Renegade ex-general Khalifa Haftar said Saturday the Libyan people have given him a "mandate" to crush jihadist militants in the country, a day after thousands rallied in his support in Benghazi and Tripoli.General Hifter is taking the script right out of General Sisi's hands. But General Sisi had a pretty much spotless record when he came onto the scene so his chances of success were greater. Plus the Egyptian army is the bedrock of Egypt, whereas the situation in Libya is different. Hifter failed in Chad, and he'll fail in this campaign as well. Libya needs a more competent military leader, one with greater integrity and no history, to rid the country of the Jihadist fanatics and feuding militias. What Libya needs is a new Gaddafi-type figure, but one who will give up power after securing the country.
Haftar's campaign has won growing support amid frustration at the lawlessness in Libya three years after the overthrow of dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
"We have accepted the mandate of the people," Haftar said in a statement.
"The (people) have given their instructions ... We pledge not to abandon this mission until Libya is purged of terrorists and extremists and all those who back them," he added.
The statement was released by Haftar's self-declared "supreme military council" in the Benina region near the eastern city of Benghazi, where the rogue general launched his campaign this month.
An excerpt from, "Libya locked in battle of existence and identity" by Khalil Harb, Al-Monitor, May 23, 2014:
Even Lebanon during the 1980s — a case study when describing civil wars and infighting — did not reach the level of chaos witnessed by Libya since last Friday, May 16. A no-fly zone was imposed in Benghazi and a state of emergency was likely to be declared in the capital, Tripoli, where the parliament headquarters had been besieged and subjected to an armed attack. Militiamen from Zintan and Misrata have clashed again. The regime leaders are talking about a coup attempt. Khalifa Hifter, the retired general leading the Operation Dignity attacks from Benghazi to Tripoli, said that he speaks on behalf of the regime's army to fight terrorism and militia extremists who wreaked havoc and placed the lives of Libyans under severe strain.Video Title: Libyan Youth Future. Source: Mickey Grant. Date Published: May 24, 2014. Description:
However, military leaders are torn between those who support the forces of Hifter and provide them with air support and those who remain silent or seem lost between obeying the regime's official authorities or empathizing with fellow soldiers and with the demands of Hifter to freeze the work of the General National Congress (GNC), the highest authority in the post-Gadhafi country.
Is it a coup against those who staged the coup? Or is it a Libyan rectification revolution against the extremist forces that have prevailed over Libyan politics and security since the 2011 revolution? What about the external interference in this dispute, indicating that the real conflict over Libya has started now? It is still too early to answer such questions? One thing is sure: Libya in the past few days is no longer the same as it was three years ago.
This is a very rough cut of a segment from BURNING GREEN dealing with the Libyan Youth which make up 68% of Libyan society. There have been no color or sound corrections yet. BURNING GREEN is the most ambitious project I've ever undertaken and funding is a serious crisis at the moment, I presently have $0 to continue. I started this film by going to Libya and bringing medical supplies during the first weeks of the revolution and have now made a total of 4 trips to Libya. Several of my previous films have aired on the BBC2 and HBO. I've worked on this project for 3 years. Contributions may be made to my Paypal account at Mickeyfilm@live.com, Michael Grant. If you can't make a contribution, the other current crisis is that I've basically had no help with the translations of material from my previous trip to Libya last February . Those translations may be found on a Vimeo channel at the following address: https://vimeo.com/channels/724722
Video Title: Libya in Mirky Waters - Expat Libyan. Source: 108morris108. Date Published: May 23, 2014.
