The Zintan Council – a Council formed of the town’s social and tribal leadership – has issued a mandate addressed to the Libyan National Army (LNA), officially requesting the army to take over the management of Libya’s affairs.
This comes just days after Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), called on the Libyan people to empower him to lead the country out of its current impasse during a televised speech on Thursday, April 23.
In its statement, the Council said that it had requested the LNA to ensure the security of citizens and restore the nation’s sovreignty, while implementing measures to return to a democratic process. The latter would include drafting a constitution for the country that is reflective of the will of the Libyan people, as well as holding parliamentary and presidential elections to restore stability in Libya.
The Zintan Council highlighted that this mandate is a final attempt to save the country from war, violent extremism and external interference.
According to the Council’s statement, this decision is a result of the failure of the Libyan Political Agreement that was signed in Skhirat, Morocco in 2015 and led former colonists to return to Libya and misappropriate the country’s resources.