Eastern Libya commander Haftar appoints his son as deputy

By Muetaz Wannes and Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - Khalifa Haftar, commander of eastern Libyan forces, appointed his son Saddam as his deputy on Monday, according to a Libyan Arab Armed Forces statement.

A statement by his forces said that “Haftar, 82, designated Lt. Gen. Saddam Khalifa Haftar, 34, as deputy general commander “on the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Libyan National Army and in line with the general commander’s 2030 vision to develop and enhance the overall performance of the armed forces.”

“A number of important appointments will follow in the coming days,” the statement added without providing further details.

Before his new role, Saddam Haftar served as the chief of staff of the ground forces in eastern Libya.

Libya’s military remains split between forces in the east led by Khalifa Haftar and forces in the west under the general staff aligned with the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.

For years, the UN mission in Libya has led efforts to unify the military through the “5+5” Joint Military Commission, which includes five officers from the west and five from Haftar’s forces in the east.

The UN is also mediating separate talks aimed at holding elections to break the political deadlock between two rival administrations: one appointed by the House of Representatives in early 2022 and based in Benghazi, led by Osama Hammad, which controls the east and much of the south, and the Dbeibah government in Tripoli, which controls the west.

Libyans hope that the long-delayed elections will bring an end to years of political division and conflict, closing the chapter on the transitional period that began with Muammar Gaddafi's overthrow in 2011.