Spokesman for Libya’s Sarraj sacked

Head of the UN-backed Presidency Council (PC) Fayez Al-Sarraj sacked his spokesman Ashraf Al-Tulty today following an embarrassing exchange.

Al-Sarraj made the move following a heated argument on French TV last night between Al-Tulty and Libyan political analyst Abdulhakim Fanoush in which Al-Tulty threatened to have France-based Fanoush arrested by the French authorities. Fanoush had enraged Al-Tulty by stating that the PC has no legitimacy.

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“To show you how legitimate are we, we will arrange with the French government to issue an arrest warrant against you and arrange with the Libyan embassy in Paris to prevent you from renewing your passport,” Al-Tulty threatened Fanoush while speaking on France 24’s Arabic channel.

The PC is struggling to maintain its legitimacy as in house fighting and the opposition refuse to accept its authority.

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The altercation has reportedly embarrassed the PC and Al-Tulty was swiftly sacked with no further statements released by either side.

In recent weeks Al-Tulty has been forced to operate mainly out of Tunisia because of threats against him. Efforts are now underway to find his replacement.