Sisi is embroiled in the Libyan quagmire

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi has affirmed his support for the government of Abdullah Al-Thani of Libya that was appointed by the Tobruk parliament that is rejected by the majority of Libyans who insist that it does not represent them. He also confirmed Egypt’s participation in the founding of a Libyan army and in the training of its soldiers so as to confront the Islamists in Libya. In the meantime stressed that Egypt will provide assistance to the Libyan troops that are loyal to it.

Armed Islamists control large sways of land across the country including the capital Tripoli. In the meantime, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are endeavouring to provide assistance to the forces that oppose the Islamists. They consider the forces loyal to them to be the legitimate regular army in Libya while viewing the other armed groups as “militias”.

When he received Al-Thani in Cairo on Wednesday, Al-Sisi expressed the necessity of confronting the extremist terrorist groups in Libya that use religion as a pretext for perpetrating criminal acts while engaging in security and military confrontations. He also called for rectifying religious discourse, according to an official communique issued by the Egyptian Presidency.

This has so far been the most explicit statement confirming Al-Sisi’s official embroilment in the conflict raging inside Libya among armed groups, a conflict that has been described by observers as “the Libyan quagmire”.

Al-Thani arrived in Cairo on Tuesday night along with a high ranking delegation upon an invitation received from Al-Sisi. This was Al-Thani’s first foreign trip since he was commissioned by the Libyan parliament last March to form a mini crisis provisional cabinet.

On more than one occasion, Al-Sisi has expressed concern regarding the Islamic radicals who control large sways of Libyan territory saying that they pose a threat to Egypt’s stability because they infiltrate the joint borders and carry out attacks against the Egyptian army and police.

As for Al-Thani, he said that “the visit is aimed at formulating practical plans for securing the borders and coordinating with the Egyptian army to provide training, enhance the capabilities of the Libyan army and civilian police, provide maintenance for some weapons and military machines and contribute to the formation of a Libyan intelligence agency.”

Top Level Coordination

During the visit, Al-Thani also met with other Egyptian officials to discuss the means of supporting the Libyan government in a country that suffers from a bloody conflict between two armed groups, a liberal one and an Islamic one, as a consequence of which two wings of authority, each with its own institutions, have emerged.

At a joint press conference attended by Al-Thani and Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab earlier today, Al-Thani said that his country is coordinating with the Egyptian side to confront terrorism. He pointed out that “terrorism is widespread in the cities of Benghazi and Darna” and that “the Libya Dawn groups are engaging in a systematic destruction of Tripoli airport”.

Al-Thani emphasised the necessity of bolstering relations between the two countries especially at the security and economic levels. He noted that he had asked for Egyptian assistance in the health field in order to provide treatment for the wounded and the injured and that Al-Sisi instructed the ministries of health and higher education to attend to the Libyan wounded and to ease matters for Libyan students studying in Egypt.

He said that his country is facing brutal terrorism led by the Libya Dawn groups and explained that entire cities fell completely under the control of the terrorists.

Al-Thani explained that he came to Cairo to ask for Egypt’s help and stressed that security coordination between the two countries should take place at the highest levels.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Mahlab said: “Egypt will provide urgent assistance to fulfil Libya’s needs. There will be coordination at the highest levels in all the fields pertaining to security and the sharing of information in order to combat terrorism and control the borders.”

He added that his country “respects the Libyan people in all their choices and supports them in all their needs. The Egyptian political leadership is adamant on maintaining the provision of assistance to the legitimate government in Libya that was endorsed by the Libyan parliament.”

On more than one occasion, Egypt has declared its support for legitimacy as represented by the new parliament that is convened in the city of Tobruk and that was elected last June and by the new government that was commissioned by parliament under the leadership of Al-Thani.

Al-Thani enjoys international recognition but is confined at the moment to Tobruk in east Libya close to the borders with Egypt having lost control of the capital Tripoli where a rival prime minister and a rival parliament exist.

Military Support

Al-Thani also held a lengthy meeting with the Egyptian Defence Minister, General Sedky Sobhy, apparently in an endeavour to demand direct military assistance from Cairo. Brig. Gen. Muhammad Samir, spokesperson for the Egyptian army, said that “General Sedky Sobhy, General Commander of the Armed Forces and minister of defence and military industry, has received Abdullah Al-Thani, who is currently visiting Egypt with a high ranking delegation that includes a number of Libyan cabinet members.”

The spokesman for the Egyptian army added that “the meeting saw an exchange of opinions regarding the challenges and developments that the region is witnessing and their impact on security and stability in the Middle East and the means of bolstering and reinforcing joint cooperation and the exchange of expertise between the armed forces of the two countries in various fields but in particular in the fields of combatting terrorism and securing common borders.”

According to the statement, Sobhy pointed to the “profound relations between the Egyptian and Libyan peoples who are linked together by land and destiny”, noting that “the Egyptian armed forces are keen to support the Libyan army.”

Egypt will not let Haftar down

Egyptian security officials have said that Libyan and Arab extremists are setting up training centres in east Libya only a few kilometres away from the borders with Egypt and that some radicals within the city of Darna have declared allegiance to the Islamic State organisation that is currently controlling large sways of territory in both Iraq and Syria.

Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper quoted Egyptian security sources as saying that meetings were held between Egyptian and Libyan military officials during the past few days in order to agree on how to exterminate the armed elements within the Libyan region of Darna that include armed Egyptians who took part in operations within Egypt during the past few months.

The sources confirmed that Egypt gave the Libyan officials security reports that include information about the groups and the camps where the military training of militants is taking place and about the communication taking place between these militants and armed elements within Sinai.

The Middle East News Agency (MENA) has reported that retired Brigadier General Khalifah Haftar, commander of what is known as the Libyan Dignity Operation, visited a number of his wounded troops who are receiving medical treatment in a military hospital in Cairo. MENA added that Hafter was heading a delegation that included Libyan Chief of Staff General Abdel-Razzaq al-Nazuri.

In statements made to the press during the visit, Haftar affirmed that he and Egypt are waging a single battle against what he called “terrorism”. He emphasised that he has confidence that Egypt would not let him down by virtue of the fact that he is the child of the military institution that took part in the October (1973) war.

Translated from Arabi21, October 9, 2014

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.