Libya’s Haftar declares UN unity deal ‘thing of the past’

Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar said the political agreement destroyed the country. (File/Reuters)

• Haftar has not yet dissolved any state institutions
• He controls most of eastern and southern Libya

CAIRO: Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar on Monday declared a landmark United Nations-brokered agreement to unite the country “a thing of the past,” and pledged his authorities would move toward creating a new government.
“The political agreement destroyed the country,” he said. “We will work to create the conditions for building permanent civic institutions.”
Haftar, commander of Libya’s east-based forces, controls most of eastern and southern Libya. The administration in Tripoli rules just a corner of the country’s west.
While Haftar has not yet dissolved any state institutions, such as the eastern-based House of Representatives, he said his armed forces “accept the people’s mandate to run the country.”
In a speech last week, Haftar asked Libyans to hold demonstrations and give him a mandate to rule. Despite a curfew imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, crowds thronged the streets of Benghazi and chanted slogans against the rival Tripoli administration.
The UN set up the Tripoli-based government, known as the Government of National Accord, in 2015 following the emergence of two rival centers of government — one allied with Haftar in the eastern city of Tobruk and one in Tripoli.
The agreement, frequently condemned by Haftar and his supporters, bestows international legitimacy on a western government under the leadership of technocrat Fayez Sarraj.
It also acknowledges the House of Representatives based in Tobruk as the country’s official legislature and grants consultative powers to the previous parliament based in Tripoli. Both bodies are largely powerless.
The agreement has so far failed to bring unity or stability to the divided country. The abrupt resignation of UN envoy Ghassan Salame earlier this year cast further doubt on the fate of Libya’s hamstrung political process.
Meanwhile, Haftar has ratcheted up his military campaign to seize Tripoli. Both sides have ignored calls by the UN and the West for a cease-fire so authorities can direct resources to the coronavirus pandemic.
In his speech, Haftar said his forces would continue their offensive “until the end.”