After Turkey, could a second country officially intervene in Libya? Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned on Saturday that any advance by Ankara-backed " government of national unity " (GNA) forces toward the strategic city of Sirte, Libya, could lead to " direct " intervention from Cairo.
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Since the fall of the regime of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 after a popular revolt and a western military intervention, Libya is plunged into chaos and a protean war, complicated by the increased presence of international actors who act nonetheless informally, with the exception , until then, from Turkey.
By formalizing their support for the GNA, Turkey has managed to change the situation militarily on the ground. Helped in particular by the strike force of Turkish drones, the forces loyal to the GNA - based in Tripoli and recognized by the UN - have garnered important victories since the beginning of June, regaining control of the entire northwest of Libya. The rival troops of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, a strong man from eastern Libya supported among others by Egypt, have not stopped falling in recent weeks, suffering setbacks on the ground that signed the failure of their offensive on Tripoli launched in April 2019.
Cairo supported Abu Dhabi and Riyadh
The forces of the GNA nevertheless remain hampered in their advance towards the coastal city of Sirte, strategic lock towards the East and under the control of Marshal Haftar. Birthplace of ex-dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Sirte, as well as Al-Joufra further south, represent a " red line ", warned Mr. Sissi, during a speech broadcast on television. If this line is crossed, the security of Egypt, which shares a porous border with Libya, will require " direct intervention " by Egyptian forces in the country, he said.
“ Any direct intervention by Egypt has become legitimate at the international level, whether under the UN Charter on self-defense or based on the only legitimate authority elected by the Libyan people: the Parliament Libyan, "said Sissi. The Egyptian president evokes here the parliament based in Tobrouk and since 2019 in Benghazi, in Cyrenaica.
In Cairo, on June 6, President al-Sissi receives Marshal Haftar (right) and the President of the Parliament of Benghazi Aguila Saleh (left). - / AFP
Elected in 2014, its members of parliament support Marshal Haftar and do not recognize the authorities of Tripoli which have their own parliament. " If the Libyan people ask us to intervene, it is a signal sent to the world that Egypt and Libya share (...) common interests, security and stability, " added the Egyptian president.
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For the GNA, on the contrary, it is " interference in (internal) affairs and a serious threat to the national security of Libya " and " international peace ," said Mohamad Amari Zayed, member of the Presidential Council. of the GNA. " There can be no red lines inside our borders and on our lands, " he said. “ No foreign party will have authority over its people. "
Ankara for its part demanded Saturday the withdrawal of the troops of Marshal Haftar from the city of Sirte as a prerequisite for any truce. " A ceasefire must be viable (...) which means that Haftar's forces must withdraw from Sirte and al-Joufra, " said Turkish Presidency spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said. , during an interview with AFP in Istanbul. These successive warnings come after the invitation issued by Cairo, and refused Friday evening by the GNA, to attend an emergency meeting on Libya of the Arab League, whose headquarters are based in the Egyptian capital.
Tensions between Paris and Ankara
The GNA and Turkey expressed their skepticism, considering the Egyptian initiative as a way to save time for Marshal Haftar, who is also supported by the United Arab Emirates and Russia. The United Arab Emirates said on Saturday it was " on the side of Egypt for all the measures it is taking to ensure security and stability " in the face of the conflict in Libya, according to the Foreign Ministry. The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also expressed " support for Egypt's right to defend its borders and its people against extremism, terrorist militias and their supporters in the region ".
Ankara - which is also in talks with Moscow with the aim of reaching a new cease-fire in Libya after the failure of several previous truces - has outraged France, accused of supporting the marshal. " The French government supports an illegitimate warlord ," said Mr. Kalin. “ Despite all this, they (French officials, Editor's note) continue to criticize us. But we work with the legitimate players and it is France that works with the bad players. "
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On Wednesday, during a videoconference meeting of NATO Defense Ministers - of which Ankara and Paris are members - France had criticized Turkey for its " extremely aggressive " behavior against one of its frigates in the Mediterranean and hammered that Ankara's involvement undermined any truce effort in Libya.