Washington should clarify it’s rejection of the military operation of the Libyan National Army (LNA) in Tripoli, according to the letter submitted June 6 by 13 members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to U.S. Secretary General Michael R. Pompeo.
The 13 members urged Pompeo to call for a ceasefire in Libya and work with international partners to ensure its implementation and support the U.N.-led peace process.
“We are concerned that the current clashes are recreating the same security vacuum in Libya that the ISIS exploited in 2014 when it established its most powerful affiliate outside Syria,” they said.
They added that the war has killed more than 560 people, injured 2,800 and forced more than 82,000 to flee their homes since April 4, when General Commander of the LNA Khalifa Haftar pushed his forces to the western region.
They stated that the tension could jeopardize Libya’s oil production and exports, adding that armed groups tried to sell oil outside the recognised National Oil Corporation (NOC) while seizing oil facilities.
“Unfortunately, a generic read-out of President Trump’s phone call with Haftar on April 15 has led to perceived uncertainty regarding the US position,” they said.
“Libyan army actors are now using that confusion over U.S. policy as justification to continue the conflict, further jeopardizing prospects of political settlements and threatening regional stability,” they continued.
