U.N. Security Council’s decision to sanction some figures including the ex-militia commander of the General National Congress (GNC) Salah Badi is “selective” as it did not include some figures involved in impeding a political agreement, President of the High Council of State Khalid Al-Mishri said Monday.
In a Tripoli meeting with Head of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSML) Ghassan Salame in Tripoli, they discussed preparations for the National General Forum and the points that will be tackled during the event, including the elections, constitution and Libya’s security.
The National Libyan Forum is set to be held in early 2019 to reach a political settlement for Libyan crisis and prepare for elections.
The U.N. Security Council has imposed sanctions on Badi for his attempts to destabilize Libya, according to a Friday statement by the U.K. Foreign & Commonwealth Office.
The sanctions include asset freezing and a travel ban. The GNC was formed in 2012 to represent the Libyan people, but it was rendered illegitimate after the formation of the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).
“The UK –along with our US & French partners- has secured United Nations Security Council agreement to sanction Salah Badi under the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 2213 (2015),” the statement said.
Badi is the senior commander of the al-Somood Brigade, a militia opposed to the GNA.
He has sought to undermine the political solution in Libya; in August and September 2018, he instigated heavy clashes in Tripoli in which at least 120 people were killed, most of whom were civilians.
He was also involved in the 2014 Libya Dawn Operation, during which a grouping of pro-Islamist militias attacked Tripoli International Airport and seized parts of the capital along with the coastal cities from Misrata to the border with Tunisia and cities further south, including Gharyan, Nalut and Jadu.
