A military leader based in western Libya has warned that the country is currently being “dragged into war” and pledged to communicate personally with parties across Libya to prevent another conflict from erupting.
In a speech recorded on Tuesday evening, Lt. Gen. Muhammad al-Haddad also urged Libyans to make “concessions”, “compensations” and “to forgive and build our country” after decades of war.
“I am ready to travel the country, east, west and south, to appeal to the people as I sympathize with them,” said al-Haddad, who is also a member of the Joint Military Committee 5. +5, which includes members of the Libyan National Army (LNA).
“What is brewing now is another conflict to drag the country into a war, but the war will not take place,” he said. “We won’t allow it this time.”
“We have gone through a period of stability since the government took office,” he said referring to outgoing Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh’s government. “We need to maintain this until we safely achieve real change with the right elections.”
The military leader noted that his forces were keeping their distance from “political wrangling and the status quo”.
