Libya celebrated on Thursday the 69th anniversary of its independence amid accusations between the Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Khalifa Haftar, and the Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, of amassing forces in Sirte and al-Jufra cities.
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, congratulated Sarraj and the Libyan people on the occasion of Independence Day.
Trump expressed Washington’s support for Libya to achieve stability, hailing the recent ceasefire and the launch of the political process.
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya said Libyans “celebrate this national occasion today with one year to go before national elections planned on December 24, 2021, as put forth in the roadmap endorsed by the members of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF).”
In a statement, it said it “seizes this opportunity to stress the importance of building on the positive progress achieved by the Libyans in the various intra-Libyan tracks to end the brutal fighting; move forward with the full implementation of the comprehensive Ceasefire Agreement; strengthen confidence-building measures; and, steadily work towards further improvements in the economic sector.”
“While the Mission calls on Libyans to consolidate their efforts and take courageous steps towards national reconciliation, and to look forward to a bright future for all Libyans to live in peace and prosperity, it affirms its full commitment to assisting the Libyan people in building their unified state.
“The Mission will continue to work with all parties to protect the Libyan people and Libya's resources, realize the democratic legitimacy of its national institutions; restore the country's sovereignty; and, end foreign interference,” it vowed.
Meanwhile, Sarraj, and members of his cabinet, all wearing masks due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, attended a midday parade of military and police forces in Tripoli.
He said that the country was enduring “several challenges and dangers,” hoping that next year’s celebrations will be held as Libya “celebrates democracy after the people have their say in presidential and parliamentary elections.”
In the east, Haftar presided over a LNA military parade in the city of Benghazi.
He had kicked off the celebrations by visiting a monument for martyrs and by launching a tree-planting campaign aimed at combating desertification.
On Wednesday, the LNA said that it had detected the “massive” amassing of “criminal and takfiri forces, which are armed with advanced Turkish weapons,” in the region of al-Hisha, al-Qadahya, Zamzam and eastern Misrata.
The military warned that the forces, which also include thousands of mercenaries and foreign fighters, were preparing to launch an offensive on LNA-held positions in Sirte and al-Jufra.
It slammed the development as a flagrant violation of the ceasefire, releasing footage of the deployed forces to back its claim.
