Faiez Mustafa Serraj – prime minister of Libya’s internationally-recognized, Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) – told the 2020 United Nations General Assembly on Thursday that unification and reconciliation remain distant goals for his war-torn country despite the “great sacrifices” made by the Libyan people.
“It is no exaggeration to say that the stability and civilian nature of Libya is a critical matter, not only for Libya’s stability but the region and the world,” Falez Mustafa Serraj, president of the internationally-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) of Libya, told the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday.
The Turkish government over the weekend demanded that Gen. Khalifa Haftar “immediately” release six Turkish nationals arrested in Libya to avoid a military response.
The United Nations-brokered administration in Libya this week reportedly accused forces loyal to warlord Gen. Khalifa Haftar of using cluster bombs and internationally-banned munitions carrying a phosphorous chemical payload in Tripoli.
Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) – the U.N.-recognized government currently under siege in Tripoli by one of the other major factions vying for control of the shattered country – on Thursday revoked the licenses of about 40 foreign oil and gas firms, including French giant Total.
The office of Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi reportedly expressed support for Libyan renegade Gen. Khalifa Haftar on Sunday during a visit by the latter, occurring as his troops continue an ongoing invasion against the internationally-recognized Libyan government in Tripoli.
France, which owns oil assets in Libya, reportedly sidelined a European Union statement this week calling on the Paris and Moscow-backed Libyan strongman Gen. Khalifa Haftar to halt his eastern army’s offensive against forces loyal to the North African country’s internationally recognized government in Tripoli.
The U.S. military over the weekend announced that it had “temporarily” withdrawn a small contingent of American troops from Libya “due to increased unrest” in Tripoli fueled by ongoing battles between pro-internationally recognized government forces and an army loyal to a renegade warlord backed by Russia, France, and neighboring Egypt, among other countries.