On Tuesday, the official spokesman for the Libyan National Army (LNA), Major General Ahmed Al-Mismari, claimed that they were at war with Turkey. He noted that the Libyan crisis was being exacerbated due to the personal interference of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the country’s internal affairs.
On Monday, the LNA announced that they had seized a Turkish ship under a Jamaican flag heading to the port of Misrata in western Libya. In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Al-Mismari indicated that the vessel had entered a restricted military zone.
The spokesman said, “Since 2016, we have prevented the entry of all naval vessels, even Libyan fishing boats into this military zone, but we were surprised that the Turkish ship entered this area, without prior coordination with the Libyan coast guard.” He accused Turkey of transferring weapons and mercenaries to the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA).
The GNA and LNA have recently signed a ceasefire agreement in October, under the auspices of the United Nations. The two sides have also agreed to hold national elections in December 2021.
The spokesman expressed his grave concerns over Turkey’s continued transfer of military equipment, mercenaries, and terrorists from other countries to Libya. He also alleged that President Erdogan does not want peace and seeks to void the ceasefire in the country.