Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA), Faiez Al-Sarraj, appointed on Thursday Lieutenant General Ali Kana as the new Commander of Sabha Military Region, the government announced on its Facebook page.
The move aimed to maintain the GNA’s grip on Sharara oil field in Sabha, the country’s biggest oil field, in the light of the military operation launched by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the head of the Libyan National Army (LNA), to liberate the south.
Libya’s Presidency Council, chaired by Sarraj, demanded in a statement on Tuesday the immediate halt of all military operations in the south, saying the area requires joint efforts to end the hardships of its people.
Haftar, whose forces are closing in to control the south, has pushed further into the region as part of a large scale operation aimed at liberating it from criminal gangs, terrorists, and Chadian opposition fighters.
The LNA accuses the Chadian opposition of trying to expand its influence in southern cities through arms and human trafficking.
Sarraj’s statement was made as the United Nations and its aid partners launched on Tuesday a humanitarian response plan (HRP), appealing for $202 million to bring urgent life-saving assistance to some 552,000 people affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
The UN Humanitarian/Resident Coordinator for Libya, Maria Ribeiro, launched the plan at an event in Tripoli, alongside Sarraj and the UN Special Envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame.
Sarraj said that this plan will allow access to great populations in various Libyan regions, and will provide them with basic services and needs.
