Libyan eastern army commander warns against preventing IDPs from returning

TRIPOLI - Commander of the Libyan eastern-based army, General Khalifa Haftar, on Saturday warned against preventing displaced people from returning to Benghazi.

"We warn that preventing the displaced people from returning to their homes without legal justifications is a criminal act," Hafter said in a statement.

Haftar stressed that "any attacks on homes, private or public properties will expose the perpetrators to the maximum penalties."

"The city of Benghazi is and will remain a city for all honorable patriots. We will stand firmly against those who dare to destroy the social fabric of this city," the statement said.

Haftar issued instructions to military, security and judicial authorities to "take necessary measures to ensure the return of displaced people to their homes."

Haftar's warning comes amid concerns that some displaced families, whose members have participated with armed groups in fighting against Haftar's army during the past few years, might be targeted by retaliatory actions, according to a military source.

"The army commander will not allow acts of vengeance outside the law and justice," the source told Xinhua.

The source said that Haftar's warning was "a strong message for those who dare to attack displaced families from Benghazi that want to return, a few days after liberation of the city."

The source said that an armed group affiliated to the army called "blood parents", whose members have family relatives killed by terrorists, is blamed for several attacks on homes and properties of terrorists in Benghazi. They are also accused of preventing families of extremists from returning to the city and threatening to kill them, the source said.

Benghazi, Libya's second largest city and the birthplace of the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi, has witnessed a three-year war between the army and extremist militants.

In June, Haftar announced the takeover of the entire city of Benghazi and the defeat of rival armed groups. However, some militants have remained in the city, using landmines against his army.

The army recently announced taking control of the area of Sidi Ekhrebish in central Benghazi, the last terrorist stronghold in the city, after operations that had lasted more than five months.