Intel: US pushes Hifter’s Libyan militias to disband

Al-Monitor Staff

Jul 2, 2020

A car advances past a damaged facility in the Salaheddin district south of the Libyan capital Tripoli, on June 21, 2020, as some residents return to the area after it has been demined. - Since 2015, a power struggle has pitted the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) against strongman Khalifa Haftar, who claims legitimacy from an eastern-based elected parliament, and had been trying unsuccessfully to seize the capital since April 2019, until a pro-GNA counter-offensive at the beginning of June — A car advances past a damaged facility in the Salaheddin district south of the Libyan capital Tripoli, on June 21, 2020, as some residents return to the area after it has been demined. — MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP via Getty Images

US officials pushed strongman Khalifa Hifter’s Libyan National Army (LNA) to demobilize in a virtual meeting on Wednesday.

“The US side reaffirmed that armed groups that attempt to spoilt the political process or engage in destabilizing acts must not be tolerated — and risk international sanctions,” the State Department said while announcing the meeting.

The meeting follows a similar virtual summit last week where US officials issued a similar warning to Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).

Why it matters: The United States is pushing for a diplomatic solution to the Libyan conflict as regional powers continue to fuel what has become a rapidly escalating proxy war — a point the State Department highlighted in the meeting.

Intel: US pushes Hifter’s Libyan militias to disband

US officials pushed strongman Khalifa Hifter’s Libyan National Army (LNA) to demobilize in a virtual meeting on Wednesday.

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