of all vehicles used by the Turkish troops.
Dbeibah was slammed for signing the “shameful” agreement, while Libyan political analyst Larbi al-Werfalli said the MoU was enough to spark an uprising in Libya against the Turkish “colonization.”
Political analyst Ahmed Abou Arqoub said the MoU effectively turns Libya into a Turkish military based, allowing Ankara to access Libya’s air and naval space without restriction, which could raise regional tensions.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he warned: “Libya will officially become occupied by Türkiye when the agreement takes effect. It is even expected to cover the costs of the occupation.”
The GNU has not commented on the criticism.
Several observers slammed the agreement as infringing on Libya’s sovereignty and national security.
Head of the National Human Rights Commission in Libya Ahmed Abdulhakim Hamza criticized the “shameful” MoU, adding: “A country occupying another by force is much more dignified and merciful than this insulting” agreement.
Türkiye and western Libyan authorities enjoy vast coordination ties that go back to 2019 when Ankara supported Tripoli against the Libyan National Army in its war on the capital.
Libyan academic Aguilah Dalhoum stressed that the “shameful” MoU is not the product of the moment, but a result of a “series of catastrophic errors committed by several actors on the Libyan political scene.”
“Libya is teetering between political idiocy and fear that have pushed it to sign a security agreement with Türkiye, which will transform Tripoli into an Ottoman province,” he noted.
