Chief of Staff Yousef Al-Mangoush
finally resigned this week, handing in his notice to the Congress on account of the events of
Black Saturday. It has been reported that Al-Mangoush had not intended
to resign over the incident but that he was summoned to Congress where
it was made clear to him that he had no choice in the matter.
Al-Mangoush's resignation has not shortened his time in office
by very much as he was already on his way out. The Congress voted
recently to find a replacement for him and it has already
received many nominations for the post. Al-Mangoush would also
certainly have been a victim of the Political Exclusion Law once it
comes into force given his role as part of the security services of the
former regime.
Many Libyans will, however, still have been pleased at the
news. Al-Mangoush has proved one of the most unpopular of all public
figures in the new Libya. This is largely because of his
inability to create a proper national army, something that has led his
critics to accuse him of deliberately supporting the brigades and militias at the expense of building a real force. Al-Mangoush has also
been accused of doing the bidding of Qatar.
There have long been demands from a wide range of quarters,
including from inside the armed forces, but also from inside the
Congress and among the revolutionaries, for him to leave office.
Al-Mangoush was replaced by his deputy, Salim Al-Gnaidi, who
will lead the armed forces until a proper replacement is agreed upon by
the Congress.
For more news and expert analysis about Libya, please see Libya Focusand Libya Politics & Security.
© 2013 Menas Associates
No comments:
Post a Comment