UAE ally escalates aggression against Tripoli
War criminal Khalifa Haftar, an ally of the United Arab Emirates in Libya, stepped up his attack on the Libyan capital as part of his aggression since last April.
Khalifa Haftar, commander of eastern Libya (the Libyan National Army), in a speech carried by Al Arabiya television, urged his forces to move towards the heart of Tripoli in what he called “the decisive battle” to wrest control of the capital from the internationally recognized government.
Haftar began an attack in April to wrest control of Tripoli, but the attack stalled on the outskirts of the city.
The UAE supports Haftar with money and military equipment to serve its ambitions to plunder the country’s wealth and capabilities through its mercenaries to spread chaos and sabotage it.
After Haftar announced on Thursday evening that “decisive battle had begun” in Tripoli, clashes resumed in the Al-Khlah area in southern Tripoli.
Haftar issued orders to the Libyan army forces to move towards the heart of the capital “to break its families”, stressing that “the Libyan army is inevitably victorious in the battle of Tripoli.” He called the units that advanced towards Tripoli to “abide by the rules of engagement.”
Haftar claimed that he gives the militants in Tripoli safety in exchange for laying down arms, saying: “We call on the militants who are fighting the army to keep their homes and have safety.”
For its part, “The Libyan Liberal Channel” loyal to the Government of national Accord (GNA) quoted the commander of field operations in the “Berkane Fury” as saying: “Our forces are strengthening their positions in most axes.”
As for GNAArmy spokesman, Muhammad Qanunu, he said, “The operational situation is under control and our forces are ready to deal with any movements,” according to the same channel.
The channel also quoted the Minister of Interior in the GNA government as saying: “Our forces are ready to confront any new mad attempt from Haftar,” as he put it.
Haftar discussed the latest arrangements for military operations in the west of the country, during a meeting with operating theater princes, at dawn last Tuesday.
Local media reported that Haftar discussed the final steps and preparations for launching a military operation aimed at entering the capital.
Two days ago, a United Nations report condemned the involvement of the ruling regime in the Emirates in financing armed groups from Sudan and Chad in the fighting in Libya in 2019.
The report prepared by international experts pointed out that countries, led by the UAE, including Jordan and Turkey, have regularly violated the arms embargo in favor of Khalifa Haftar militias, and the GNA headed by Fayez al-Sarraj for Ankara.
In their large report, including photographs and maps, United Nations experts refer to equipment (missiles, drones …) that were manufactured especially in Russia, China and the United States, explaining that there is no evidence that these countries delivered them directly.
The experts wrote, “Both parties to the conflict have received weapons, military equipment and technical support while using non-Libyan fighters, in violation of arms sanctions.”
Considering that their contribution was not decisive in relation to the conflict, the report details five Sudanese and four Chadian groups.
On the Sudanese side, it comes to the Sudan Liberation Army – Abdul Wahid faction with 200 fighters, the SLA – Mina Minnawi with 300 fighters, and the SLA gathered with 500 to 700 fighters working for Field Marshal Haftar.
United Nations experts say that a thousand Sudanese Rapid Support Forces soldiers were deployed in Libya on July 25, 2019 by order of Lieutenant-General Muhammad Hamdan Daglo.
Experts confirm that they learned of a contract signed in Khartoum on May 7, 2019 between Daglo, on behalf of the Sudanese Transitional Council, and the Canadian company, Dickens and Madison.
Under the contract, the Canadian company pledges to obtain funds from the Libyan Military Council in the east of the country for the Sudanese Transitional Council in exchange for military aid to the Libyan National Army led by Haftar.
The report indicates that the Sudanese Justice and Equality Movement is interfering in the interests of the National Accord government in Tripoli.
He also affirms, “The Panel of Experts believes that Sudan and the team are the first Daglu to violate” Resolution 1973, which imposes an arms embargo to Libya.
Among the Chadian groups identified by the experts, Haftar benefited from the alternation and reconciliation front in Chad with 700 men.
Two movements work for his competitor Fayez al-Sarraj: the Military Command Council to save the republic with 300 men, and the Union of Resistance Forces, which was widespread in southern Libya until February 2019.
There is a belief that there is a last Chadian group, the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development, with about 100 fighters belonging to factions that support either the National Accord government or the Haftar forces, according to experts.
Last July, it was revealed that Haftar militias had received support from the UAE and its allies in Egypt and Saudi Arabia in an attempt to resolve the battle to storm the capital, Tripoli, which is under the control of the internationally recognized national reconciliation government, after the defeat suffered by the Haftar militias, and expelled from the strategic city of Gharyan.
