Egypt still backing Libya’s Hifter
Amid accusations that the self-styled Libyan National Army led by eastern military commander Khalifa Hifter is redeploying in Sirte, Egypt continues to show its support for the Libyan leader as the country moves toward a transitional phase and national elections scheduled for later this year.
CAIRO — The head of the new Libyan Government of National Unity, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, discussed March 16 with the Joint Military Commission, known as 5+5, ways to unify the Libyan military establishment under a single entity, expel mercenaries from Libya and open the coastal road, linking Libya’s east and west.
The meeting came on the heels of a March 12 statement by the Sirte-Jufra Liberation Operations Room, affiliated with the Government of National Accord (GNA) forces in western Libya, during which it announced that it had monitored the military movements of the rival Libyan National Army (LNA) forces, led by Egyptian-backed strongman Khalifa Hifter, in the city of Sirte.
Brig. Gen. Al-Hadi Dara, spokesman for the Sirte-Jufra Liberation Operations Room, said that his forces had spotted 12 buses carrying LNA forces and that they arrived at al-Qardabiya air base in Sirte.
Dbeibah was chosen as interim prime minister at United Nations-led talks by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in February. The forum, launched in November, is the UN's latest bid to end the nearly decade-long conflict in the country. While Egypt’s support for the UN-backed political process last fall was instrumental in its success and will continue to be, Cairo still maintains its close connections with Hifter due to security concerns and its interest in Libya.
