Photo of Tunisia’s president hiding behind Libya’s Haftar stirs up controversy

Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi has been criticised by political activists after appearing in a photograph standing behind the head of the Libyan National Army, Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar, at a recent conference on the Libyan crisis in Paris. The photograph, in which only the top of Essebsi’s head can be seen, went viral on social media.

Tunisian activists claimed that the photo was “disrespectful to the authority of the Tunisian state,” while others were surprised by Essebsi’s consent to stand behind a man who they described as a “military commander accused of committing crimes against humanity.”

“We can only see what is left of the authority of the state in this picture,” said the leader of Tunisia’s Al-Irada Party, Imad Daimi.

One Tunisian activist, named as Kamal by Middle East Eye, pointed out that Essebsi did not go to the Palestine summit in Istanbul, but he “rushed” to Haftar. “He has turned a blind eye on the Jerusalem case, and he was then blinded by Haftar in this picture.” The activist accused Tunisia’s President of standing behind “a murderer who is killing Libyans without trial, accountability or even [formal charge].”

On Tuesday, representatives of 20 countries, including Egypt, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Algeria and Tunisia, convened in Paris to discuss the Libyan crisis. The meeting was attended by the leaders of four rival Libyan factions, who agreed to hold parliamentary and presidential elections in December. They also agreed to “accept the results of the elections, and ensure appropriate funds and strong security arrangements are in place.”

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