The United Nations’ envoy to Libya on Monday said he was furious at foreign interference in the war-torn country, reported Reuters.
After a meeting with the U.N. Security Council, Ghassan Salame said any country backing eastern commander Khalifa Haftar led Libyan National Army (LNA) was equally responsible for the recent drone attack on a military academy in Tripoli that killed over 30 people. He expressed concern for the people of Libya who are the main sufferers.
“Dozens of cadets are being killed in a military academy – unarmed, entirely unarmed – by a drone attack that is probably done by a country supporting the LNA,” Salame told reporters.
Salame appealed countries supporting either Haftar’s LNA or the internationally-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) to not interfere in Libya’s political matters anymore. He said the country is already suffering too much from foreign interference in different ways.
Haftar and his allies in the east have support from the United Arab Emirates, France, Russia, Jordan, and other key Arab countries, while the Tripoli-based government is supported by Turkey, Qatar, and Italy.
When asked about Turkey’s decision to deploy troops in Libya to support the United Nations-recognised GNA in Tripoli, Salame said Libya already has enough weapons and don’t need more.
“There is enough weapons in Libya, they don’t need extra weapons, there are enough mercenaries in Libya, so stop sending mercenaries, as is the case right now with hundreds, probably thousands, coming into the country,” Salame said.
The UN Security Council held a closed-door meeting on Libya on Monday and after the session expressed concern at the spike in unrest. The council stressed the need for countries to comply with the U.N. arms embargo on Libya and cease foreign interference.
Last week, an attack on a military academy in the Libyan capital killed at least 30 people and injured over 33 others.
