Inkwell Institute

North Africa Desk

Yes, Benghazi is in the news….but it has little do with the accusations coming from the Right’s mental midgets….McCain, Graham and Ayotte…..there are others but these give the air of respectability…..not many can claim that……

There is lots going on in Benghazi…….for one….some randomly unidentified army officer is leading an attempted coup…….there has been a lot of violence in the past between the government and  extremists and Eastern Libya….this is the first one that seems to be well rehearsed…..there has been some sort of confrontation brewing……

The Libyan government maintains that it is still in control after a weekend that saw its own parliament building stormed—though whether that is the case remains unclear, reports Reuters. What happened, and what’s happening, in the tumultuous country:

• Yesterday’s attack on parliament: Loyalists of retired general Khalifa Haftar stormed the building in Tripoli, with local media reporting that roads in the capital were made impassable by men who commanded truck-mounted heavy weapons.
• How it’s being reported: The Washington Post describes yesterday’s events, which killed two, as “some of the worst fighting the capital has seen since the 2011 revolution.”
• What they want: Haftar’s allies say the goal of the attack was to eliminate Islamist hardliners from Libya, the BBC reports. The AP reports that the Haftar-aligned troops yesterday declared they had suspended the Islamist-dominated house, blaming it for empowering Islamic extremists, and was replacing it with a 60-member constituent assembly that was elected earlier this year to create a new constitution for the country; Libya’s interim government brushed the announcement off.

• Background on the breakdown: As per the Los Angeles Times, “lawmakers are divided among Islamist and non-Islamist elements, and the swearing in of a new Cabinet led by an Islamist-leaning prime minister, Ahmed Matiq, has been repeatedly delayed by political infighting.”
• Who is Haftar? He’s described in US media reports as a “rogue,” “mysterious,” and a “renegade,” with the LAT describing him as having a prominent role in the 2011 uprising against Moammar Gadhafi, who he helped bring to power in 1969 and severed ties with in 1988. Prior to that he lived in … Falls Church, Va., having sought exile in the US in the ’80s. His immediate whereabouts are unclear.
• The trouble didn’t start yesterday: Forces loyal to Haftar attacked bases in Benghazi controlled by Islamist groups Friday, and 70 reportedly died. Commandeered military aircraft were reportedly used, and officials implemented a “no-fly” zone over the city in an attempt to ground such planes. The LAT notes that some of the country’s military units appear to have defected to Haftar’s side; Reuters says it’s unclear how much support his side has “within Libya’s nascent regular armed forces.”
• What’s happening today: Islamist-led militias have been deployed to Tripoli on orders of the country’s army chief. The AP reports this could set the stage for a “possible showdown.”

Is this a good thing or just another push for power by some other demented toad?

Or could this be an American covert operation to gain some sort of control over Libya?

Well let’s look at the person leading this violent uprising……..

Gen. Hifter got his start, and his generalship, as a close ally of Moammar Gadhafi, but changed sides when he was captured during the failed late 80′s invasion of Chad. Released at the behest of the US, after which he was set up as a military leader in the National Front for the Salvation of Libya (NFSL), a rebel faction based out of Chad which was backed by the CIA.

The NFSL didn’t last much longer in Chad, however, as a takeover of Chad by Gadhafi ally Idriss Deby led the US to evacuate the rebels. Hifter quietly relocated to the DC suburbs after that, and lived there through 2011, when he left to declare himself a rebel leader during the fight that ousted Gadhafi.

Gen. Hifter has bragged about his US backing in the past, though exactly where he stands with the US at present is as unclear as where he stands within Libya’s military command. Anticipatory actions ahead of the coup, however, suggest that whatever prompted Hifter’s attack, it was not a surprise in the US.

Just how will this play out?  That is the $64 million question…..will there be an investigation on whether the CIA had any part in this conflict against an established government?……a government we may not agree with too damn often…..but a legitimate one none the less.

There will be NO Congressional investigation into this right now…..it would serve No political purpose….after all that is all it is about…..the next election.

All this is setting the stage for yet another civil war in the region………