Libyan warlord General Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army moved towards Tripoli, reportedly firing rockets from aircraft into Mitiga airport
Soldiers loyal to Libyan warlord General Khalifa Haftar were on Monday amassed about 15 kilometres south of the centre of Tripoli, the capital of what’s left of the failed state of Libya. City residents heard the heavy thudding of artillery overnight. They closed Tripoli’s schools and loaded up on food, water and fuel in case the advance of Gen. Haftar, leader of the self-styled Libyan National Army , erupts into a full-blown civil war.
Michel Cousins, editor-in-chief of the Libya Herald digital newspaper , thinks Gen. Haftar will probably soon make a lunge for Tripoli, moving all the way to Martyrs’ Square, the symbolic and commercial heart of the capital. The square was captured by rebel forces in August, 2011, during the revolution that, with the help of NATO bombing – Canadian CF-18 jets flew 10 per cent of the missions – overthrew Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
One Western diplomat assigned to Libya, who did not want to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said determining who – the GNA or Gen. Haftar – buys the loyalty of which militias will determine whether Gen. Haftar is stopped at the gates of Tripoli or will fight his way to Martyrs’ Square, in which case Libya faces another civil war. “Alliances are completely opportunistic and the population is divided,” he said. “People want to come out on the winning side.
The United States and the European Union support the UN-sponsored peace effort, which had called for a conference on national unity later this month that would lead to a new constitution and legislative and presidential elections. But Gen. Haftar obviously has his own view on how unity should be accomplished and it may not be through the ballot box.
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