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Libya Foreign Ministry: Guterres report proves Haftar war crime involvement 

January 25, 2020 at 11:01 am

United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres at the UN Headquarters in New York, US on 24 September 2019 [Erçin Top/Anadolu Agency]

Libyan Foreign Ministry has announced that the report of the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, has clearly demonstrated the involvement of retired major general, Khalifa Haftar, and his militias in committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Last Tuesday, the United Nations (UN) released a report from Guterres’s office.

The Foreign Ministry of the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) considered that Guterres’s recent report has shown a noticeable development in the UN position.

General Khalifa Haftar taking over Libya - Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]

General Khalifa Haftar taking over Libya – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]

The ministry pointed out that the sections relating to the accusation of Haftar of war crimes are fully consistent with previous statements issued by the GNA.

READ: Greek politician likens Haftar to Serbian war criminal

The Libyan Foreign Ministry has urged the UN, the international community and international and human rights organisations to assume their responsibilities in pursuing all involved in the aggression against Tripoli, as well as ensuring that they are tried in order to be penalised with fair retribution.

The statement pointed out that the UN confirmed Haftar’s responsibility for several crimes, most notably the bombing of the Military Institute in Tripoli, and the raid on Souani neighbourhood (35 kilometres southwest of Tripoli) and the Equestrian Club in Tripoli, among other similar violations.

The Guterres report highlights political, security and economic developments in Libya, and provides an overview of the human rights and humanitarian situation, as well as the activities of the UN mission in Libya, from 26 August to the end of last December.