The meeting between the two main Libyan leaders, which could be the first step toward political normalization in the country, has been criticized by other Libyan forces. A group of hardline Misratan militias have lambasted the Khalifa Hafter-Faiez Serraj Abu Dhabi meeting, vowing to “crush” the UN-backed government as a result. They underlined that to organize democratic elections, Hafter and Serraij need to erase criminals from political spectrum. In March, the mainly-Misratan forces supporting the would-be alternative “Government of National Salvation” (GNS) of Khalifa Ghwell were beaten by the local Tripolitan militias and forced out of the capital. These latter, now known as “the Quartet” (being Bishr, Ghneiwa, Tajouri and Abdul Raouf Kara), now effectively control the city along with their allies. This statement follows an other from GNS, by its leader Khalifa Gwell, which described Hafter as a “retired military citizen who does not have any political status” and Serraj as someone “who does not have a legal status”.
