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TRIPOLI--Signs of discord between the head of Libyas new Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdel Hamid Dbeibah and the commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, have raised fears for the peace process and a final settlement of the eight-year civil Libyan conflict.

The recent parliamentary vote of confidence in the new government had raised hopes of an end to divisions in the country.

Dbeibahs conspicuous absence from the Benghazi ceremony during which the interim government headed by Abdullah Thinni handed over power to the GNU was duly noted. It sparked speculation of an emerging rift between new premier and Haftar.

Further indications of such a rift began to emerge after Dbeibah tweeted his plan to open an investigation into the discovery of at least a dozen bodies in Benghazi, which is under Haftars control.

Dbeibah wrote, It is not possible to allow the recurrence of these events or to cover them up. He stressed that he had given direct instructions to the minister of interior to deal with this incident, and I asked the public prosecutor to open an investigation into the matter.

Media outlets close to the LNAs general command criticised the prime ministers decision. Their attacks on the Dbeibah government have checked the momentum which had marked the first days of the GNU taking office. The new prime ministers relations with Haftar appear to have broken down even before they had really began.

Although the developments are unlikely to spark a new outbreak of violence, the emerging discord could very well limit Dbeibahs control over the eastern region.

During the last few months, Benghazi has witnessed a growing climate of insecurity. A number of activists has been assassinated or kidnapped, in addition to the repeated discovery of dead bodies dumped into the streets. This is ironically a grim echo of the anarchy that gripped Benghazi in 2012 when the Islamist group Ansar Sharia murdered scores of police, former army officers and civilians who opposed them. It was in crushing Ansar Sharia in the tortuous Operation Dignity campaign that took more than five years, that Haftar and the LNA came to prominence and a position of power.

Now there are signs of increasing domination in Benghazi of Salafist elements who are are said to be close to the LNA. The murders and seizures have prompted tribal elders to condemn the deteriorating security situation within the city.

Their protest earlier this month coincided with the new government assuming power. They appeared to echo a more general popular discontent with Haftar. This was quickly picked up and used by Dbeibah against the field marshal.

At the same time, a mood of anger lingers in Cyrenaica (the eastern region) after the debacle suffered by the LNA when it attempted last year to advance on and seize the capital Tripoli.

Haftars defeat and the withdrawal of his forces from the west of the country toward Sirte have reduced his political influence.

The military strongman has since seemed to be under some kind of political siege, as his political contacts with foreign actors nearly stopped . He has had to limit himself to local meetings aimed at calming popular unrest in the east.

Observers believe that Dbeibahs decision not to visit Benghazi for the Thinni power handover can be seen as an attempt to ignore Haftar, whom he sees as one of the main obstacles to his complete control of Libya.

This however goes against the tacit understanding between both men, which was reflected in the vote of LNA-affiliated MPs in favour of Dbeibah and for the President of the Presidency Council Muhammad al-Manfi.

Observers suspect that the delay by Aguila Saleh, the speaker of the parliament in convening a session to discuss and vote on a Dbeibahs new budget is linked to the current cold spell between Haftar and the premier.

It is regrettable that the issue of discussing the unified general budget has turned into a tool for political blackmail, said Sulaiman al-Bayoudi, a political activist.

Bayoudi added in a post on his Facebook account, What is happening now does not bode well. Either (members) of parliament meet and carry out their duties, or the presidency council and the GNU should reject blackmail and opt instead for the implementation the financial arrangements according to Paragraph 2 of Article 9 of the Libyan Political Agreement.

He added, If the speaker of the parliament and the deputies do not act with a sense of responsibility and patriotism, they will be the first and only people to blame for the continuing difficult economic conditions, by stalling the budget debate.

The GNU, made up of twenty-six ministers and six state ministers, won the unanimous confidence of the Libyan parliament on March 10.

On Tuesday, the parallel government in eastern Libya handed over its powers to the GNU, a week after the latter officially assumed its duties from the capital, Tripoli.

The handover ceremony took place at the headquarters of the parallel government in Benghazi, the second largest city in Libya, in the presence of its outgoing premier, Abdullah al-Thinni.

The GNU was represented by Deputy Prime Minister Hussein Gatrani, Minister of Interior Khaled Mazen and a number of other ministers.

Gatrani asserted that the stage of division has ended, and said in a press statement, The government of national unity is there to serve all citizens.

The new executive authority is responsible for unifying state institutions and overseeing the transitional phase until the December 24 elections, when their term expires according to the approved roadmap.

However, the UN-demanded departure of the Syrian mercenaries and elements of the Russian Wagner Group from the west and east of the country remains one of the thorniest issues confronting Dbeibah. Achieving it will close coordination between all parties to the conflict, including Haftar.

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Signs of discord between Dbeibah and Haftar dim prospects of Libyan reunification | | AW - The Arab Weekly