Ghariani incites continuation of war in Libya, calls for not abandoning arms

Ahmed Adel

As is his habit of incitement and calling for chaos and violence, exiled Libyan mufti Sadiq al-Ghariani issued a call to the Volcano of Anger militia, affiliated with the Government of National Accord (GNA), to refuse to accept the next transitional phase that will emerge from the political dialogue in Tunisia and to continue bearing arms.

Ghariani, who lives in Turkey, said on Wednesday, November 4, “The people of Volcano of Anger have paid a heavy price on the battlefronts for their cause. They must take care of themselves, because if they agree and remain silent and if they enter a future transitional phase, this means prepare yourselves for upcoming wars that will consume everything.”

Ghariani continued his incitement to war, calling on the militia leaders not to surrender and to intervene in the political scene by seeking to control matters in peacetime and not only accepting calls to participate in the fighting.

“Unfortunately, the militia leaders all surrendered. When they called them to war, they would fight, and when the war ended, instead of taking control of matters, they watched,” he said.

Ghariani, who is famous for his fatwas and positions in support of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, launched an attack on GNA officials in Tripoli, accusing them of being dependent upon and subjugated by foreign countries and the UN Mission, in addition to compromising the country’s sovereignty.

“The UN Mission and those who participate in the dialogues it is running now have nothing but meetings and conferences in their pocket, and they have no interest in calling a referendum on the constitution or elections, nor how the international community can help the Libyan people out of their crisis. They do not want the transitional stages to end, because their interests are to continue so that they remain in their positions, regardless of the suffering of citizens, power cuts, lack of liquidity and other hardships, and from the continued killing, sabotage and displacement, searching only for their interests,” he stated.

Ghariani emphasized that the experience of the transitional phase since the Skhirat Agreement in 2015 did not present anything new for Libya, nor did it take one step forward. He noted that the participants in managing the various transitional stages are working to keep the situation as it is, as they do not bear any responsibility of any kind towards the people and are only satisfied with moving between capitals to conduct dialogues and enjoy media exposure, adding that many of them reside outside Libya with their families, taking large amounts of money from the Libyan budget, which they spend on their own well-being and the well-being of their families abroad, while Libyans and the wounded are deprived of their right to the people’s money, which is now spent on travel and conferences.

A few days ago, Ghariani called on the residents of Tripoli to come out against the GNA, which he described as “helpless” in armed demonstrations and the killing of its members, underestimating the importance of the dialogues taking place between the conflicting parties to resolve the Libyan crisis, which he said will not lead to a proper solution.

It is noteworthy that the Joint Military Committee addressed the UN Security Council to expedite the issuance of a resolution obliging the parties to abide by the ceasefire agreement issued in Geneva. The UN envoy indicated that sanctions were being prepared for those who rejected the results of the political dialogue and obstructed peace in Libya.

Earlier, internationally wanted terrorist Salah Badi announced his rejection of the ceasefire agreement signed in Geneva between the Libyan factions. He threatened to take up arms and has also rejected the political dialogue to be held in Tunisia in the coming days.

On October 23, the UN Mission in Libya announced the signing of an agreement paving the way for resolving the crisis, including a permanent ceasefire, which stipulated the removal of foreign forces and mercenaries, the disbanding of militias, and the suspension of the agreements concluded between Erdogan and GNA leader Fayez al-Sarraj.

It also stipulated the formation of a military force with a limited number of regular soldiers under an operations room to be formed by the committee to act as a force that contributes to reducing the expected violations, given that it provides the necessary resources to operate it from all parties.

These meetings come as a continuation of the Hurghada meeting on the Red Sea coast in Egypt, which was held in late September and recommended speeding up the 5+5 Joint Military Committee meetings with direct meetings, as well as the immediate release of everyone who is detained without any conditions or restrictions.