Popular Front for the Liberation of Libya

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Libya (PFLL;[5] Arabic: الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير ليبيا, romanizedal-Jabhat al-Shaebiat li-Tahrir Libiya) is a Gaddafi loyalist militia and political party that aims to elect Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, as president of Libya.

Popular Front for the Liberation of Libya
الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير ليبيا
aljbhh alsh'ebyh lthryr lybya
LeaderSaif al-Islam Gaddafi[1]
Secretary-GeneralRamadan Abou Grim[2]
Founded26 December 2016 (2016-12-26)[3]
Ideology
Political positionLeft-wing
Colours  Green
House of Representatives
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Party flag
Website
www.aljabhaalshaabiya.org
Popular Front for the Liberation of Libya
Military leaderAl-Mabrouk Ehnish (until 2017)[4]
Political leaderSaif al-Islam Gaddafi[1]
Active regionsLibya
StatusActive
OpponentsLibya Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade
Battles and wars2016–18 West Libya clashes
2019 Western Libya offensive

Aims and ideology

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The PFLL follows a Gaddafi loyalist agenda.[3] The party maintains that the First Libyan Civil War was the result of a conspiracy against Libya.[3] It holds a negative view of the United Nations and NATO, which played a large role in overthrowing Gaddafi during the 2011 military intervention.[6] Its stated aim is to build a sovereign state and "liberate the country from the control of terrorist organizations that use religion as a cover and are funded by foreign agencies."[7] It has run advertisements opposing Turkish military intervention in the Second Libyan Civil War as well as the presidency of Fayez al-Sarraj.[8] It opposes normalizing relations with Israel.[9]

Timeline of activities

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  • 26 December 2016: the PFLL was founded.[3]
  • October 2017: the PFLL was defeated in clashes with the Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade,[10] leading to the arrest of the military leader, Al-Mabrouk Ehnish, on the 16th.[4]
  • March 2018: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi announced his intention to run in the 2019 Libyan general election under the PFLL.[1]
  • 6 July 2019: it was reported that the PFLL had joined the Libyan National Army in the 2019 Western Libya offensive.[11]
  • 30 September 2019: the coordinator of the group's Ajdabiya branch, Ahmed Abdel Mawla, held a speech wherein he praised the Libyan National Army's advances against anti-LNA factions, re-affirmed the PFLL's support for Saif and denounced the 2011 uprising as a Turkish-Qatari conspiracy. He stated that "Since the conspiracy erupted in 2011, we see what happened in the homeland of the violation of sovereignty, and the loss of its political decision, and here we urge and stress that we all join together and all loyal to fight terrorism and uproot from the roots, these guilty of this era of heretical terrorists who destroyed the country, They destroyed everything."[12]
  • 3 November 2019: PFLL members held a demonstration in Bani Walid, waving flags reminiscent of the green flag used during the reign of Muammar Gaddafi.[13]
  • 2020: In this year, the party was intended to be replaced by a new party titled Libya Tomorrow (Arabic: Libya Al-Ghad), though these plans did not bear fruit.[2]
  • 7 February 2020: the PFLL held a panel discussion in Tunisia, titled "Tunisia's role in resolving the Libyan crisis between foreign interventions and the depth of belonging", wherein party members discussed the security situation in Libya in light of the civil war and the proliferation of arms carriers, as well as fears of foreign military intervention in Libya, which would further complicate the situation, according to participants. The panel was attended by a number of Tunisian political parties.[14]
  • 7 November 2020: the PFLL announced that it rejected the legitimacy of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum.[15]
  • 31 July 2021: Saad al-Senussi al-Barasi, a PFLL leader, responded to an enquiry by Asharq Al-Awsat regarding circulated photos of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi. He described the photos as authentic, and sceptics as "enemies of the nation, and those who cling to power."[16]
  • 12 August 2022: Othman Barka, a representative of the PFLL in Egypt, stated he was in regular contact with Saif Gaddafi.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "In Saif hands: Gaddafi's son to run for Libya president". The New Arab. 19 March 2018. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Libya: The search for ever elusive Seif al-Islam Gaddafi". The Africa Report.com. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Pro-Gaddafi Group Uncovered in Libyan Capital". Asharq Al-awsat. 22 May 2018. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Tripoli-based Special Deterrent Force apprehends Gaddafi-loyal armed group". The Libya Observer. 16 October 2017. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  5. ^ Fetouri, Mustafa (25 May 2018). "Gadhafi supporters arrested during peace talks in Tripoli". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  6. ^ ITQAN. "الأمم المتحدة جزء من المؤمراة على ليبيا والليبين". الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير ليبيا (in Arabic). Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  7. ^ McGregor, Andrew (November 2017). "Europe's True Southern Frontier: The General, the Jihadis, and the High-Stakes Contest for Libya's Fezzan Region" (PDF). CTC Sentinel. 10: 24.
  8. ^ University, © Stanford; Stanford; California 94305. "Blurring the lines of media authenticity: Prigozhin-linked group funding Libyan broadcast media". fsi.stanford.edu. Retrieved 23 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ ITQAN. "الفارس الليبي يكتب..محاولات الخونة للتطبيع مع الكيان الصهيوين". الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير ليبيا (in Arabic). Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  10. ^ "Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade fights off Gaddafi loyalists south of the capital". The Libya Observer. 4 October 2017. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  11. ^ "Tobruk MP claims terrorists from Turkey support Tripoli government against Haftar". Uprising Today. 6 July 2019. Archived from the original on 6 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019. There are also reports that the Popular Front for the Liberation of Libya, a pro-Jamahiriya resistance organisation led by Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, the son of Brotherly Leader Muammar al-Gaddafi who was overthrown and murdered in 2011, is supporting the Tobruk-based forces.
  12. ^ "In memory of the day of fulfillment.. Popular Front at ajdabiya: Saif al-Islam diagnosed the crisis since 2011, the last solution". "وكالة الجماهيرية للانباء " أوج. 1 October 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  13. ^ "Supporters of Qaddafi Flag Rises in North of Libya". english.iswnews.com. 3 November 2019. Archived from the original on 4 November 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  14. ^ "Tunisia – Foreign intervention and civil war in Libya at the discussion table of political parties". arab24.com. 8 February 2020. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  15. ^ "Who benefits from the Libyan political dialogue in Tunisia?". The Citizen. 7 November 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  16. ^ "Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi's Statements Raise Suspicions". Asharq AL-awsat. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
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