Libya: Gaddafi's tribe calls on its members to withdraw from Haftar militia

The Libyan tribe Qadhadhfa yesterday called on all its members to withdraw immediately from the forces of renegade General Khalifa Haftar.

This came in a statement of the Social Council of the Libyan tribe Qadhadhfa, reported by local media.

The declaration called on members of the Qadhadhfa tribe to “withdraw immediately and remove Haftar’s mercenaries from their areas in Sirte.”

“All the prisoners in Sirte must be released and criminals and mercenaries who broke into the houses, must be handed over to justice” the statement said.

It also called on “the Haftar militia in Sirte to hand over those implicated in the murder of Nasser Aweidat,” who had been run over.

The Libyan tribe threatened: “If these demands are not immediately met, things will become more complicated and we will consider Al-Karama Operation as an enemy to be fought,” in relation to Haftar’s operation against the internationally recognised government in Tripoli.

Libya army: ‘Haftar’s militia violated ceasefire’

The Qadhadhfa is a Libyan tribe to which late President Muammar Gaddafi belonged, and it is scattered in the cities of Sirte and Sabha.

Yesterday, the Libyan government warned Haftar’s militia against the ongoing attacks and crimes in Sirte and Traghan.

The government said in a statement that it “will not stand idly by and will not relinquish its duties to protect the Libyan people and ensure a peaceful transition towards a more peaceful and stable stage.”

A ceasefire has been prevailing in Libya for the past week, according to two joint statements issued by the Libyan government’s Presidential Council and the Tobruk Parliament supporting Haftar, who is fighting the government over legitimacy and control of the oil-rich country.