Sources deny news of interim President in east of Libya

Sources close to the government in the east of Libya have denied reports that Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar is set to be named as interim president.

According to Asharq Al-Aswat on March 18th, the false news story was spread after claims that Haftar and allies had convened in a number of secret meetings in Cairo.

Haftar is the commander of the LNA, which holds military control over the east of the country and backs the Benghazi administration.

Whilst Haftar has not offered comment himself, a source close to him said that it was “just a rumour created by parties that don’t want stability in the country.”

Libya has been in a state of conflict as the east and west of the country vie for greater control.

Earlier this year, a UN support mission visited the country in order to emphasise that military unification must be a priority in order to finally lead to political unification in the future, according to Maghrebi on March 7th.

Libya held its first general election in 2014 since removing dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 with the aid of western forces.

However, violence ensued and divided the nation into two halves, splitting the east and west of the country.

The west of the country, led by the government in Tripoli, is recognised by the UN and has support from western powers.

In 2020, the Tripoli government signed a security deal with Turkey following a failed invasion of the capital by Haftar led forces, as reported by Maghrebi on February 18th.

Whilst sources close to Haftar have denied rumours about his presidency, they will have doubtless concerned officials in Tripoli.

Haftar has significant influence in Eastern Libya and has set about appointing members of his family to key military positions in order to tighten his grip over the country.

Asharq Al-Aswat, Maghrebi, Maghrebi