It was their last stronghold in this region. The pro-government forces announced on Friday June 5 that they had taken control of the whole of western Libya, inflicting a stinging defeat on the rival troops of Marshal Khalifa Haftar. 

"Our heroic forces have extended their control over the whole city of Tarhouna, after having wiped out the terrorist militias of Haftar", 80 km south of the capital Tripoli, announced Mohamad Gnounou, spokesman for the Union Government forces National (GNA), recognized by the UN.

The loss of Tarhouna marks a turning point in the conflict between the two camps since the launch, by Marshal Haftar in April 2019, of an offensive to seize Tripoli.

"Redeployment" of troops outside Tripoli

The conflict has seen an increasing involvement of foreign powers in recent months. The increased military support of the Turkish ally has notably enabled the GNA to register a series of successes. A strong man from eastern Libya, Khalifa Haftar was supported by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.

Since Wednesday, the GNA has successively announced the takeover of Tripoli international airport, out of service since 2014, total control of the administrative borders of Greater Tripoli, and the takeover of Tarhouna.

Without directly confirming the first two setbacks, Ahmad al-Mesmari, spokesman for Marshal Haftar, said on Thursday of a "redeployment" of troops outside Tripoli.

He invoked "a humanitarian initiative to stop the bloodshed of the Libyan people", and assured that the decision for this redeployment had been taken after "the acceptance of the military command to participate in the military committee under the aegis of the 'UN."

War in Libya: the union government says it has taken over Tripoli

Warning of reprisals against civilians

On Wednesday, the UN announced the resumption in Geneva of negotiations of the military committee, which includes five pro-GNA and five pro-Haftar members and which aims to obtain a cease-fire. These negotiations had been suspended for more than three months.

So far, all previous attempts to establish a lasting ceasefire have failed.

Since Marshal Haftar's offensive in April 2019, hundreds of people, including many civilians, have been killed in the violence and some 200,000 have fled.

Libyan media have shown the deployment of pro-GNA in Tarhouna called to secure the premises. The pro-GNA command warned its troops against "reprisals, looting or destruction" in the city.

According to the NGO Amnesty International, "war crimes and other violations were committed by the belligerents (...) during the clashes near Tripoli" from April to the end of May. "Civilians are once again paying the price, while the parties (in conflict) are multiplying reprisals and violations," the NGO said.

She warned of reprisals against civilians associated with rival camps and called on Turkey, Russia and the Emirates to "stop violating the United Nations arms embargo" on Libya.

GNA chief determined to "defeat the enemy"

After the latest setbacks, pro-Haftar commanders fled to Bani Walid airport, a town controlled by local tribes 170 km southeast of Tripoli, according to pro-GNA sources.

By launching his offensive, Marshal Haftar expected a quick victory, but the fighting quickly got bogged down.

Supported locally by armed groups in western Libya, mainly those in Misrata, the GNA now controls the whole of the west of the country.

Marshal Haftar controls the East, including most of the oil terminals, blocked by his forces since the beginning of the year, as well as part of the South.

In displacement Thursday in Ankara, the head of the GNA Fayez al-Sarraj said he was determined "to defeat the enemy" and to continue "the combat".

Russia said it was "deeply concerned about the developments" in Libya. For Wolfram Lacher, researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), the setbacks of Marshal Haftar "show how decisive foreign aid has become for both parties".

With AFP

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