Under this headline, the Washington Post said, the 14-month-long attack of what it called “renegade warlord Haftar” against the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, is in full retreat.
The American newspaper added, in a report prepared about Libya, that the GNA is fighting for legitimacy, in light of a conflict that has led to the death of thousands, and the displacement of tens of thousands of Libyans, noting that Haftar besieged Tripoli at one time with his forces, which included factions of mercenaries from The Russians and the Sudanese.
The newspaper pointed out that the battles between the GNA and Haftar turned into a proxy war, as the first party represented by the GNA, which Turkey supports, while Haftar is supported by Egypt, the Emirates, Russia and France, while Haftar suffers from a problem, after losing Tarhuna his last strongholds in the western region, which was a Dramatic reflection for Haftar’s fortunes, according to the newspaper.
According to the report, a Libyan expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Wolfram Lacher, said that the fall of Tarhuna means the end of Haftar’s attack on Tripoli, his forces have been defeated, and many in his alliance will reconsider their loyalties.
For his part, analyst at the European Council of Foreign Relations Tariq Majrisi told the New York Times, “All of our bearing points are changing.” It is not clear how things will look once the dust settles, but Haftar is on the ropes, “according to the newspaper.
The newspaper said, Russia is playing a double game; Because it supports a ceasefire and power-sharing agreement, while it sends planes and mercenaries to support Haftar in the oil-rich east, indicating that Haftar, whose alleged opportunism led him to pursue illicit oil deals in as far afield as Venezuela, may not be accepted by the governments that support him. .
Meanwhile, Karim Mazran, a member of the Atlantic Council, warned of what he called the reality of “the actual division of Libya that may become reality” in the absence of the real will of the international community to reach consensus and peace in the country.
Ted Gallen Carpenter of the liberal Cato Institute in Washington replied, “This is not a nice scenario, because” the secession in Libya is likely to resemble the secession of southern Sudan, which created chaos in its south.
It is worth noting that the newspaper “Washington Post” described in a report published in December last year, Khalifa Haftar ” War Lord” and accused the countries of “Egypt, the Emirates, France and Jordan” of supporting the rebellion against legitimacy in Libya.
