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The French government rejected statements by the Libyan-backed National Accord Government (GNA) that it would support Marshal Khalifa Haftar, whose forces launched a military offensive to take the capital Tripoli. Libya's Interior Ministry said it was suspending all relations with France for its support of Haftar and its Libyan National Army (LNA).
The allegations of French support for Haftar are "completely unfounded," according to a French Foreign Ministry official quoted by the AFP news agency.
The Parisian authorities support the "legitimate" government of Prime Minister Fayez al Sarraj and the UN-led mediation for "an inclusive political solution in Libya," the French presidency said in a statement.
Libya's Interior Minister, Fathi Bach Agha, accused Paris of supporting the "Haftar criminal" and ordered the "suspension of all relations between the ministry and the French side," the Tripoli authorities said. according to AFP.
France has publicly supported the UN-backed Tripoli government, but evidence on the ground has long indicated Paris's tacit support for the Haftar LNA.
"The GNA in Tripoli is under intense pressure and they will try to play whatever their card," RFI Mohamed Eljarh, an expert at Libya Outlook Research and Consultancy, told RFI.
"They are trying to talk publicly about France's role in perhaps trying to pressure France to get Khalifa Haftar to withdraw or push back," said Eljarh, explaining that the GNA wanted to try to French government in the spotlight.
Long-standing French support in Haftar
French support for the LNA has been "clear and obvious" since 2015, according to Eljarh, who was previously a non-resident member of the Atlantic Council think tank. Three French soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash in 2016 during an intelligence mission in Libya.
"In this war in Tripoli, we have yet to find any evidence of France's real support on the ground," Eljarh said in a telephone interview in Amman, Jordan.
Nevertheless, the Tunisian authorities this week arrested 13 French nationals who were trying to leave Libya with weapons and ammunition, Al Jazeera reported.
French policy aims to combat "violent extremism and terrorist groups," including those affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), said Eljarh. He added that it was unlikely that the pressure of the RNG would result in a change in French policy developed over the years.
Inaction at the United Nations Security Council
The United States and Russia both refused Friday to support a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Libya, the Reuters news agency reported.
Russia is contesting the wording of the resolution drafted by the British government and the criticism of strongman Haftar, according to Reuters. The United States has given no justification for its lack of support for the resolution, which also calls on countries with influence over the warring parties to ensure compliance with the ceasefire.
The French and Russians do not think it's worth blaming Haftar, according to Eljarh. In addition, it is feared that the network of militias employed by the GNA to defend Tripoli will contain "terrorist figures," said the Libyan badyst.
"Some members of the international community are extremely concerned that if Khalifa Haftar were put under pressure, placed in the spotlight, and retreated, we would unleash a worse monster in Tripoli," Eljarh said. .
Haftar's supporters wait for him to "win the war in Tripoli" and establish control over the capital, according to Eljarh. However, the ANL offensive could result in protracted conflict in which only foreign powers or third parties could tip the scales, the badyst added.
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