Egypt considers Turkey's intervention in the Libyan conflict a threat to its security and considers it legitimate to intervene

Egyptian Parliament gives green light to send troops to Libya

photo_camera PHOTO/REUTERS - The President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

The Egyptian Parliament on Monday approved the sending of troops on "combat missions outside the borders" of the country in view of the rising tension in Libya and after President Abdelfatah al-Sisi stated that an intervention in the neighbouring country would be legitimate. Ankara has intervened directly in the Libyan conflict since the beginning of the year and has sent thousands of Syrian mercenaries to the North African country, something that Cairo considers a direct threat to its security due to the enmity with the Turkish Islamist government.

According to the state news agency MENA, the Parliament has authorized in a closed session, the "sending of troops of the Egyptian Armed Forces in combat missions outside the borders of the State to defend the Egyptian national security in the western strategic axis", that is, in the border with Libya. The troops would act against "armed criminal militias and foreign terrorist elements". Last week, Al Sisi said in a meeting with Libyan tribal leaders that "Egypt is not willing to accept the proximity of militias to its borders", referring to groups that support the UN-recognised National Accord Government (NAG), which is backed by Turkey.

This threat became more tangible when the ANG side began to gain ground on Marshal Khalifa Hafter's Libyan National Army (LNA) and advanced towards the Mediterranean city of Sirte, which together with Al Jufra in the centre of the country, are "red lines" for Egypt. The support of the Egyptian House on Monday comes after the Tobruk Parliament, affiliated to Hafter, last week asked Egypt to intervene in the event that the security of both countries is threatened by the presence of Turkey.

Al Sisi declared a month ago that "any direct intervention by Egypt has international legitimacy under the UN Charter, the right to self-defence and on the basis of the only legislative power elected by the people, the House of Representatives" in Tobruk. However, a few days ago he pointed out that his warnings are not "a call to war but an invitation to negotiations". In early June, the president launched a peace initiative in Cairo with Hafter and the president of the Tobruk Parliament, Aguila Saleh, which provided for an immediate ceasefire and the departure of all foreign fighters from Libya, but was rejected by the rival side.

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