Libya council calls for boycott of 'war supporters'

TRIPOLI

Libya’s Supreme Council of State has called on the country's UN-recognized government to boycott and sue countries that support a military offensive by eastern Libyan forces against the Tripoli-based government.

In a statement issued late Monday, the council, an advisory body, called for "mobilizing all efforts with a view to thwarting the aggression" against the Government of National Accord (GNA).

The statement welcomed any effort "seeking to repel the aggression, end the bloodshed and cruise the country out of its crisis."

The council also called on Libya's central bank to take all measures to prevent the circulation of counterfeit currency to protect the national economy.

On Friday, Maltese authorities seized shipments of unofficial Libyan banknotes believed it was made for East Libya-based military commander Khalifa Haftar.

Haftar’s forces launched a campaign in April to capture Tripoli from Libya’s internationally recognized GNA.

Clashes have left more than 1,000 people dead and about 5,500 wounded, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The oil-rich country has remained beset by turmoil since 2011, when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted and killed in a NATO-backed uprising after four decades in power.

Libya has since seen the emergence of two rival seats of power: one in eastern Libya, with which Haftar is affiliated, and the Tripoli-based GNA, which enjoys UN recognition.

* Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara