TRIPOLI, 17 November 2021, (TON): Libya’s powerful commander, Khalifa Hifter, filed as a candidate in the country’s presidential elections next month, as the long-waited vote faces growing uncertainty.

Hifter submitted his candidacy papers in the eastern city of Benghazi and announced the move in a video.

He said he’s seeking the country’s highest post to “lead our people in a fateful stage.”

He called on Libyan people to vote “with the highest levels of awareness and responsibility” so the nation can begin rebuilding and reconciling after a decade of chaos and civil war.

Libya has been wracked by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The oil-rich nation had for years been split between a government in the east, backed by Hifter, and a UN-supported administration in Tripoli, aided by west-based Libyan militias.

Each side has also had the support of mercenaries from countries such as Russia and Syria and different regional powers.

Hifter, a dual US and Libyan citizen, commands the self-styled Libyan Arab Armed Forces but delegated his military duties in September to his chief of staff, Abdel-Razek al-Nadhouri, for three months, to meet candidacy terms.

Hifter’s announcement comes after Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, the son and one-time heir apparent of the late dictator, submitted candidacy papers in the southern town of Sabha. Seif al-Islam, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity, has spent years largely in hiding.