Haftar forces demand apology for GNU comments on Benghazi

After remarks made by Prime Minister Dabeiba regarding Benghazi returning to the homeland, Haftar's forces demand an apology

BY Libyan Express Apr 29, 2021 - 10:35

Haftar’s forces claim that they have received hundreds of demands from Benghazi residents asking the Libyan PM to apologize. [Photo: Getty Images]

Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s forces requested that Libyan Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dabeiba apologize for his recent remarks about the eastern city of Benghazi.

“Benghazi will return to the homeland, and you will return to your families,” Dabeiba said during a tour of the Libyan capital Tripoli, where he met with displaced Benghazi residents.

The military elements who call themselves the “General Command of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces” said in a statement broadcast on the Libya Al-Hadath TV channel that they “have received hundreds of requests from various segments of society and from all tribes and families of the martyrs and the wounded that the Prime Minister, Mr. Abdul Hamid Dabeiba , must present an explicit and clear apology for what happened.”

The statement said, “These claims are dismissed, and he [Dabeiba ] must honor the blood of the martyrs who gave their lives in the fight against terrorism and extremism.”

Prime Minister Dbeibah was scheduled to meet with his cabinet in Benghazi earlier this week to visit institutions and regions, and assess the state of areas affected by the country’s civil war.

After forces loyal to Haftar cordoned off Benina Airport on Sunday, the Libyan PM was forced to cancel a visit to Benghazi scheduled for Monday.

The views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of Libyan Express.
How to submit an Op-Ed: Libyan Express accepts opinion articles on a wide range of topics. Submissions may be sent to oped@libyanexpress.com. Please include ‘Op-Ed’ in the subject line.