Amid local and international welcomes for statements by President of the GNA, Al-Sarraj, and Speaker of Tobruk Parliament, Aqeela Saleh, to cease fire and return to the political track, Haftar appeared in a vague statement from his spokesperson Al-Mismari, hinting at his rejection of the ceasefire.
Al-Mismari’s hints are almost confirmed by facts on the ground, as it did not take long for the ceasefire to be announced and to make the area from Sirte to Aljufra demilitarized. A Russian military cargo plane landed at Al-Qardabiya airport in Sirte, and news spread about Haftar’s reinforcement of his militia with Yemeni mercenaries.
Haftar and the war
In a statement, it may be understood that Haftar is continuing the war, his militia spokesman Ahmed Al-Mesmari said that Alsarraj’s announcement of a ceasefire was just a propaganda written in another country and it is just a hoax.
Al-Mesmari claimed that there were military movements of the Libyan army forces in the regions of Sirte and Al-Jufra, although the Libyan army forces announced their compliance with the orders of the Supreme Commander of the Libyan Army, Fayez Al-Sarraj.
And that Al-Sarraj’s announcement of a ceasefire is just a propaganda written in another country, he said.
Constant mobilization
The spokesman for the Sirte Al-Jafra Operations Room, Brigadier General Abdulhadi Drah, confirmed that an “Antonov” military cargo plane landed at Al-Qardabiya airport in the city of Sirte, explaining that this plane is the first to land in support of Haftar’s militias since the ceasefire issued by Al-Sarraj and Aqeela was announced.
Drah pointed out that the Sirte and Aljufra Operations Room is ready to deal with any moves by Haftar’s militias, calling on the concerned authorities to assume their responsibilities towards the forces present in the axes, support them and provide their needs and requirements.
Recruiting Yemenis
In the same context, security sources from Yemen revealed to Al-Jazeera that the UAE has recruited dozens of Yemenis to participate in the ranks of Haftar’s militias to fight against the Government of National Accord.
The sources indicated that the Yemenis recruited for Haftar had received training at the Belahj base in southern Yemen and the UAE’s Assab base in Eritrea, and that the local authorities in Yemen, including the presidency, knew of the recruitment process and did not move a finger.
According to this information, which undoubtedly indicate that Haftar threatens what the Libyans aspire to by stopping the war and stopping the bloodshed of Libyans, there remains the fear that Haftar will repeat his action and launch a military attack on the Libyan army areas west of Sirte, especially since he has a precedent for spoiling the Ghadames conference.
