Haftar forces preparing for new push to capture Tripoli

Libya's UN-recognized government says forces loyal to strongman General Khalifa Haftar appear to be preparing for a new offensive to capture the capital city Tripoli.

Haftar's initial offensive launched on April 4 to take the city from the Government of National Accord (GNA) failed to break through Tripoli's defenses.

His forces are currently bogged down on the capital's southern outskirts, but the renegade general has defied a truce call by the United Nations and ordered his troops not to relent in their offensive..

The GNA said on its Facebook page Saturday that it is "concerned over reports, confirmed by the UN and the media, on preparations for a new military escalation".

Videos circulated on social media in recent days show columns of military vehicles belonging to Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), trucking towards the south of the capital. 

Via a post published on one of its official Facebook pages on Friday, LNA urged young people in Tripoli to join Haftar's forces to eliminate all militias allied with the Tripoli-based government.

Haftar's offensive has upended efforts to stabilize Libya and threatened to plunge the country into a full-blown civil war.  

It has left nearly 1,093 people dead, and over 5,750 wounded, according to the UN's World Health Organization. The fighting has also forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes. 

In his offensive, Haftar is supported by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and France.

SS