New Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh said on Friday that a cover-up could not be tolerated after the bodies of people rubbed out were found on Thursday
"I gave direct instructions to the interior minister to deal with this event, and I requested the attorney-general to open an investigation," said Dbeibeh, who was selected through a United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
-led process and took office this week.
Benghazi is the stronghold of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar
...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all. Actually, he is, but slowly...'s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), whose assault on the capital, Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
, was repulsed last year.
The security headquarters in Benghazi, which includes both police and military units under LNA control, initially denied that any bodies had been found, but said later on Friday it would issue a statement on the matter.
A security source told AFP on Friday that the 11 bodies initially found near a cement factory showed signs of execution. More bodies were found later.
Libya has endured a decade of chaos and violence since a NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and structure....
-backed uprising that toppled Muammar Qadaffy
...who single-handedly turned a moderately prosperous kingdom into a dictator's fantasyland and was then murdered by his indignant subjects 42 years later...
, as gangs gained control over city districts leading to an epidemic of abductions and killings.
The main western and eastern factions that split apart in 2014 have publicly accepted Dbeibeh's government, widely seen as Libya's best hope for peace in years, though huge challenges remain.
Last year, authorities recovered dozens of bodies from mass graves in Tarhuna, southeast of Tripoli.
| So everyone was doing it? Tripoli was GNA territory. |