Libya: Tripoli forces prepare for Haftar-led attack
With over a decade of political unrest since the redundancy of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libyan authorities still struggle with conflict as it is divided between two opposing governments that claim they are the legitimate leaders of Libya.
On August 8th, the Arab Weekly reported that the armed forces of Libya’s internationally recognised government in the west are on high alert for a “possible attack” from the rival eastern administration.
“Salahuddin al-Namroush, the deputy chief of staff, has instructed army units to be on high alert and ready to repel any possible attack,” a military source told the Libya al-Ahrar television channel.
Energy-rich Libya is split between the UN-recognised government in the capital Tripoli in the west and a rival administration backed by military strongman Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who heads the east-based Libyan National Army (LNA) and as such rules from Benghazi and Tobruk.
In 2019-2020, Haftar’s forces tried to seize Tripoli but failed. Libyan experts believe that he is competing again for influence with the east-based authorities.
They believe that he is trying to enforce control of border crossings with Algeria in the country’s southwest amid a political impasse among rival protagonists.
Since 2020, numerous conflicts have repeatedly flared in Tripoli, with many disputes between rival groups linked to the country’s wider political contest over ultimate control of government.
READ: Truce holds but 55 dead in Tripoli clashes
Forces led by the LNA chief’s youngest son, General Saddam Haftar, said on August 6th that they were deploying “patrols … to monitor the border strip with neighbouring countries” to enhance “national security and stability in these strategic areas”.
Libya al-Ahrar, a privately-owned channel, reported that forces affiliated with Haftar were “heading towards southwest Libya”, in an area controlled by Tripoli authorities on August 7th, without providing further details.
According to a statement posted on Facebook, the units, under the “direct supervision” of Saddam Haftar, are heading “towards the towns and areas of southwest Libya”.
The ongoing chaos between the two rival factions seems to be never-ending, with both sides on high alert and refusing to back down.
The Arab weekly/ Agencies.
