Western Libyan tribes rise against the Islamists

These scenarios reflect the state of panic that dominates Libya’s Islamists due to the possibility of Haftar coming to the west with international blessing, which explains the meeting they held in Zuwara that was attended by the head of the GNA.

While the meeting was considered an attempt by Libya’s Islamist entities to preempt any military action westward by Haftar with the use of the western tribes, the shock came in the torrent of statements issued by those tribes from March 5-6 in which they declared their rejection and disavowal of the meeting.

Six institutions in Zintan – the Zintan Council of Ministers, the Office of the Social Coordinator, the Armed Forces Support Force, the Sons of Zintan Assembly, the Martyrs' Families in Zintan and the Movement for Supporting Institutions – issued a joint statement denouncing the meeting in which the city was said to have been represented. The statement added that the meeting was an attempt to ignite a fire and that their name was placed in it. They affirmed their steadfastness in supporting the Libyan armed forces and standing by the homeland.

Meanwhile, the municipal council, dignitaries, sheikhs and people of Alrujban issued a statement on March 5 about the meeting of Zuwara, read by Sheikh Hussein al-Akrami, who was among the participants in the meeting. He stressed that the outcomes of the final communiqué were deliberately changed from social agreements concerning the tribes into action against the military establishment and the armed forces.

Standing in front of the town hall, the sheikhs and municipal council issued a statement in which they thanked the LNA and confirmed their support for it against the terrorist groups.

The people of Alrujban denounced the attempts of some to adapt the meeting against the military institution, adding, “We confirm our support for the military institution led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.”

The Supreme Council of Tribes and Sheikhs of Nawa’il in western Libya issued a statement in which it dismissed the person who attended the meeting on behalf of the tribe, asserting that he falsely described himself as the tribe’s representative at the meeting.

All these statements were embarrassing to the political Islamist forums that tried to present the meeting as if it were intended to reject the LNA’s military action.

About 100 people affiliated with the Islamist trend in Libya staged a sit-in in front of the United Nations headquarters this week to express their rejection of the Abu Dhabi meeting that was welcomed by the UN and considered an important achievement in the Libyan scene.

In an expression of concern, the Islamists organized a meeting in western Libya on Tuesday, March 5, which they said had assembled representatives from the western tribes in the city of Zuwara (60 km from the Tunisian border) and that the meeting concluded by rejecting and condemning any anticipated action by the LNA in the west.

The meeting included a speech by the president of the Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, in which he discussed the meeting held last week in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi with Haftar, in which they agreed on the need to end the transitional period in Libya as soon as possible and hold elections in the country.

During his speech, Sarraj spoke to those who objected to the agreement, saying, "For those who object to such meetings, what is the alternative in your opinion? Peace is our choice, and the alternative takes us to armed conflict and civil war, more bloodshed, destruction of facilities and property, and the death of young people. There will be no winner in such a conflict. Rather, there is one loser: the homeland."

In addition, Sarraj renewed the conditions he had set up in his meeting with Haftar in terms of the separation and rotation of powers.

Meanwhile, Islamist social networking sites discussed the meeting between Haftar and Sarraj with suspicion. They published scenarios claiming there is an Arab plot being hatched against western Libya to prepare for Haftar’s entry and that the meeting in the UAE was held to support Haftar.

 

For his part, Libyan researcher Mohammed al-Zubaidi predicted that the entry of the LNA into the capital would be easy, noting that once it entered Tripoli, the militia leaders there would flee to Istanbul.

“When the time comes, the armed forces will move to secure Tripoli, not to burn it or destroy it or rob or loot, but to restore the prestige of the state and defend it in order to restore sovereignty to the country that is in the mud,” opined Libyan researcher Abdul Basset bin Hamel, adding, “They will only counter criminals and terrorists carrying arms, and the army will provide institutions, roads and all facilities and will restore support for the security services and activate police stations.”