Libyan National Army commander calls for international support from Egypt to end Turkish intervention in the North African nation

Egypt presents an initiative to end the conflict in Libya

photo_camera PHOTO/ Egyptian Presidency - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi receives the head of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), Khalifa Haftar in this archival photograph from April 14, 2019

More than nine years after NATO's intervention against the Gaddafi regime began, two executives live together in Libya -- one led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and backed by Russia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia; while the Tripoli government, backed by the Muslim Brotherhood and internationally recognized by the United Nations, receives military aid from Turkey and Qatar--which are unable to reach an agreement and which control different areas of a state characterized by tribalism and its largely desert geography. Recent events and the presence of Ankara in this region have caused Egypt to react, and in the last few hours it has presented an initiative to put an end to the conflict that is devastating the North African nation. 

The President of Egypt, Abdel Fatah al Sisi made this announcement during a press conference in which the President of the Libyan Parliament, Aqila Saleh, and Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander in chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA) were also present. Al Sisi explained that this initiative - which aims to represent "fairly" the three provinces that make up the North African nation - requires "respect for international efforts and a ceasefire in Libya", a cessation of hostilities that, in the words of the Egyptian leader, will begin at six o'clock on Monday morning. 

El mariscal libio Khalifa Haftar

The document includes the adoption of a constitutional declaration that "regulates the next stage in Libya," according to information published in Al Ain. During his speech, Al Sisi also stressed that this measure also obliges all foreign parties to withdraw foreign mercenaries in Libya, as well as to dismantle their militias and hand over their weapons.

This announcement comes two days after the commander of the Libyan National Army, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, asked for international support from Egypt to end the Turkish intervention in the North African nation. The military escalation in this North African state has intensified in recent months following an agreement signed last November between Turkey and the Tripoli-based National Accord Government (GNA) led by Fayez Sarraj. Furthermore, in the last few hours, the Government of National Unity has announced that it has managed to defend its fiefdom and re-establish total control over the country's capital, Tripoli.  In this scenario, the fighters loyal to the GNA managed to recapture Tripoli International Airport, which has been disabled since 2014 and is one of the key positions to defend the city through the southern axis.

Los combatientes leales al Gobierno Libio de Acuerdo Nacional (GNA) reconocido por las Naciones Unidas recapturaron la capital, el Aeropuerto Internacional de Trípoli, el 3 de junio de 2020
The GNA reconquers Sirte 

In addition, militias backed by Turkish mercenaries re-conquered the strategic town of Al Wishka on Saturday and reached the centre of the coastal town of Sirte in central Libya. A spokesman for Operation Ira Volcano, Major Abdelhadi Drah has reported that his militias have also regained the town of Buwairat Hassoon, on the road between Sirte and the Jufrah oasis.

The political and social instability that characterizes the Libyan state has led this country to become a focus of insecurity for some of the neighboring states. This scenario also involves a number of actors such as organized crime networks or armed militias. Al Sisi has warned about the seriousness of the current situation in the North African nation, emphasizing that the "repercussions of this crisis affect not only Libya, but other countries in the region". 

After several days of meetings to analyse the impact of the conflict on the North African state, the Egyptian president said he had asked both the Speaker of the Libyan Parliament and Haftar to draw up a declaration that would include an intra-Libyan initiative to resolve the current crisis. He has also expressed concern about the practices of some foreign militias on the Libyan scene.

Al Sisi presented this initiative after meeting at the Federal Palace with Aqila Saleh and Field Marshal Haftar, in the presence of Lieutenant General Mohamed Zaki, the Egyptian Defence Minister, Abbas Kamel, head of Egyptian Intelligence, Ali Abdel Al, head of the Egyptian Parliament, and Sameh Shoukry, the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, according to a spokesman for this body to the media Al Ain. So far, Ankara has deployed more than 11,600 Syrian mercenaries to the North African nation to swell the ranks of the GNA, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Casualties of Syrian fighters in Libya have increased in recent weeks due to the lack of training and arming of these mercenaries. The total count of losses among the groups supported by Turkey now stands at 351, including 20 children under 18.

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