Libya’s High Council of State: Haftar’s coup declaration is a cover-up for his military defeat in Tripoli

“What the war criminal Haftar said was a coup on the democratic path, not new but a continuation of his failed coups and to cover up his repeated defeats,” the council said.

The High Council of State called on the UN and its mission in Libya “to assume their political and moral responsibilities toward the people, and rejected the futility of war criminal Haftar, and his disrespect to the unity of Libya and the will of its people.”

In a video message on Monday, Haftar unilaterally declared himself the ruler of Libya.

Pointing to street demonstrations in areas under his control, Haftar claimed he “accepted the mandate of the Libyan people” to govern the country.

He said the Skhirat agreement, signed in 2015 by the warring sides in Libya under the auspices of the UN, is “a thing of the past”.