ICC Issues Warrant for Ally of Libyan Gen. Hafter for War Crimes

Werfalli Killed Civilians and Detainees

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for a top commander in Eastern Libya’s “Libyan National Army,” the self-proclaimed army of Gen. Khalifa Hafter, a former Gadhafi general turned CIA-funded rebel.

Hafter’s commander, Mahmoud Mustaf Busayf al-Werfalli is accused of being responsible for at least 33 counts of murder in the city of Benghazi, which the ICC says amount to war crimes, as he either personally executed, or ordered executed, 33 people, including civilians and wounded fighters.

The killings took place between June of 2016 and mid-July of 2017. The ICC’s judge noted there was no sign that any legitimate court had heard any cases related to the executions, which is their way of explaining why they feel the need to get directly involved.

Video footage exists for some of the killings, including one in which Werfalli shoots a bound and hooded man before declaring they were “misled by Satan,” and in another case, personally commanded a firing squad to kill a number of detainees in orange jumpsuits.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.