Libya is facing a renewed military escalation. Rebels of the Libyan National Army (LNA) moved into Gharyan, 100 kilometers south of Tripoli. "We have Gharyan completely under control," said LNA commander Abdelsalam al-Hassi of Reuters. Residents confirmed the information.
The government in Tripoli announced it would put its forces on standby. The LNA had recently occupied areas in the south of the country. Experts doubt that their powers are enough for a major attack.
The civil war in the oil-rich desert state has been raging since the overthrow of the ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi2011. Fajes al-Serradsch, the internationally recognized prime minister, governs from Tripoli while militia chief Chalifa Haftar controls the east of the country with his LNA and now parts of the south. He is supported by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and seen as a bulwark against Islamists. The two men had met in Abu Dhabi last month for negotiations.
Now General Haftar has given his troops the order to advance to the capital Tripoli. "Today we are completing (...) our victorious march, the March of Struggle," Haftar said in an audio message titled "Operation for the Liberation of Tripoli". "Today we are responding to the calls of our loved ones in our expensive capital, as we promised them." In Tripoli sits the internationally recognized government of Fajis al-Sarradsch, who rivals Haftar for power in Libya.
The fighting is a setback for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who arrived in Tripoli on Wednesday to press ahead with peace talks. Actually, a new attempt is to be launched at the end of the year for parliamentary and presidential elections. Before taking Gharyan, Guterres had written on Twitter that there could be no military solution to the conflict.