Haftar Challenges Libyan Ceasefire

Remnants of rival military factions fight in Sirte, Libya, in 2011. (Flickr)

World leaders failed to make meaningful progress toward a permanent ceasefire in Libya during an international summit in Berlin on January 19, according to the Middle East Eye. Khalifa Haftar, leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA), continued to challenge the UN-backed government in Tripoli both militarily and economically. Much like the summit, which included many world leaders, the Libyan conflict has drawn extensive international participation over time.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the German foreign ministry hosted heads of state from 12 countries and leaders of four multinational organizations, including the UN. All summit attendees have played key roles in the conflict in Libya thus far, the Guardian reported. The goal of the summit was to secure a pledge from external actors to end their involvement in Libya and attain a truce between the two competing national governments, Haftar’s LNA and the UN-backed administration headed by Fayez al-Sarraj. Several politicians appear optimistic following the summit. “A special committee made up of five military men from each side will monitor the truce. Foreign powers active in Libya have committed themselves to uphold an existing UN arms embargo and to stop shipping weapons there,” Merkel said.

The summit surprised some politicians, as previous ceasefire negotiations between Sarraj and Haftar and brokered by Turkey and Russia had failed, according to Al Jazeera. After a recent meeting in Istanbul, on January 15, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for an end to the fighting in Libya. Despite this pressure, Haftar rejected a ceasefire on January 16 and stated that the LNA’s military operations would continue. “We welcome Putin’s call for a ceasefire. However, our fight against terrorist organizations that seized Tripoli and received support of some countries will continue until the end,” Haftar’s spokesman, Ahmad al- Mesmari, said in a statement.

Leaders are pursuing this current round of peace talks following an attack by Haftar’s forces on Tripoli, home of the opposing UN-backed government, in April 2019. According to the UN, more than 1,000 people have been killed and at least 5,000 wounded since the start of this military operation.

Libya’s unstable government has experienced bouts of violence since the NATO-backed deposing of the late dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011. According to Reuters, Haftar’s Liberal National Army controls much of eastern and southern Libya, while Sarraj heads the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas alluded to participation by external powers in Libya when he spoke of his hopes for peace, reports Reuters. He warned, “If developments in Libya are allowed to continue, then Libya will be the next Syria and we don’t want that to happen.”

Turkey has long backed the GNA, while Russian mercenaries, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan have supported Haftar’s LNA. Foreign participation raised hopes that peace talks brokered by Putin and Erdogan would resolve the conflict.

In addition to political recognition and land, the rival governments have been fighting for control over one of Libya’s most valuable resources: oil. According to Reuters, Libya used to be the third-largest oil producing nation in Africa. As conflicts have reignited, the country’s oil production has plummeted, leading to swift and acute economic struggles.

Despite Haftar’s words at the Berlin summit indicating an inclination toward peace, the Guardian reports that Haftar has initiated a massive blockade on the production of approximately half of Libya’s oil. International leaders fear that this new action puts the ceasefire at risk by putting immense economic pressure on both GNA and the Libyan people.