Head of Libya’s Unity Govt to Meet Rival Army Chief

The head of Libya’s unity government and a rival army chief were to meet in Cairo on Tuesday to find a solution to turmoil in the country, a government official said.

The UN-backed Government of National Accord has struggled to assert its authority across the North African country since starting work in Tripoli nearly a year ago.

GNA head Fayez al-Sarraj and Marshal Khalifa Haftar were due to meet on Tuesday afternoon in the Egyptian capital, the official said, without providing further details on the agenda.

Haftar, whose forces control much of Libya’s east, is backed by a parliament based in the far east of the country that has refused to recognize the unity government.

Sarraj met Haftar in January last year in the eastern city of Al-Marj shortly after he was named GNA head.

The UN-brokered agreement that created the unity government did not give Haftar a role in the new administration, but the Egypt-backed strongman made clear he was a key player when he seized control of major oil terminals in the country’s east in September.

UN envoy Martin Kobler last week said talks had made progress on “possible amendments” to the political agreement, and notably on Haftar’s future role.