Libyans mandate their army to drive the terrorists out

Mustafa Kamel

Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Khalifa Haftar said on April 27 that his army had approved the mandate given him by the Libyan people to manage Libya’s affairs.

This move means an outright cancellation of the Skhirat agreement, signed in Morocco in late December 2015. The agreement allowed the militias of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) to remain in power. It also stipulated the formation of the GNA for one year.

However, GNA Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj violated many of the terms of the agreement. One of the articles in the agreement stipulates that Sarraj stay in power for four years only.

Nonetheless, Sarraj has not stepped down, even as he has gone beyond his four-year tenure. He committed other violations, including by supporting terrorist militias and signing a maritime boundary delimitation agreement with Turkey.

Libyans’ desire

Haftar asked ordinary Libyans on April 23 to mandate him to bring the Skhirat agreement down and declare a new constitution. A few days later, Haftar announced approval of the mandate given him by the people.

The collapse of the Skhirat agreement also means the collapse of all the institutions formed by this agreement, including the Presidential Council, headed by Sarraj, and the Supreme State Council.

Haftar said in a televised address on April 27 that the agreement had destroyed Libya. He added that the LNA would continue to move ahead to free Egypt from terrorism.

Agreements

The Libyans signed a series of agreements in the past years with the aim of solving the political crisis in their country and bringing stability back to it.

The Skhirat agreement was signed under sponsorship by the United Nations. It opened the door for a transitional period of 18 months. It also stipulated the formation of the Supreme State Council.

In early 2020, the Berlin conference sought to bring calm back to Libya. The leaders participating in the conference agreed to take measures to help the Libyans settle the political and security crisis in their country.