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Thursday, 09 July_The United Nations (UN) secretary-general warns that foreign interference in the conflict in Libya has reached “unprecedented” levels.
“The [Libyan] conflict has entered a new phase, with foreign interference reaching unprecedented levels, including in the delivery of sophisticated equipment and the number of mercenaries involved in the fighting,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in an address to a high-level virtual meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
He said both the delivery of weapons and the dispatch of proxy forces were in violation of a UN arms embargo on Libya.
Since 2014, two rival seats of power have emerged in Libya, namely the internationally-recognized government, known as the Government of National Accord (GNA), and another group based in the eastern city of Tobruk.
The latter camp is supported militarily by an array of rebel militia under the command of a former general named Khalifa Haftar.
The rebels receive support from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Russia, and Jordan. The GNA is backed by Turkey.
Foreign patrons on both sides are accused of sending in advanced weapons and proxies.
In the past couple of weeks, government forces have pushed the rebels as far back as the city of Sirte, on the Mediterranean coastline, where a major battle now looms. The government advances are believed to have come with crucial Turkish support.
Guterres said the “GNA units, with significant external support, continued their advance eastward, and are now 25 kilometers west of Sirte after two previous attempts to gain control of the city.”
He expressed concern about the military buildup around Sirte.
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