Ghannouchi-Sarraj Ultras: Supporting sabotage in Libya
The Ennahda movement, the Brotherhood’s branch in Tunisia,
seeks to win over members of the Libyan community residing in the country so
they agree with the policies of Ennahda leader and Parliament Speaker Rached
Ghannouchi who has declared his support for the Turkish intervention in Libya
and supports the militias funded by Fayez al-Sarraj’s Government of National
Accord (GNA) in Libya, which is also loyal to the Brotherhood.
The Libyans in Tunisia have expressed their support for the
Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, while only a
few loyal to Sarraj celebrated Turkey’s military intervention. Ghannouchi’s
speeches have focused on this latter group, whom Ennahda consider to represent
the Libyan people, which caused the Libyan community to issue statements
clarifying their position.
The Libyan community announced its position regarding the
war launched by the LNA to liberate Tripoli that started in May 2019, saying in
a statement, “At this difficult time that our beloved country is going through,
in which the men of our heroic army and its wise leadership provide for the
liberation of the country from the grip of terrorist militias and ISIS. We are
lining up to stand by the truth and the homeland, and we support the armed
forces in their war against these militias that have wreaked havoc in the
country, controlled its government, plundered its wealth, and stolen its will
and sovereignty by doing so. It abandoned many of its people, and we are
witnesses to this.”
“We acknowledge the necessity of this urgent war to purify
Tripoli of criminal militias in order to pull the country out of the quagmire
of corruption, restore what was lost of its sovereignty, recover its status,
contribute to the stability of the entire region, and contribute to national
and regional security instead of being a source of danger and terrorism to
neighboring countries, the foremost of which is Tunisia. We acknowledge its
legitimacy based on the decisions of the Libyan parliament, and we announce to
the Tunisian people and government that the Libyan ambassador and the Libyan
consul only express their personal opinions that they may use to mislead you
about this position,” the statement continued.
In a press statement, Tunisian researcher Hadi Ahmed
addressed the members of the Libyan community in Tunisia loyal to Sarraj,
explaining that those celebrating the control of Tarhuna, which is about 80 km
south of Tripoli, are the ones who previously celebrated the siege of the
Syrian capital Damascus and the fall of Syrian cities to the hands of armed
groups. “Tunisian advice: do not be the firewood of regional battles that
change at any time according to alliances and interests.”
Ghannouchi faces widespread criticism because of his
policies that support terrorism. Tunisian political scientist Mohamed Al-Sahbi
Al-Khalafawi said that Tunisia’s international relations are exclusively the
domain of the president, and the parliament speaker does not have the right to
make any moves in this regard, adding that Ennahda’s regional alliances clearly
show it is supportive of the Brotherhood and is involved in their axis that
includes Turkey and Qatar.
