Libyan eastern commander Khalifa Haftar, speaking on Wednesday with French President Emmanuel Macron, ruled out a ceasefire and said he wanted to rid the capital of militias that had “infested” the UN-backed government, a French presidential official said, Reuters reports. The flare-up in the conflict in Libya – which has been gripped by anarchy since Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in 2011 – began in early April, when Haftar’s Libyan National Army advanced on the capital Tripoli. Macron and French officials have for weeks repeated their official support for the GNA and have called for an unconditional ceasefire. “The distrust we see between the Libyan actors is stronger than ever today,” said the official after the meeting between Macron and Haftar in Paris. However, the official said Haftar had given no indication as to when he would be ready for any potential talks.

Source: Libya Today May 22, 2019 19:07 UTC