Libya's deputy presidential council chief Abdullah al-Lafi has called for an urgent meeting of the council in its role as supreme commander of the armed forces, after eastern military leader Khalifa Haftar appointed his son Saddam as deputy general commander.
Al-Lafi’s call came in a statement posted Tuesday on social media, stressing that the creation of any new posts within the military institution was "the exclusive competence of the legislative authority".
He said that any appointment at the top of the military command hierarchy must be made "in accordance with the law and by a decision of the supreme commander of the Libyan Army, represented collectively by the Presidential Council".
He urged his fellow council members, "partners in duties and authority", to meet and address the matter "in a way that ensures respect for existing legislation and safeguards the powers stipulated by law".
Al-Lafi also warned that the move came amid a divided military landscape that "requires working seriously and responsibly within the agreed military and security track" to build a unified armed institution capable of defending the country, away from any measures "that deepen division or fall outside the legal framework".
Haftar announced late on Monday the appointment of his son Saddam as "Deputy General Commander", describing the decision as "in line with the General Commander’s Vision 2030 to develop and enhance the overall performance of the armed forces", and hinting that it would be followed by "a number of important assignments" as part of a broad restructuring in the coming days.
Haftar unveiled this "vision" during Libya's celebration of the 85th anniversary of the founding of its army last Sunday, saying it aimed to build a military "capable of meeting regional and international challenges and preserving security and stability".
Amid opposition from officials in the Libyan capital Tripoli, the decision was welcomed by leaders in the country’s east.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Aguila Saleh congratulated Saddam on his appointment, calling it a "wise decision reflecting deep confidence in his competence and military expertise", and saying it "strengthens the position of the military institution and supports its ability to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty, unity, security, and stability".
Saleh described Saddam as "a continuation of a path rich in loyalty and discipline" and said his appointment was "an embodiment of national responsibility" in a stage that "requires loyal men with vision and steadfast will", according to a statement issued by his media office.
Osama Hammad, the prime minister of Libya's east-based government, also issued a statement praising the move, claiming it "comes at an important time and aligns strategically with the ambitious Vision 2030 to develop and enhance the overall performance of the armed forces".
Libya is currently split between two rival administrations, one headed by Hammad in the east and another headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, based in the capital Tripoli.
Hammad said the appointment "reflects a commitment to building a military force capable of confronting threats", and voiced his government's support for the armed forces and confidence that the step "will give strong momentum to the development and construction process within our armed forces".
So far, there has been no official response from the Presidential Council to al-Lafi's call for an emergency meeting, highlighting the ongoing dispute over constitutional powers between the Council and the House of Representatives, particularly regarding the position of supreme commander of the armed forces.
The Presidential Council cited the 2021 Geneva Political Agreement which granted it the role of supreme commander of the army. However, the House of Representatives insists the Council's mandate had expired and decided in August last year to transfer its powers, including that of supreme commander, to itself, a move the Presidential Council rejected as "unconstitutional".
The controversy over Saddam's appointment also stems from the fact that it was made by Haftar himself, who occupies an exceptional military position.
The post of "General Commander of the Army", which he holds, was created by the House of Representatives in 2015, at which time he was promoted to Field Marshal and appointed to the role as subordinate to the House in its capacity as supreme commander of the armed forces.
However, since his appointment, Haftar has acted independently of the House, making leadership decisions and appointments without referring back to it, and establishing a military structure he calls the "General Command of the Libyan National Army".
Saddam's new role follows a trajectory his father began in mid-2021, when he appointed him commander of the 106th Battalion in Benghazi, later merging it with other units to form the "Tariq bin Ziyad Brigade" under Saddam's command.
In May 2024, he promoted Saddam to the rank of lieutenant general and appointed him chief of staff of the ground forces, giving him broad powers to lead militias controlling vast areas from the city of Sirte in central Libya to the entire south and southwest; a role that enabled him to operate militarily and diplomatically on the regional and international stage.
In recent months, Saddam has made several high-profile foreign trips representing his father. These included a visit to Islamabad in late July, where he met Pakistan's army chief, General Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss defence cooperation and naval relations.
In April, he visited Ankara and met Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Army Chief of Staff Selcuk Oguz in the first direct military contact between Turkey and Haftar's command.
That same month, he travelled to Washington to meet US State Department officials, and to Rome to meet Italy's defence minister, Guido Crosetto, before heading to Cairo to discuss security and military cooperation with Egyptian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Ahmed Fathi Khalifa.