|
Benghazi truce fails as fighting rages across the city
[Libya Herald] Clashes have continued across Benghazi despite a twelve-hour humanitarian ceasefire brokered by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL)."A ceasefire beginning at 7 am was like an invitation for Ansar to start attacking at that time", one resident in Benghazi's Bel Awn district told the Libya Herald. She explained that in her area inhabitants had witnessed some of the most intense festivities they had seen in recent days. UNSMIL said the ceasefire was announced by its head Bernardino Leon and had been agreed to by the "different parties to the conflict in Benghazi". The "unconditional humanitarian truce ..The purposes of a truce are twofold: 1.) bring up more arms, ammunition, and reinforcements; and 2.) get the enemy to relax his vigilance. A truceis not the same thing as a ceasefire, and a ceasefiredoesn't mean you have to stop shooting... " was scheduled to begin at 7 am local time for a period of 12 hours. Residents reported fighting in Benghazi from 7 am onwards. The truce was described by the UN as being critical in "giving the people of Benghazi a much-needed reprieve from violence". Had it held it would have given the Libyan Red Islamic Thingy time to evacuate civilians and retrieve bodies. A front man for the Libyan National Army (LNA) Mohammed Hejazi told this newspaper that pro-government forces had been unable to keep the truce in the face of aggression from Ansar al-Sharia ...a Salafist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends. There are groups of the same name in Libyaand Yemen, with the Libyan versions currently most active. Tunisia's Shabaab al-Tawhid started out an Ansar al-Sharia and changed its name in early 2014. It still uses the old name now and then, probably because the stationery's not all used up and the web site hasn't expired yet... and its allies. "We acted in defence," he said. Hejazi said that in Bel Awn six members of Ansar al-Sharia had been killed in festivities with government forces. He said fighting had also taken place in Hawari, Sabri and around Benghazi University. Hejazi explained that the LNA had agreed to the ceasefire on humanitarian grounds and had coordinated with the Libyan Red Islamic Thingy and the UN. The army did not enter into direct negotiations with Ansar al-Sharia. he said. "They are criminals and we will not negotiate with them," he added. The LNA confirmed its participation in the ceasefire in a statement released by the Chief of Staff's office. The statement said the truce had been managed by the UN with the support of British Special Envoy to Libya Jonathan Powell. Spokesman for UNSMIL Samir Ghattas explained that the truce had been extended to all areas in Benghazi affected by recent fighting. He said the UN had used "channels direct or indirect involving the Shoura Council, Chief of General Staff's office and the Red Islamic Thingy" but explained that the UN "does not deal with Ansar al-Sharia". Beyond its obvious refusal of the truce, Benghazi Revolutionaries Shoura Council (BRSC), of which Ansar is a part, has been ambiguous in its response to the UN overtures. A front man for the Islamist coalition told Bowabat Al-Wassat that an official response was still being coordinated after fighting had resumed. Posted by: Fred 2014-11-20 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=404669 |