Haftar-backing Libyan parliament votes to cut ties with Turkey over military deal, accuses PM of treason

The parliament of Libya, which opposes the UN-recognized government in Tripoli, has rejected the ratification of a military agreement with Turkey and voted to cut diplomatic ties with Ankara instead.

The Tripoli-based government of Al-Sarraj struck a military agreement with Turkey, which prompted Ankara to send its troops to Libya. Their aim is to confront Khalifa Haftar, the powerful Libyan military commander based in the eastern port of Tobruk.

The Libyan parliament, which backs Haftar, said on Saturday it refused to ratify the Turkey deal and called for pressing high treason charges against Fayez Al-Sarraj, Al Arabiya reported. The lawmakers said they may refer the situation to the International Court of Justice.

Haftar, who commands the so-called Libyan National Army, earlier declared mobilization to fight against Turkish troops, calling their looming deployment an invasion.

Libya, once one of the most prosperous nations in Africa, remains fractured and devastated since the 2011 NATO bombing campaign that helped militant forces oust and kill long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi. After the war, the country became a playground for various competing militias, as well as a major human trafficking thoroughfare.

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