A decision that raises new divisions and protests in Libya

The decision of the President of the Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Menfi, to include the dead of the Libyan army forces on the list of “martyrs,” sparked a wave of protests in the capital, Tripoli, and created divisions within the Presidential Council apparatus.

The decision issued by Al-Menfi, in his capacity as Supreme Commander of the Libyan Army, stipulates that the dead and wounded of the Libyan army forces be included in the General Authority for the Care of the Families of Martyrs, Missing and Amputees in the National Unity Government, and that the material and moral benefits allocated to them be paid to them.

But this decision was met with widespread rejection from within Tripoli, where the Council of Elders and Notables of Greater Tripoli opposed the Presidential Council’s equating between “the victim and the executioner and putting them on the same page” and its dealings with the army commander, General Khalifa Haftar, and trying to get closer to him, wondering what the reason for this measure is if the army forces Do not follow the orders of the exile.

The Council pointed out, in a statement on Sunday, that the Authority is affiliated with the Prime Minister and the Presidential Council has no right to address it except through the Prime Minister, stressing that the Eastern Region does not belong to the Government of National Unity.

In the same context, demonstrators stormed, on Sunday, the headquarters of the Presidential Council in the capital, Tripoli, in protest against the decision to include the martyrs and wounded of the armed forces in the eastern and southern regions to the General Authority for the Care of the Families of Martyrs and Missing Persons, demanding the cancellation of the decision. These protests are expected to extend to other cities within hours. Coming.

The repercussions of Al-Manfi’s decision reached the Presidential Council and caused a division among its members, as the Council’s representative, Abdullah Al-Lafi, confirmed that the decision was issued in violation due to the failure to obtain the approval of the Presidential Council collectively in its capacity as the Supreme Commander of the Libyan Army, according to what was stipulated in the outcomes of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum issued in October. 2nd 2021.

In a letter addressed to Al-Manfi, Al-Lafi asked to withdraw the decision so that it could be discussed and the procedures that must be observed and adhered to were discussed.