(Ministry of Foreign Affairs Handout)
General Khalifa Haftar, who was only recalled to active duty earlier this year, was sworn in on Monday as the new army chief of Libya in front of the elected parliament in Tobruk, Reuters news agency reported.
The move was announced a week earlier, along with Haftar’s promotion to lieutenant general.
Haftar originally staged his own war against Islamists in eastern Libya, leading the government to accuse him of trying to stage a coup. He is back to active duty following a decree that was issued in January that recalled him, along with 108 other former army officers, to duty.
Haftar’s reintegration into official structures slowly began after an armed group called “Libya Dawn” took control of the capital Tripoli and forced the elected parliament to flee to the city of Tobruk last summer.
The loss of the capital led the internationally-recognised government to forge an alliance with Haftar that has gradually evolved over the course of the ongoing civil war in Libya.
