OIC, Arab League call for political settlement in Libya

CAIRO

The Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab League on Friday warned both warring parties in Libya against growing escalation and called for a political settlement.

In a statement, OIC called on the parties to de-escalate the current situation that can lead to chaos in the country.

The Arab League, in a separate statement, also called on both sides to ease the growing tensions in the south of the country and to stick to the political solution.

Military commander Khalifa Haftar on Thursday launched a campaign to capture Tripoli, where Libya’s UN-backed unity government is headquartered.

Fayez al-Sarraj, head of the Tripoli-based government, ordered the government’s security forces to “prepare for -- and respond to -- any threats aimed at destabilizing the region”.

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011, when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of President Muammar Gaddafi after four decades in power.

Since then, the country’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power: one in the eastern city of Al-Bayda, to which Haftar is linked, and another in Tripoli.

*Writing by Busra Nur Bilgic