The Egyptian parliament has unanimously approved the decision to empower President Al-Sisi to send troops to defend the country’s western borders from foreign infiltrators.
By Mohamed Fayed
The parliament approved the move during Monday’s closed session.
It comes a week after clan elders in Khalifa Haftar’s stronghold in Benghazi, indicated that they would allow intervention by the Egyptian army against Turkey in Libya if they feel threatened.
“The Egyptian armed forces should intervene to protect Libyan and Egyptian national security if they see an imminent threat to the security of our two countries,” the parliament said in a statement.
With Ankara’s backing. forces loyal to the Tripoli-based and UN-recognized Government of National Unity (GNA) have scored important victories since early June, regaining control of the entire north-western region of Libya.
Rival troops under Marshal Haftar, a strongman from eastern Libya supported by Egypt among others, have for their part continued to beat a retreat in recent months, suffering setbacks on the ground that led to the failure of their offensive on Tripoli launched in April 2019.
Libya, which has the most abundant oil reserves in Africa, is torn by a struggle for influence between two rival powers: the UN-recognised Government of National Unity (GNA) based in Tripoli and Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who rules over the east and some parts of the south.
The former is supported by Turkey, which has military personnel on the ground, and the latter by neighbouring Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.
HA/lb/as/APA