Haftar: Failure of Dialogue Compels Libyans to Determine Fate

Libyan General Khalifa Haftar speaking during his meeting with the Tunisian president on September 18, 2017 in Tunisia. (AFP)
Libyan General Khalifa Haftar speaking during his meeting with the Tunisian president on September 18, 2017 in Tunisia. (AFP)
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Haftar: Failure of Dialogue Compels Libyans to Determine Fate

Libyan General Khalifa Haftar speaking during his meeting with the Tunisian president on September 18, 2017 in Tunisia. (AFP)
Libyan General Khalifa Haftar speaking during his meeting with the Tunisian president on September 18, 2017 in Tunisia. (AFP)

General Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), considered that the ongoing dialogue in Tunis is the only solution for the Libyan problems and in case the dialogue fails to find political solutions then doors will be wide-open for the Libyan people to determine their fate.

In two separate meetings, Haftar met officers and soldiers from the LNA pointing out that the unity of the army was formed in the field and that the victory was achieved thanks to all sons and fighters of the army.

He announced that his forces now have control over the majority of the Libyan territory, with only 30 square kilometers remaining.

Haftar said there were no “indications” that the ongoing UN-sponsored dialogue could be the solution to the current political crisis in the country, pointing out that the door of other alternatives approved by the people remains wide open.

“The army and all security services will answer to the wishes of the people,” he added.

For its part, ISIS Fighting Operation Room (IFOR) in Sabratha denied the figures provided by Haftar because the army has no control over many regions in the west of Libya.

The Supreme Council of the Libyan Tribes and Cities, however, called on fighters and civilians to clear their cities and villages from militias, adding that the cohesion between the armed forces and people in Sabratha led to liberating it from terrorist gangs.

In its statement, the council added that the successive governments failed to protect the people from grave violations and horrible crimes against children, elders, and women that are taking place every day.

He added that throughout seven years, these governments couldn’t prevent the exhaustion of the Libya’s wealth.



Tunisia Hands Lengthy Prison Terms to Top Politicians and Former Security Officials

Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)
Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)
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Tunisia Hands Lengthy Prison Terms to Top Politicians and Former Security Officials

Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)
Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)

A Tunisian court on Tuesday handed jail terms of 12 to 35 years on high-profile politicians, including opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi and former security officials, a move that critics say underscores the president's use of the judiciary to cement “authoritarian rule”.

Among those sentenced on charges of conspiring against the state in the major mass trial, were Nadia Akacha, the former chief of staff to President Kais Saied, local radio Mosaique FM said. Akacha who fled abroad received 35 years.

Ghannouchi, 84, veteran head of the Islamist-leaning Ennahda party, was handed a 14-year term.

Ghannouchi who was the speaker of the elected parliament dissolved by Saied, has been in prison since 2023, receiving three sentences of a total of 27 years in separate cases in recent months.

A total of 21 were charged in the case, with 10 already in custody and 11 having fled the country.

The court sentenced former intelligence chief Kamel Guizani to 35 years, former Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem to 35 years, and Mouadh Ghannouchi, son of Rached Ghannouchi, to 35 years. All three have fled the country.

Saied dissolved the parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree, then dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges, a move that opposition called a coup which undermined the nascent democracy that sparked in 2011 the so-called “Arab Spring” uprisings.

Saied rejects the accusations and says his steps are legal and aim to end years of chaos and corruption hidden within the political elite.

Most opposition leaders, some journalists, and critics of Saied have been imprisoned since he seized control of most powers in 2021.

This year, a court handed jail terms of 5 to 66 years to opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers on charges of conspiring as well, a case the opposition says is fabricated in an attempt to stamp out opposition to the president.