General Khalifa Haftar, leader of the Libyan National Army, has rejected the ceasefire proposed by the Russian and Turkish presidents as a way to de-escalate the hostilities with the government in Tripoli.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a truce in Libya during their meeting on Wednesday in Istanbul, after Turkey sent troops and equipment to Tripoli in support of the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).
Haftar’s LNA controls most of Libya, however, and has been advancing on Tripoli in recent days. He rejected the idea of a ceasefire on Thursday, after returning from Rome, where Italy tried without success to mediate a deal between the LNA and GNA head Fayez al-Sarraj.
The general also declared jihad against Turkey last week, after the parliament in Ankara voted to approve the troop deployment.
But it is unclear what Erdogan hopes to achieve by propping up Tripoli against Haftar’s army. The General stands poised to reunite Libya again and restore order to the region where masses of Africans are smuggled to Europe and Mad Max Islamic warbands fight for control of oil producing centers.
