TRIPOLI, Jan 8 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Higher Council of State of Libya, an advisory body, on Tuesday recommended the UN-backed government to cut relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for “direct involvement in the attack on Tripoli”.
The Council recommended the UN-backed government to cut relations with the UAE for “being a direct partner in the aggression on Tripoli, and in the massacre of the military academy in particular”.
On Saturday, 30 student were killed and 33 others were injured in an airstrike that hit the military academy in Tripoli, according to the Ministry of Health of the UN-backed government.
The UN-backed government accused the rival eastern-based army of carrying out the airstrike, which the eastern-based army denied.
The Council also recommended to reassess relations with all countries that “help or communicate” with the eastern-based army commander Khalifa Haftar.
The Council criticized the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) for holding conferences “based on unclear mechanisms without consulting the competent Libyan authorities.”
The eastern-based army has been leading a military campaign in and around Tripoli since early April, trying to take over the city and topple the UN-backed government.
Thousands have been killed and injured in the fighting, and more than 120,000 people fled their homes from the violence.
