Tripoli in the crosshairs. Fear of an offensive on Libyan capital

cde.news desk 10 March 2019, 05:00 · 1 min read

epa05847199 (FILE) - A Libyan rebel mans an anti-aircraft gun near the Ras Lanuf oil refinery (background) in Ras Lanuf, eastern Libya, 06 March 2011 (reissued 14 March 2017). According to media reports on 14 March 2017, Libyan forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar, chief of the Libyan National Army, began an operation to recapture the oil port of Ras Lanuf from a Benghazi militia. The Islamist Benghazi militia earlier this month took control of al-Sidra, Libya?s biggest oil port, and Ras Lanuf, its biggest refinery. EPA/KHALED ELFIQI

Forces from eastern Libya under the command of Khalifa Haftar have signalled that an offensive against the Libyan capital Tripoli might be imminent.

Forces from eastern Libya who have swept through the south and taken control of remaining oilfields in recent weeks have now reinforced a base in the center of the country and signaled to the capital Tripoli that it may be next.

This offensive has stunned the United Nations who is now scrambling to mediate between Haftar and Tripoli’s internationally-recognized government led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.

Haftar has not said whether he wants to march on Tripoli, which would dramatically escalate tensions. But his Libyan National Army (LNA) has hinted heavily that it might do so , if Haftar is not recognized as the country’s overall military commander, his aim since he began assembling the force in 2014.

Via Reuters

Topics Khalifa Haftar Libya Mediterranean Tripoli