Tripoli-based government fails in winning international community over to its side

Sara Rashad

A diplomatic war is raging on between the Libyan National Army, on one hand, and the Tripoli-based National Accord Government, on the other, side by side with the war the army is waging against the militias sponsored by the government.

The government has been working tooth and nail to get international resolution denouncing the army.

The White House said on April 16 that US President Donald Trump had talked on the phone with army commander Khalifa Haftar. In a way, the phone conversation attested to the presence of US approval of the operation the army is now staging on Tripoli.

Nevertheless, the National Accord Government issued a statement recently, in which it tried to turn the international public opinion against the army.

It said in the statement that the Tripoli Foreign Ministry had turned to the United Nations Security Council to demand an international inquiry into what it described as “violations” committed by the National Libyan Army in Tripoli.

It claimed that the army recruited children within its ranks and had targeted residential areas in the Libyan capital.

The Media Section of the National Libyan Army countered by saying that it was the National Accord Government that targeted civilians.

This was not the first time the government tried get international condemnation to the army. However, international rifts on Libya stand as a hindrance on the road of the government achieving its goal. Russia and France always use their veto power to prevent the Security Council from passing a resolution denouncing the army.

Unending campaign

The UK; Italy; Turkey, and Qatar back the National Accord Government as tries to get international condemnation of the army. Nonetheless, France, Russia and the US have succeeded so far in foiling these attempts.

The US and Russia opposed British efforts to get the Security Council to pass a resolution demanding a ceasefire in Libya.

Some observers in Libya view these British efforts with suspicion. They accuse the UK of sponsoring the terrorists in Libya. They also ask about the reasons why the UK backs these terrorists.

Libyan researcher Abdel Hakim Fanoush called on Libyans to stand on the side fought by the UK.

He wrote on Facebook that the UK always has bad intentions.

Disgrace

Some of Libya’s Islamists are also launching campaigns for solidarity with the National Accord Government.

President of the Tripoli-based State Council lashed out at what he described as the countries that back the Libyan National Army.

Libyan researcher Abdel Baset bin Hamel said the National Accord Government runs into one failure after another.

This is particularly true, he said, after the phone conversation that US president conducted with Haftar.

“The international community stands by Libyan national Army,” bin Hamel said.

Some observers believe, meanwhile, that the Libyan National Army had succeeded in winning the war for international support.

They added that agreement between the US and Russia on what is happening in Libya will prove decisive in the coming days.