BENGHAZI/TRIPOLI: A renegade Libyan general launched a fresh offensive yesterday against Islamist militants in the eastern city of Benghazi, sparking some of the worst fighting in weeks in which at least four people were killed and power supplies disrupted.
Libyan authorities are struggling to restore order across the vast desert nation ahead of a June 25 parliamentary election. The situation remains especially chaotic in Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city and cradle of the Nato-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi three years ago.
Retired general Khalifa Haftar has declared war against militants in Benghazi and several army units have joined him. The Tripoli government says he has no authority to act but its orders are routinely ignored in much of the country, especially the east, as rival militias and tribal groups vye for control.
Haftar’s troops, backed by tanks and rocket launchers, attacked several suspected camps of Islamists in western areas of Benghazi on Sunday, forcing dozens of families to flee. War planes could also be heard circling above the city.
Benghazi and much of eastern Libya suffered power outages after rockets hit a power station near the city’s airport, the state electricity firm said.
There has been speculation among analysts that Haftar has the support of neighbouring Egypt and of Gulf states such as the United Arab Emirates, which like the West is worried about Islamist militants exploiting the chaos in Libya. Haftar told Saudi-owned Arabiya television that his forces were being supported by Libya’s neighbours to help secure the country’s borders, according to the channel’s website. He did not elaborate and he later issued a denial of any such support.
At a news conference held outside Benghazi, Haftar praised Egypt’s new president, Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, as the right man for the job.
The latest fighting in Libya comes less than two weeks before a parliamentary election that ordinary citizens hope will bring an end to the chronic political infighting that has paralysed decision-making since the last vote in summer 2012.Reuters
