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Libya: Haftar to Launch Military Operation to Liberate South

Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar arrives at a meeting in La Celle-Saint-Cloud near Paris on July 25, 2017. Philippe Wojazer / Reuters
Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar arrives at a meeting in La Celle-Saint-Cloud near Paris on July 25, 2017. Philippe Wojazer / Reuters
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Libya: Haftar to Launch Military Operation to Liberate South

Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar arrives at a meeting in La Celle-Saint-Cloud near Paris on July 25, 2017. Philippe Wojazer / Reuters
Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar arrives at a meeting in La Celle-Saint-Cloud near Paris on July 25, 2017. Philippe Wojazer / Reuters

The Libyan National Army leadership stated that it is planning a wide-scope military operation in the south of the country to eradicate the Sudanese, Chad, and local opposition groups and gangs.

The spokesman for the Libyan National Army, Brigadier General Ahmad al-Mesmari, said that Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar is planning to eradicate Sudanese, Chad and local insurgent groups that are threatening the national and strategic security in the south.

Mesmari told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the army won’t allow these members to use the Libyan territories as long as they threaten the country’s security and stability. He added that the dilemma facing the army is the current embargo imposed by the international community against arming the Libyan National Army.

The Libyan parliament called on Haftar, Thursday, to send military reinforcements urgently to Southern Libya in order to expel Chad opposition gangs that are having ongoing clashes with residents there.

Moreover, Mesmari refused to respond to reports on an imminent announcement to be made on Wednesday regarding an agreement to unify the Libyan military institutions. He announced in a brief statement on his Facebook account the resumption of the meetings in Cairo among the committees of unification of the Libyan military institutions.

Further, Obeidat tribe held a protest in the port of Al-Harika in Tobruk, nearby the border with Egypt, against appointing Ali Al-Issawi as the new minister of economy in the GNA.

In another context, Haftar ordered the resumption of investigations in the case of the assassination of Major General Abdel Fatah Younis, the commander of the Libyan army.

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Tetteh Urges All Libyans to Engage in Political Process

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)
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Tetteh Urges All Libyans to Engage in Political Process

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh and her Deputy for Political Affairs, meet a delegation of civil society organizations from the southern region (UNSMIL)

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh has stressed the need for all Libyans to actively participate in the political process and play a role in shaping Libya’s future.

Tetteh’s comments came shortly before her briefing to the Security Council on the situation in the North African country.

On Tuesday, the UN Special Representative and her Deputy for Political Affairs, Stephanie Koury, briefed a delegation of 28 representatives of civil society organizations from the southern region, including mayors and municipality members, on the outcomes of the Advisory Committee and the country-wide consultations led by the UN mission regarding the political process, as well as the recent meeting of the International Follow-up Committee in Berlin.

The participants told Tetteh that the ongoing institutional divisions between the east and west are negatively impacting the south.

They expressed a strong desire to see national elections through which all Libyans can choose their leaders and establish unified national institutions.

The southern delegation stressed the importance of ensuring that all cultural components have the opportunity to participate equally as citizens in the governance of the country.

Tetteh then held a meeting with the mayors of Misrata, Tarhouna, Khoms, Zliten, and Qasr al-Akhyar to discuss the options put forward by the Advisory Committee, as well as the ongoing challenges faced by municipalities across Libya.

UNSMIL stated the mayors conveyed their support for the work of the Advisory Committee and submitted a petition to Tetteh expressing their support for inclusive dialogue involving elected municipal councils and an end to the protracted transitional phases in Libya.

The mayors also stressed the need for effective administrative decentralization, and the allocation of resources to the municipalities to support adequate service delivery, and noted that the municipalities were currently underfunded.

They also voiced concerns over irresponsible public spending, which they warned poses a threat to the Libyan state, and called for the adoption of clear criteria for allocations of development funds.

They noted the importance of strengthening decentralization as a means to provide critical support for the Libyan people.

In a related development, the Chairman of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC), Emad Al-Sayeh, met Monday in Tripoli with British Ambassador to Libya Martin Longden to discuss ways the UK can support Libya’s electoral process.

Longden reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to providing technical and advisory support to the HNEC, aimed at strengthening its readiness and ensuring elections are held with integrity and transparency.

Meanwhile, Libya's interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah chaired an expanded meeting on Monday to follow up on the latest developments in the implementation of the “Emmar Tripoli” (Tripoli Re/Development) program, launched by the his government, with the aim of improving infrastructure and enhancing the aesthetic and urban character of the capital.

During the meeting, Dbeibah stressed the need to overcome obstacles and accelerate the pace of work according to the approved timetables, stressing the importance of daily field follow-up to achieve the set goals.