Libya’s eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar on Monday said his Libyan National Army (LNA) has accepted the mandate of the Libyan people to rule the country, pointing to street demonstrations in areas under his control, reported Reuters.
“We announce that the general command is answering the will of the people, despite the heavy burden and the many obligations and the size of the responsibility, and we will be subject to the people’s wish,” Haftar said in his brief televised speech on Monday.
Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA), which is based in the east, launched an offensive to take Tripoli from UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, last April, with more than 1,000 killed in the violence. The GNA launched Operation Peace Storm on March 26 to counter attacks against the capital.
The Libyan eastern-based commander further said that the agreement, signed by the warring sides in Libya under the auspices of the UN, has lost its rule.
“The political agreement destroyed the country,” he said, adding “We will work to create the conditions for building permanent civic institutions.”
The agreement was signed in 2015 in Morocco. As part of the agreement, the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) was formed to manage the transition process in Libya and end the chaos and division that persisted in the country since the 2011 uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi. Haftar and his political allies tried to prevent this agreement from entering into force with his initiatives in the field.
Earlier this month, the GNA announced its forces were successful in expelling Haftar militias from at least eight provinces. They cleared a 3,000-square-kilometer area including Sabratha and Surman provinces, from Haftar militias.
Haftar is supported by the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia, while the GNA has Turkey’s support.
