Unite against IS, Libyan armed groups urged

The UN's special envoy on Libya, Martin Kobler, called on all the country's armed groups to unite against the Islamic State group.

The UN's special envoy on Libya called on Tuesday on all the country's armed groups to unite against the Islamic State (IS) group.

“The fight against Daesh, which is the number one enemy, must be a Libyan fight and a united fight,” said Martin Kobler, using an Arabic acronym for IS, after meeting French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault in Paris.

He said the rival administrations that have established themselves since the fall of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 should “unite their efforts” into a single army.

“A national Libyan army must be put in place,” agreed Ayrault, while accepting that this was still “a long way off”.

The IS group has built a stronghold in Sirte, a city 400 kilometres east of Tripoli.

Kobler and Ayrault reaffirmed their support for the UN-backed unity government set up in the capital two months ago.

The unity government has military assets and the backing of key economic institutions, but is vehemently opposed by a rival administration in the east, which controls several militias and parts of the national army loyal to controversial General Khalifa Haftar.

AFP