Renegade general's offences have driven Libya down path of turbulence
January 14, 2020•Update: January 15, 2020
ANKARA
Tensions that began during the Arab Spring in Libya have heightened with a struggle between two groups of power.
While on one side, there is UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli, on the other side renegade Gen. Khalifa Haftar is leading eastern Libya-based Libyan National Army.
Haftar returned to Libya from the U.S., where he stayed for over 20 years, when late leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011.
He has a reputation for being hungry for power and has played many roles in Libya's turbulent history. He has worked for Gaddafi, been a CIA consultant, and has led a coup attempt in the country.
Haftar launched an attack on April 4, 2019 to seize Tripoli and interrupted talks with Fayez al-Sarraj, the only internationally recognized representative of Libya.
The former general is cited as one of the leading influencers of political chaos and the spiral of violence that his country is in today.
According to the UN, more than 1,000 people have been killed since the start of Haftar's offence and more than 5,000 others injured.
Since the ouster of Gaddafi in 2011, two seats of power have emerged in Libya: one in eastern Libya supported mainly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and the other in Tripoli, which enjoys UN and international recognition.
