The Solution to the Libyan War Must Be Political, Russia Says

Russia Tuesday confirmed that the Libyan civil war must be politically resolved, a statement that comes after Libyan National Army (LNA) leader Marshal Khalifa Haftar announced that he is assuming political control over Libya.

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"Moscow is still convinced that the only possible solution in Libya is through political and diplomatic communication between all parties to the conflict," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that Russia keeps contact with all parts of the Libyan reconciliation process.

On Monday, Haftar announced that the presiding military Council is preparing to assume political control and is definitively withdrawing from the 2015 United Nations agreement, which supported the formation of the Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj from Tripoli.

“We announce our acceptance of the people’s will and mandate and the end of the Skhirat Agreement,” said Haftar as reported by local outlet Wotzup.

“The political agreement destroyed the country. We will work to create the conditions for building permanent civic institutions,” he added.​​​​​​​

The Libyan marshal did not detail what type of government he intends to lead but stressed that it will respond to "the will of the people."

The UN agreement, which was signed by minority groups from the warring parties, was never accepted by the old Islamist-style government or by the LNA-backed Parliament.

For four years, Libya has lived in a civil war that worsened in April 2019 when Haftar - who has the support of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia - put a siege on the Tripoli-based government, which is militarily backed by Italy, Qatar, and Turkey.