The Libyan government condemns the UAE support for Haftar’s militias
The interior minister of Libya’s internationally recognized National Accord government, Fathi Bashagha, accused the United Arab Emirates of helping Khalifa Hafer forces in their attack on the Libyan capital Tripoli in a violation of the international law.
“We received information that a plane came from a country and landed at Benghazi airport carrying military equipment, which is contrary to UN resolutions,” Bashagha said in a television interview.
“According to electronic monitoring by satellite, the plane left Abu Dhabi and reached the base of Beninah,” he added.
A Libyan military source said two planes coming from the UAE capital Abu Dhabi landed at Benina airport in Benghazi city, which is controlled by Haftar, in eastern Libya.
The source confirmed to local media that the aircraft was carrying UAE officers specialized in operating drones, without any further details.
Images from Google Maps showed the two cargo planes course that moved from Abu Dhabi to Benghazi, while no information was available about when moved.
The arrival of the two planes coincides with a military operation by Hafar forces in an attempt to control the capital Tripoli, which is controlled by the internationally recognized forces of the National Accord Government.
Since April 4, Haftar, whose troops are called the Libyan National Army, has launched an attack on the Libyan capital, where the National Accord Government is located.
Bashagha asked both Egypt and Saudi Arabia to support the Libyan people and not to the person of Haftar. “We hope that they take a political position in favor of Libya with all courage.”
He said that the forces of Tripoli will turn from defense to attack to respond to what he called the “invader” and make it return to “where it came from.”
“We will continue our battle to defend Tripoli and the military operations are going well after the equipment is completed and there are still equipment and will be transformed from defense to attack. We have no other option.”
He stressed that the government of National Accord is considered Haftar “outside the legitimacy of the state, and what he has assembled is a militia,” adding that ” who believes that he built an army is delusional,” stressing at the same time that “there will be a real army agreed by the Libyans.”
“All we see in all of Libya is a militia or a local army whose doctrine is not suitable for a state. how a state army can attack an area in the same state.”
“We will not negotiate with any invading force and we will not negotiate with the warlord,” Bashagha said.
He stressed that there is no place to negotiate in the battle and there will be a cease-fire, “It is acceptable only to withdraw the invading forces from where they came, and then comes the cease-fire.”
He added that “dialogue will also be only with our people in the Eastern region … with those who represent them and who are real partners with national intentions for Libya. Hafter is outside the moral and Libyan equation, socially and legally, both at the Libyan or the international level.”
The EU and its member states agreed on Thursday after lengthy talks on a declaration calling for the “Libyan National Army” to “withdraw” from the capital as well as other troops came from other areas to fight.
Despite this call, the fighting intensified on Friday on several fronts in the southern suburbs of the capital, especially Ain Zara, Wadi al-Rubaie and al-Suwani.
More than 9,500 people have been displaced by fighting in the suburbs of Tripoli, half of them in the past two days, the United Nations refugee agency said Friday.
UAE officials insist on supporting Haftar amid international outrage and condemnation, including a senior official who said the UAE armed forces were involved in the attack.
The UAE has provided hundreds of armor, vehicles, and funds to Khalifa Haftar forces for years, helping him withstand the internationally recognized government forces and the “rebels” who refuse to expand his forces.
The UAE has two military bases in Libya for drones, helicopters, fighter planes, and operations headquarters, the first in the area of “Kharuba” 100 kilometers southwest of the oil bed field, and the second in the “server” about 100 kilometers from the city of Benghazi.
