Haftar links Libyans’ living crisis to political paralysis
Khalifa Haftar affirmed that resolving the political crisis is the key to building a strong and functional state, stressing that the rising public discontent is a direct result of neglect, corruption, and widespread disorder. The commander of the Libyan National Army reiterated that overcoming the political deadlock is essential for improving living conditions and restoring public services, arguing that the current deterioration reflects deep structural imbalances caused by institutional division. He noted that the lack of reconstruction projects, despite the availability of substantial natural resources, fuels public frustration and prevents any real recovery as long as the political crisis persists.
Haftar’s remarks came during a meeting with a broad delegation of sheikhs, elders, and tribal leaders from the Western Mountain region and the Lower Mountain area, held at the command headquarters in Benghazi, according to the General Command’s media office. The meeting is part of a series of consultations conducted over recent months with representatives of tribes from the east, west, and south, in an effort to rally broad social support for a national initiative aimed at breaking the deadlock.
In his speech, Haftar declared that a state where corruption governs institutions, weapons circulate outside the control of authorities, and public funds are unprotected, is a failed state. He emphasized that restoring the state requires a clear political settlement enabling institutions to regain their effectiveness and allowing citizens to choose their leaders through transparent elections. He added that only the will of the people can determine the path toward a solution and restore the state’s authority and legitimacy.
In most of his recent statements, Haftar consistently links declining public services to the persistence of institutional division. He views widespread corruption and the proliferation of uncontrolled weapons as direct threats to the unity of the country and to its economic future. According to observers, this approach reflects real concerns that the continued political stalemate may lead to a new wave of chaos, particularly in the western region, where armed groups and competing security entities exert significant influence.
He welcomed the delegation from the Western Mountain region, praising the tribes as the true backbone of the nation and the principal supporters of Libya’s stability in difficult times. He noted that the tribes played a decisive role in shielding the country from more dangerous scenarios in recent years, emphasizing that their participation is essential to any comprehensive national reconciliation effort.
According to the media office, the tribal leaders expressed appreciation for the role of the General Command forces in maintaining security, protecting borders, and combating transnational criminal groups. They also reaffirmed their support for the army, which they described as the lifeline for Libyans amid growing disorder and persistent security threats. The meeting was attended by the Prime Minister appointed by the House of Representatives, Osama Hamad, Chief of General Staff General Khaled Haftar, and a number of officials and military leaders.
This outreach to the tribes comes at a time when Libya is facing an unprecedented political deadlock since the failure to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in December 2021. Despite repeated attempts to revive the political process, whether through meetings in Cairo and Bouznika or talks in Geneva and Tripoli, none of these efforts have succeeded in producing a mutually accepted constitutional basis, unifying state institutions, or establishing a stable mechanism for managing oil revenues, which remain the backbone of the Libyan economy.
According to sources close to the General Command, Haftar’s recent moves aim to highlight that the political crisis is the root cause of the country’s security and
economic challenges, and that ignoring it or bypassing it will only keep Libya trapped in a cycle of tension and power struggles. Political analyses suggest that Haftar’s emphasis on corruption, declining services, and the absence of infrastructure projects carries a warning: the continuation of the current situation could trigger social unrest or new clashes, particularly in western Libya, where militias continue to expand their influence while official institutions weaken.
Haftar’s statements also reveal concerns that the widespread presence of weapons outside state authority could jeopardize any future electoral process, should an agreement be reached. He argues that rebuilding the state cannot occur in an unstable environment, and that restoring security and unifying institutions must precede any political deadlines.
The General Command’s engagement with the tribes points to an effort to build a wide social base willing to support a national path independent of the stalled UN-backed initiatives, at a time when Libyan parties remain divided over the form of government, the distribution of powers, and the unification of the military command. While Haftar continues to assert that the solution lies in the hands of the people, political disputes persist over the mechanisms needed to hold credible and widely accepted elections.
As solutions remain elusive, concerns grow that the political vacuum will lead to renewed security tensions, similar to those that have threatened Tripoli and surrounding areas over the past years. Observers fear that failure to reach a settlement could open the door to new clashes among competing armed groups, plunging the country into another cycle of instability.
Haftar’s most recent speech underscores that the Libyan crisis is no longer confined to political disagreements but now affects the daily lives of citizens across all regions, where complaints continue over stalled services, declining reconstruction
efforts, and deteriorating infrastructure. This occurs despite the country’s considerable financial resources, which could drive real economic progress if a stable political environment existed.
As the commander of the Libyan National Army continues his meetings with tribes and social actors, the central question remains whether these efforts will generate enough popular pressure to push political parties toward a consensual solution that ends the division and restores stability to a Libya exhausted by years of chaos and institutional collapse.
