TRIPOLI, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Serraj on Tuesday said that the commander of the eastern-based army General Khalifa Haftar has "brought violence into the country and frustrated all hopes of the Libyans."
The army has been leading a military campaign since early April to take over western Libya, particularly the capital Tripoli where Serraj's government is based.
Serraj made his remarks during a meeting in Tripoli with tribal elders and mediators of western Libya, according to the prime minister's information office.
During the meeting, Serraj accused Haftar of "seeking to seize power," stressing the need for "dialogue between the Libyans rather than fighting."
"Haftar moved his forces to frustrate the Libyans and bring a new cycle of violence and destructive war into the country, a war that claimed many lives and destroyed public and private property," Serraj said.
The prime minister also accused "some countries of fueling the conflict, seeking to achieve their own narrow interests."
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the fighting between the two parties so far killed 174 people and injured 756 others. Also, thousands of civilians had to flee their homes due to the violence.
The army is allied with the eastern-based government, as the country is politically divided between western and eastern governments.
Libya has been struggling to make a democratic transition amid insecurity and chaos ever since the fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.
