Libyan militia commander Khalifa Haftar ordered his forces to freeze operations during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as criticism mounts over his bid to consolidate power in the oil-rich east. The cessation is a response to international calls for a humanitarian reprieve for the war-ravaged nation, Ahmed al-Mismari, spokesman for Haftar’s Libyan National Army, said late Wednesday in a televised briefing. Haftar has been waging a campaign to seize the capital, Tripoli, from the internationally recognized government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj for over a year.
While Haftar has largely brushed aside repeated international attempts to broker an end to the fighting, his forces, which control the OPEC member’s east and south, have suffered a series of losses around Tripoli in recent weeks. Backed by Turkey, Sarraj’s Government of National Accord has seized key western Libyan towns from Haftar, who’s supported by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russian mercenaries.
Khalifa Haftar
Haftar is also facing an international backlash after this week ditching a 2015 political agreement that created the Presidency Council headed by Sarraj and the advisory State Council while allowing for the continuation of the rival legislature in the eastern city of Tobruk. Haftar also said he was accepting a popular call from Libyans to rule directly — a move interpreted by many as a soft coup against the eastern parliament that helped elevate him to power.