Libya’s House of Representatives (HoR) plans to appoint retired General Khalifa Hafter as Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan army, according to a source from within the HoR. The source said that the parliament plans to issue a formal decision regarding the appointment within the next couple of days.
Such an appointment would end the debate on Hafter’s relationship with the Libyan government and armed forces.
However, it would stir opposition. The report of the decision comes a day after a statement from 30 HoR members expressing deep reservations about Hafter’s reinstatement into the Libyan army, as well as raising questions about the legality of Hafter’s war against extremists in eastern Libya.
The legitimacy of Hafter’s operation in Benghazi has been contested since it began back in May. The government initially viewed it as illegal, then remained silent on the issue for a couple of months. In mid-November, the HoR declared that Hafter’s Operation Dignity was officially under the national army and Chief of Staff Abdul-Razzaq Al-Nazhuri. One week later, it was reported that Hafter had been reinstated into the national army.
By Libya Herald staff
