Khalifa Haftar ordered the Libyan National Government’s advancement on Tripoli. The order was given on April 4, in the attempt to “liberate” the capital of Libya. According to BBC, the LNA says it is plans to “restore security” and combat “terrorism.” However, “we shouldn’t think about it as liberating the people or bringing them a better life, but rather we should think about it as one faction in a civil war as seizing the territory and defeating their adversaries,” stated Assistant Professor of International Politics Josh Goodman.
Haftar’s “offensive” decision occurred before the commencement of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya. The conference was meant to advance the general elections, which were supposed to take place last year. Haftar’s plan to seize Tripoli precedes months of LNA advances in other areas of Libya.
The support from other nations, such as Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and France, also play a role in Haftar’s mission to overthrow the Government of National Accord. On April 14, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sissi met with General Haftar. According to The Guardian, President Sisi’s office stated, “the president affirmed Egypt’s support in efforts to fight terrorism and extremist militias to achieve security and stability for Libyan citizens throughout the country.”
Egypt also provides funding and weapons to the LNA on the basis of combating Islamic radicals.
So far 180 people have died and 800 have been injured as a result of Khalifa Haftar’s advancement on Tripoli. The death toll and number of people wounded continue to rise. Current inhabitants of Tripoli are in the midst of conflict. Residents are enduring night-time assaults and the sound of explosions resonate throughout the capital. After visiting regions of Libya struck by LNA missiles, Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj said “evidence of the brutal attacks on civilian neighbourhoods would be handed to the international criminal court,” according to The Guardian.
The Euronews reports that over 13,000 Libyan citizens have left their homes due to the surrounding violence. The emigration resulted in the tightening of Tunisian borders.
There is also concern for Libyan prisoners escaping and fleeing to Europe. On April 15, the deputy prime minister of Libya voiced concern for the 400 ISIL terrorists that may see the current mayhem as an opportunity to escape. There is also potential for 800,000 migrants in Libya and bordering nations to take advantage of the chaos in order to cross the Mediterranean.
In response to the violence raging in Tripoli, British diplomats have drafted a resolution for the United Nations Security Council in hopes of a ceasefire.
The drafted resolution came after two weeks of indecisiveness among diplomats. The draft expresses concern for the actions of the LNA and the threat that the violence poses to the future stability of Libya. However, with ongoing civil war in Libya and the complexities of the LNA’s advancement in Tripoli, there has yet to be a resolution.
If Haftar’s forces succeed in taking the capital “that is a major step towards consolidating their legitimacy as the only government in Libya,” stated Professor Goodman.