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Libyan protesters shout slogans during a demonstration against the Turkish parliament's decision to send Turkish forces to Libya, in Benghazi, Libya, January 3, 2020. /Reuters Photo

Libyan forces loyal to eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar said on Monday they had seized the coastal city of Sirte from factions loyal to the Tripoli government, raising tensions as Turkey said it was

deploying troops

in the North African country.

Sirte, some 450 kilometers east of the capital Tripoli, had been held by forces allied with the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) since 2016. But on Monday, a spokesman for Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) said the city had fallen to his fighters within hours.

"Sirte has been totally liberated," Ahmad al-Mesmari announced on television.

"The operation was quick and lasted only three hours," Mesmari said, although preparations had started months earlier with air strikes on positions of pro-GNA forces.

He said Haftar loyalists struck from five land and sea positions and had air cover. He did not give further details.

The GNA did not immediately confirm the fall of Sirte, but a pro-GNA military commander in the city, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged the loss.

A Libyan woman carries a crossed out picture of Khalifa Haftar during a demonstration to demand an end to Haftar's offensive against Tripoli, in Martyrs' Square in central Tripoli, Libya, December 27, 2019. /Reuters Photo

The oil-rich North African country has been plunged into chaos since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that killed longtime leader Muammar Kadhafi. It is now divided between the GNA based in Tripoli and Haftar's forces in the east, which also control most of the country's south.

Tensions escalated last year when Haftar launched an operation in January to "purge" southern Libya "of terrorist groups and criminals" and seized several towns with support from local tribes.

Haftar then set his eyes on Tripoli, launching an offensive on the capital in April to unseat the GNA.

The GNA has sought help from Turkey, whose parliament passed a bill allowing the government to send troops to Libya to shore up the Tripoli government. On Sunday, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that his soldiers had begun deploying in Libya.

UN special envoy 'angry' at foreign meddling

The United Nations special envoy to Libya on Monday said he was "angry" at foreign interference in the war-torn country, saying Libyans have "suffered enough."

"I am really angry to see that everybody wants to talk about Libya and very few people want to talk about the Libyans, what happens to the Libyans," Ghassan Salame said after a two-hour meeting with the UN Security Council.

Libyan men mourn during the funeral of people who were killed in an attack on a military academy in Tripoli, Libya, January 5, 2020. /Reuters Photo

"Enough is enough, the Libyans have suffered enough," he added.

Asked about Turkey's decision to deploy troops in Libya, Salame answered that the "country is suffering too much from foreign interference in different ways."

"What I asked these countries is very clear: keep out of Libya. There is (are) enough weapons in Libya, they don't need extra weapons. There are enough mercenaries in Libya, so stop sending mercenaries, as it is the case right now," he said, estimating the number of foreign fighters in the country to be in the "hundreds, probably thousands."

The envoy also said a country supporting Haftar's LNA was likely responsible for a deadly drone attack on a military academy in Tripoli.

At least 30 people were killed and dozens wounded in the attack late on Saturday, the GNA Health Ministry said.

(With input from AFP, Reuters)

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