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.”
Libya’s Haftar declares UN unity deal ‘thing of the past’
https://arab.news/pugvb
Libya’s Haftar declares UN unity deal ‘thing of the past’
- Haftar has not yet dissolved any state institutions
- He controls most of eastern and southern Libya
Israel closes crossings into Gaza Strip, including for humanitarian aid workers, Israeli government agency says
- The closures included the Rafah crossing
- In mid-February, the UN said it continues to face impediments in attempts to deliver lifesaving aid to Gaza
JERUSALEM: Crossings into the Gaza Strip, vital for the delivery of humanitarian aid and the movement of patients in need of medical evacuation, were closed on Saturday as Israeli and US forces attacked Iran, the Israeli government agency COGAT said.
The closures included the Rafah crossing, located at the Palestinian territory’s southern border with Egypt, which was only reopened at the beginning of February to allow a trickle of Palestinians to cross for the first time in months, including patients in need of urgent medical care.
Virtually all of Gaza’s population of over 2 million was displaced during Israel’s devastating offensive on Gaza, and the strip remains dependent on humanitarian aid.
In mid-February, the United Nations said it continues to face impediments in attempts to deliver lifesaving aid to Gaza.
Human Rights Watch stated in a February report that Israeli restrictions on aid had continued to cause shortages of medicines, reconstruction equipment, food, and water inside the strip.
COGAT said in its statement on the closures of the Gaza crossings that enough food had been delivered to Gaza since the beginning of the ceasefire to provide four times the need of the population, without providing evidence. It said “the existing stock is expected to suffice for an extended period.”
