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Sudanese rebel group acknowledges fighting for Khalifa Haftar’s forces in Libya
[Libya Observer] Sudan’s Justice and Equality Movement is fighting alongside Khalifa Haftar... served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all... ’s Dignity Operation, a senior commander from the rebel group has officially admitted. Brigadier Ibrahim al-Bagdadi, chief of armament in the Justice and Equality Movement told Sudan’s Blue Nile TV that their forces are now fighting for Khalifa Haftar after months of fighting for former Qadaffy brigades during the 2011 uprising. "We took part in several festivities in 2011 and we had lost many fighters," he said. Al-Bagdadi revealed that their commander Tahir Arja is now in Libya leading gangs alongside Haftar’s forces at the request of Mahmoud Jibreel, Chairman of National Forces Alliance. "It’s business," he said. Last month, Dignity Operation militias occupied Brega, Zuwetina, Sidra and Ras Lanouf oil terminals in central Libya with the help of Sudanese and Chadian mercenaries. Posted by: Fred 2016-10-11 |
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