Member of the Presidential Council, Mohamed Amari Zayed, expressed in a statement issued Monday his strong condemnation of the military operations of Dignity Operation, currently taking place against the city of Derna.

“This military escalation will deepen Libya’s crisis and undermine peace and reconciliation efforts,” he said, adding the inhuman siege imposed on the city amounts to a war crime.

Zayed demanded the Presidential Council, in its capacity as the Supreme Commander of the Libyan Army and the one primary responsible for the implementation of the political agreement and the cease-fire, to take a clear stand on the attack on the city and endangering the civilians.

He also criticized the UN mission and the international community for turning a blind eye towards what is happening in Derna.

Zayed stressed that the attack on Derna under a flimsy pretext proves that the agenda of this war is based on personal ambitions and not to the interest of the nation, in a clear reference to warlord Khalifa Haftar.

On Monday, at least 5 Dignity Operation were killed in clashes against Derna Shura Council after they tried to advance into Derna’s Fatayeh district.