Libya: Presidential council decries military escalation

By Walid Abdullah

TRIPOLI (AA) – Libya’s Presidential Council has condemned military escalation in the country’s southern region.

For the past two weeks, forces of East Libya-based military commander Khalifa Haftar have been attacking what they describe as "smuggling gangs and Chadian opposition" in southern Libya.

In a statement, the council called for “ending such acts with a view to maintaining peace”.

"These actions will bring us backwards and we are at the gates of resolving the crisis in our country by unifying institutions, and holding elections," the council said.

"The South is very important for Libya's stability and should not become a yard to set political scores,” the council said.

Libya has been dogged by turmoil since 2011, when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of long-serving President Muammar Gaddafi after more than four decades in power.

Since then, Libya’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power -- one in Tobruk (to which Haftar is affiliated) and another in Tripoli -- along with a host of armed groups of dubious loyalties.