Those who have been trying to promote eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar as a legitimate political figure in Libya are the very same people who armed and unleashed him on the ground to stage a war against the country’s legitimate government in the first place. For them, Haftar is nothing but a tool they utilize for their lowly plans in Libya, to seize Libyan territory and resources. However, it is a tool that allows them to have great weight in this chapter of the story.
The story they’ve presented to the world is as follows: Khalifa Haftar represents the national army within divided Libya, and hence, Libya has requested our help to fight the terrorists who have taken over the administration in the country’s west. Hence, we are helping.
-Who are the terrorists?
-The legitimate government in Libya.
-What do they have to do with terrorism? On the contrary, they are the sole government accepted to be legitimate by the international community and they have purged the area of Daesh terrorists. How can you call them terrorists? Who are you?
-Take it or leave it, it’s up to you!
This is how the putschists explain themselves. Whether it works or not, since this story has been supported so far by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Russia, France and Egypt, it was imposed on the people of Libya and the entire international community.
Nobody has objected to this story within the international community and world order, in other words, that body of five (the permanent representatives of the U.N. Security Council– the U.K., France, China, Russia and the U.S.) to which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is constantly objecting.
All until Turkey stepped in. The case is that Turkey has been rejecting this story since the beginning. Libya saw the invasion that was approaching via coup and refused to accept it. The time came and Turkey made itself heard. Presently, there is nothing that anybody can say on top of Turkey’s words.
Do not pay any attention to what is being said and who is saying them. Their words hold no value or weight at the moment. The statements made by Egypt’s Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi as the mouthpiece of the powers endorsing him are being discussed in the entire Arab world today as an example of black humor. French President Emanuel Macron who said, “Turkey is playing a dangerous game in Libya,” received his answer from Bobby Gosh in his Bloomberg article titled, “Turkey has Eclipsed Emmanuel Macron's Libya Dreams.” The truth is that Macron has nothing to hold Turkey accountable for in Libya. On the contrary, France is the one that has to answer to Turkey, the people of Libya and all of humanity.
This does not apply to France alone. Everybody supporting Haftar today have to be called to account. We are postponing the question, “What are you doing in Libya?” for now.
Haftar currently has 11 mass graves that have been detected in the areas that were recaptured by the Government of National Accord (GNA). There are clear findings in relation to the civilians in these mass graves being tortured to death, that some were buried alive, and others had their hands tied to their backs. Additionally, hidden mines and improvised explosive devices (IED) preventing civilians from returning home were detected, and these were cleared by the Turkey-backed GNA forces. However, numerous civilians were killed and wounded by these IEDs.
According to data compiled by the Libya Mine and War Remains Research Center, in the 57 explosions that took place so far as a result of the mines and IEDs planted by Haftar’s militia, at least 39 people died, including women and children, and more than 100 people were wounded.
Danish Demining Group Director for Libya Liam Kelly said in a statement to a correspondent for Turkey’s state agency, “More than 400,000 civilians have been displaced due to war, and most of these are unable to return home because of the mines.”
Kelly, who draws attention to the mines and IEDs being discovered in a vast area that includes numerous suburbs in the south of Tripoli, reported: “These include a wide variety of explosives such as anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, rockets, missiles, howitzers, armament that are launched from the air but fail to explode, and explosive mechanisms, among others.”
This information clearly shows that in addition to their inexplicable presence in Libya, Egypt, Russia, France, and the UAE are also partners to their war crimes.
In the previous column we had questioned: Are any one of these countries able to pledge anything to the people of Libya or for the security and peace of the country? Please, let them put it forward. But they cannot. The clear reality is that they are trying to take advantage of a country that has a security problem due to the current political crisis.
This approach alone is a clear crime in terms of the order of today’s international relations.
The new situation in Libya is no longer a subject of political negotiation between equal parties; it is the process of the guilty coupists, invaders, and those who have committed crimes against humanity to be caught on Libyan territory and brought to justice in international court.
Have no concern; Turkey, which is in Libya upon the invite of the official government, the legitimate representative of the Libyan people, will be closely following this case too.
