Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar calls Italians 'enemies'
Libya’s most powerful military commander has described Italians as “enemies” and accused some Libyans of being puppets of the Italian government.
Field Marshal Khalifa Hafter, whose Libyan National Army controls the east of the country, also threatened to move on the capital Tripoli, which has been devastated in recent weeks by militia clashes that left 63 dead and some 160 injured.
“We are not alone in this world. Yes we can sit and agree on what is in favour of Libya, but now it has reached a stage of worshiping when we find Libyans speaking on behalf of Italy despite that those are enemies,” Field Marshal Haftar was quoted as saying in a series of tweets by his spokesman.
Italy has thrown its weight behind the UN-backed government in Tripoli that the LNA opposes. The administration, led by Fayez al-Serraj, is seen as weak and unable to control the rampant, institutionalised militias the government is reliant on. A ceasefire was agreed on Tuesday between the warring factions, following violence that shattered any illusion on stability in Tripoli.
“Tripoli must be liberated and will not remain in spoiled hands. The armed forces moves after accurate calculations. We will move towards Tripoli in the proper time,” Field Marshal Haftar was quoted as saying.
The LNA has long claimed it would mount an offensive on the capital when the time was right to "liberate" the city and areas outside of its control. Its forces were not involved in the clashes that battered Tripoli and largely remained silent until now.
At a Paris summit in May, four of Libya’s key power bases seemingly agreed to hold presidential elections in December, although an electoral law has yet to be agreed upon. Mr Serraj and Field Marshal Haftar were in attendance, as were figures from the Libyan parliament and the State Council, which is an advisory body.
Field Marshal Haftar insisted the LNA remained committed to the Paris agreement but warned that any “glitches” would lead to action by his forces. “We fully support elections, but it has to be fair elections, because if it’s not, the Army will act,” he said.
The French and Italian spat over the European Union has spilled over into Libya, with Italy supporting the unity government in Tripoli and France showing sympathy towards Field Marshal Haftar and his forces.
Last week hard-line Italian interior minister Matteo Salvini blamed France for the migration crisis that Italy has borne much of the European brunt of. Italy also said the French were at fault for the Tripoli clashes because they supported Libyan rebels in the 2011 revolution that toppled the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
While the uneasy UN-brokered ceasefire agreed between Tripoli’s warring factions last week has largely held, residents of much of the south and west of Libya have been hit by a blackout that has lasted for over 36 hours.
