The Grand Mufti of Libya, Sheikh Sadiq al-Ghariani, on Friday called on all Libyans to unite and fight the Russians who came to the eastern part of the country from Syria, where they fled after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Mufti al-Ghariani, in his weekly program broadcast on Tanasuh TV, argued that these Russians are not civilians, but fighters who need to be driven out of Libya. He confirmed that the Russians have significantly increased their presence in Libya since the beginning of December, where they are importing military equipment.
Russians have been supporting the country for years Syria Assad was received in eastern Libya by warlord General Khalifa Haftar and his sons. They joined Russian mercenaries from the former Wagner Group already established in Benghazi and Tobruk.
Mercenaries from the Wagner GroupAP/EastNews
“Libyans in the eastern, southern and western regions of the country must oppose their presence, take up arms and fight them,” said the mufti, who in the Islamic tradition officially interprets Muslim law for the needs of state institutions and private individuals.
A day earlier, on Thursday, the Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord, Abd al-Hamid Dubai, reacted to the presence of armed Russians in Libya. He said he did not agree to the introduction into his country of any Russian military equipment or Russian troops coming from Syria, which would be fought as foreign by his government. He also warned that he “will not accept Libya as an international battlefield.”
The Russians are moving to Libya
Russia after the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime on December 8 sent transport planes with air defense equipment from Syria to bases in eastern Libyaincluding S-400 and S-300 systems radars, weapons, personnel and other military equipment.
Russians in Syriamil.ru
Haftar himself never commented on this information. Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group have been stationed in the eastern part of Libya for years, and Russia is seeking permission from Haftar to build a naval base in the port of Tobruk on the border with Egypt.
Earlier this week, CNN quoted anonymous officials USAwho claimed that from the Syrian Tartus base to Libya already Russian warships are moving.
Russian naval base in Tartus, SyriaReuters
A country in chaos
Since the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been divided into two parts – the western part, which is administered from Tripoli by the Government of National Accord, and the eastern part, informally managed from Benghazi by Haftar. In February 2021 in Geneva, Libyan tribal and political leaders elected Dubai the first prime minister of all of Libya since 2014. He was supposed to head the interim government until the parliamentary elections, which were to be held in December 2021, but were canceled after quarrels between the conflicting parties.
Main photo source: AP/EastNews