Rhiannon Smith on VOA 'Africa News Tonight'

On 5 April, Managing Editor of Libya-Analysis Rhiannon Smith discussed with Mohamme Elshinnawi of Voice of America the push of General Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) towards Tripoli, the Libyan capital, and the potential outcomes of such an operation. For Smith, 'Libya is holding its breath to see what is going to happen next'. She notes that Haftar's move was unexpected, as the country was preparing for the UN-led National Conference following high level meetings between Haftar and the head of the Government of National Accord (GNA). For Smith, while the operation is labelled an operation designed to fight against terrorism, it could be understood as a power play to impose Haftar and his affiliated forces to impose himself as a major player in Libya. According to Smith, it remains unclear so far whether the LNA will attempt to take Tripoli by force as it could be too risky. For Smith, the current situation can be understood as a result of the initiatives from the international community to engage with Haftar and include him in the political dialogue. Therefore, Smith questions what the international community's response will be if Haftar breaches the terms of the UN-led agreement which opposed military actions as a solution. Their response could either Haftar's attempts to seize power or reveal the limit of the international community's power.Click here to listen to the interview.