BENGHAZI, Libya : Military commanders in eastern Libya said on Saturday they had suspended participation in a U.N.-backed joint military council, accusing the Tripoli-based government of failing to hand power to a new cabinet and calling for the road west to be closed. The eastern Libyan members of the so called 5+5 military council - set up as part of a peace process two years ago and comprising commanders from the east and west - called on military commander Khalifa Haftar to close the road linking east and west Libya and to shut off oil exports. The country had been due to hold an election in December as part of a peace process backed by the United Nations, but the vote was delayed amid factional disputes over the rules. He has not yet made it to Tripoli, being blocked on the road by forces aligned with Debeibah. (Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli in Benghazi and Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing By Mike Harrison)

Source: Libya Today April 09, 2022 20:54 UTC