TRIPOLI, Libya - A top general Friday called for Libya’s parliament and Cabinet to be dissolved to “rescue” the country from turmoil, prompting accusations that he was fomenting a coup - and bringing derision from many at the presumption that the deeply weakened military could impose control in a country dominated by rival armed militias.
The statement by Gen. Khalifa Hifter came during a mounting confrontation over the parliament that threatens to turn into armed conflict among militias, which are the real power in Libya. The divided militias have lined up behind rival political factions in the power struggle between the Western-backed prime minister and Islamist factions in the parliament trying to remove him.
Libya on Monday will mark the anniversary of the start of the 2011 revolt that brought down longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Three years later, the weak central government still has little authority in the North African nation, fledgling institutions are mired in infighting, and no progress has been made toward a new constitution. The military and police are in disarray, outmanned and outgunned by the militias.
Meanwhile, the militias - rooted in the impromptu rebel brigades that fought Gadhafi’s forces - act as powers unto their own, intimidating politicians and assassinating military and police officers.
The parliament’s mandate ran out Feb. 7, but lawmakers led by Islamist factions voted to extend their mandate without holding new elections. Since then, crowds have been protesting to demand the parliament be dissolved and new elections held. At the same time, Islamist lawmakers backed by independents have given Prime Minister Ali Zidan a one-week ultimatum to leave office.
On Friday, thousands of protesters wearing white shirts and red hats chanted, “No to extension,” in Tripoli and other cities. Some raised posters in support of Hifter. One protest leader, university professor Ali al-Takalbi, warned that protesters would storm the parliament today to force it to leave.
“This parliament failed in delivering any of its responsibilities,” he said, speaking on Libya al-Ahrar TV. “They are dragging us to violence.”
Some militias have vowed to protect the protesters, while those who back Islamist lawmakers say they will defend the parliament. Militias have opened fire on protests several times in the past year, killing dozens of people.
Libya’s grand mufti - the highest official Muslim cleric - demanded an end to the anti-parliament protests.
Last week, militants with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns attacked the headquarters of the private TV network, Al-Assema, which is affiliated with the National Forces Alliance, a political grouping that backs Zidan and is demanding parliament be dissolved. The offices and equipment inside were wrecked, according to images from the scene.
Still, there were signs some Islamists in the parliament were ready to compromise. The Muslim Brotherhood’s Justice and Construction Party came out in favor of holding new parliamentary elections for the sake of “consensus and social peace” in a statement Thursday.
Hifter, a former head of the army, added to the confusion with his unusual statement in a video posted on YouTube and aired on several Libyan TV stations.
In it, he appears in his military uniform standing in front of a map of Libya and the national flag and claims to speak for the “general command of the Libyan army.” He says the military intends to “rescue” the nation with a five-point plan that involved suspending the parliament and the government, replacing them with a presidential committee and a defense council, which he would head.
He warned that Libya will “disappear from the world map” in a few years if the current lawlessness continues.
“This is not a coup in the traditional sense,” he said. “The army is not moving to rule or take control but to provide safe atmosphere for the people to rule through elections and build a strong state.”
But it is not clear what support Hifter has in the military or other armed factions. There were no unusual military movements in the capital after his statement. The Defense Ministry issued a statement denying “reports about forces taking control over Tripoli,” and a spokesman for the military chief of staff, Col. Ali al-Shekhli, told Libya al-Ahrar TV that Hifter has no force backing him.
Hifter was once the head of the army under Gadhafi but defected in the 1980s. After Gadhafi’s ouster, he was assigned to help rebuild the forces, but he was removed soon thereafter. He has been seen infrequently since.
Zidan described Hifter’s statement as “laughable,” accusing him of speaking “with the intent of a coup.” He added that “the state is under control.”
Later, Hifter spoke to the Libya al-Ahrar TV network, claiming, “I represent thousands of officers, military men and the revolutionaries” - a term used for militia fighters. He said he is in Tripoli, remains in the army and has strong connections to army officers and generals.
Front Section, Pages 6 on 02/15/2014