Reports: Haftar has left Benghazi

Islamist rebels in Libya appear to be heading for a decisive military success after taking control of Benghazi in the east of the country. The rebels inflicted a major defeat on Special Forces loyal to retired Major General Khalifah Haftar. Scores of his troops were killed in battles over the past few days.

Concerns that the fighting might escalate prompted a number of Western and Asian countries to evacuate their embassy staff and families. This led to conclusions by local observers that foreign intervention is going to be unlikely, not even in the form of mediation between the two sides. Tunisia has signalled that it might close its borders with Libya as the number of refugees rises.

Following the earlier evacuation of most western diplomats and their families, the most recent have been the French and the British; the Czech Republic followed suit and so did the Philippines following the kidnap and molesting for several hours of a Philippina nurse from a hospital in the Libyan capital.

Tripoli witnessed relative calm yesterday after both parties to the conflict (the Islamists and the Zintan fighters and their supporters) agreed to a brief truce in order to allow local fire brigades to try to control the fire that erupted after fuel tanks were hit in the bombardment close to the city’s airport. Sporadic firing was heard in the area. In the meantime, observers expect that Haftar’s defeat in Benghazi will have a negative impact on his allies in the capital.

Appeals and mediation efforts have not succeeded in stopping the bloodshed in the eastern city. The “Revolutionaries’ Shura Council”, which is composed of several Islamic factions included Ansar Al-Shar’iah, insists on defeating Hafter’s Al-Sa’iqah forces decisively and compelling them to withdraw from their last encampments in Tripoli toward the hills outside the city.

Al-Sa’iqah commander Wanish Bukhammadah is nowhere to be seen after rebel sources said that they have taken him in. A well-informed source in Benghazi told Alhayat that Haftar left for Egypt in order to spend Eid with members of his family who live there.

A spokesman for the general, Muhammad Hijazi, described the withdrawal of troops from Benghazi as tactical. Yet, medical sources, including the Libyan Red Crescent, have said that they found no less than 75 bodies most of which belong to Haftar’s National Army faction whose authority has now been confined to the city of Tobruk and areas on the outskirts of Benghazi.

Circles close to Haftar attributed the defeat of his forces to the failure of the east Libyan tribes to stand by him as well as to having faith in an appeal for a ceasefire made by former Provisional Council Head Mustafa Abd Al-Jalil. The latter was asked by the provisional government to mediate in the conflict.

In the meantime, questions have been raised in the wake of recent events about the fate of the opening session of the elected parliament, which was supposed to convene in Benghazi on 4 August. A group of deputies from the eastern part of the country have announced that they will hold an emergency meeting in Tobruk next Saturday to discuss the latest developments.

At the same time calls have been made to the Islamic groups which are participating in the political process to determine their position regarding the situation in the country in general and in Benghazi in particular. Activist Yusuf Al-Qumati told Alhayat that the Muslim Brotherhood and those who are close to the movement should determine their position regarding the attempts to undermine the state project in which they participate by virtue of the power-sharing arrangement.

Al-Qumati asked about their silence about a project which, he said, we all know will end up as another ISIS state. He was making reference to a communique released yesterday by Muhammad Al-Zahawi, a leader of Ansar Al-Shari’ah, in which he appeared to pave the way for expanding the “emirate” declared by the organisation in Darnah.

Translated from Al Hayat newspaper, 31 July, 2014