The West and Its Allies Legitimized a Renegade Libyan General. Then, Remained Silent as He Marched on the Capital. By Sudarsan Raghavan – Washington Post
With renegade eastern commander Khalifa Hifter at the gates of the Libyan capital, the United Nations and Western and Arab governments have called for a halt to the fighting — to no avail.
By Tuesday, the urgency for a cease-fire grew: Dozens have been killed, thousands have fled their homes or remain trapped by fighting, and Tripoli’s only functioning airport was hit by an airstrike, shutting it down and dimming hopes for a U.N. peace conference scheduled for this weekend. Reports also surfaced Tuesday that the Islamic State, seemingly taking advantage of the turmoil caused by Hifter’s moves, staged an attack that killed two officials in southern Libya.
Yet a handful of influential governments including France, Russia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have not condemned Hifter. France and Russia are permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, which ostensibly backs the U.N.-installed government in Tripoli that Hifter is seeking to oust…