Libya's militias obstruct elections on orders from Ghariani
Despite the calls for reconciliation between the Libyan
factions and the handing over of arms by the Libyan militias to put the country
on the right path, militias in western Libya have formed the Libyan
Revolutionaries Union, declaring their rejection of the decisions issued by the
Libyan House of Representatives and the High Council of State to hold elections
before the end of this year and requesting urgent international intervention to
stop these elections, claiming that getting out of the security chaos in the
country is its responsibility.
Libyan Revolutionaries Union
Leaders of terrorist militias in western Libya announced the
formation of the Libyan Revolutionaries Union, stressing that it is their
responsibility to get out of the security and political chaos in the country,
at a time when the international movement is accelerating pressure on Libyan
leaders to hold elections this year.
In a televised statement issued from the capital, Tripoli,
loyalists to Sadiq al-Ghariani, the former mufti of Libya who was dismissed
from his position, confirmed their rejection of the 13th constitutional
amendment issued by the House of Representatives in response to the military
meetings held under the auspices of the UN mission, claiming that they agreed
that all the forces from the mechanisms affiliated with the Libyan
Revolutionaries Union serve as a strong shield for Libyan national security and
are ready to vigorously defend the gains of the people.
On the other hand, no official comment was issued by the
Presidential Council headed by Mohamed al-Menfi or the government of Prime
Minister Abdel Hamid Dabaiba in this regard. However, when Dabaiba chaired a
meeting of the government in the western city of Misrata in the presence of
Menfi and Central Bank of Libyan Governor Saddek Elkaber, he affirmed his
continued commitment to serving the Libyans, ending the transitional stages,
and holding fair elections.
Menfi called for tireless work to create a suitable
environment for holding elections, stressing that the electoral process is
complete and comprehensive and not confined to just one day.
UN call
For his part, Abdoulaye Bathily, Special Representative of
the UN Secretary-General and head of the United Nations Mission to Libya,
called on Libyan leaders and politicians to fulfill their commitments to
finalize the constitutional framework for holding elections before the end of
2023. In a series of tweets, Bathily noted that, over the course of the past
weeks, he had met with a number of military and security leaders in Libya to
unify the security and military institutions to secure the elections scheduled
for this year.
Armed militias in the western region announced the
reactivation of the Libyan Revolutionaries Union and their rejection of the
13th constitutional amendment, which is related to the components of the
legislative authority and its competence, defining the powers of the heads of
state and ministers, and determining the seat of the National Assembly in the
capital, Tripoli. They also called for international intervention to support
them in their rejection of the recent decisions issued by the Libyan House of
Representatives and the High Council of State.
The statement issued by the Libyan Revolutionaries Union
claimed that all the forces, including individuals and mechanisms, affiliated
with the Libyan Revolutionaries Union are a strong shield of national security
and are ready to defend the capabilities of the Libyan people.
Consolidation of institutions
Libyan writer Milad Omar al-Mazoghi stressed that at a time
when the international community is seeking to end the Libyan crisis, the
Libyan interior is witnessing a constructive development in the military and
security field to unify the security and military institutions, which in turn
will be the nucleus for holding elections before the end of this year. Its
delay was due to the militia movement of the Libyan Revolutionaries Union,
which always creates internal strife and defines itself as the legitimate
guardian of the revolution, rejecting the amendment issued by the Libyan House
of Representatives and approved by the High Council of State.
In an article entitled “Libyan Revolutionaries Union:
Tweeting outside the flock”, Mazoghi explained that the spirit of harmony that
dominated the Libyan arena and led to the consensus of the parties to bring the
country to safety did not suit this new trend, which derives its survival from
the differences between the components Libyan people.
Meanwhile, Libyan researcher Mohamed Qashout confirmed in
exclusive statements to the Reference that 12 hours had not passed after the
statement of the meeting of a group of militias and armed forces that was held
in Benghazi calling for reconciliation until another group of militias in the
western region announced their formation of the Libyan Revolutionaries Union,
refusing to surrender their weapons and rejecting the 13th amendment issued by
the House of Representatives.
Qashout stated that while Amnesty International issued a
statement based on human rights reports condemning the violations committed by
the militias in Tripoli and mentioning by name several terrorist militia
entities, the Dabaiba government did not calm things down and rejected the
organization’s statement, saying that this is a regular state apparatus and did
not carry out any practices that violate the law, in contrast to its position
now on the new militia union that appeared in Benghazi.
