An elite forces unit linked to the army that controls much of eastern Libya has snubbed international efforts to bring to justice one of its senior officers for allegedly executing dozens of prisoners.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday for Mahmoud al-Werfalli, a commander in the Special Forces of Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA).
The accusations against him relate to incidents in and near Benghazi in spring and early summer, towards the end of a three-year LNA campaign against Islamists and other opponents in Libya's second city.
Videos circulated on social media appear to show Werfalli executing or overseeing the execution of masked and handcuffed prisoners "The Special Forces strongly reject the arrest warrant," spokesman Milad Al-Zwai said.
Zwai said the ICC should instead focus on arresting "those who killed and displaced men, women and children, and the people who meted out torture and killing and destruction."
"We will continue our struggle against this oppressive faction," he said without further explanation. His statement mentioned neither the videos nor the accusations against Werfalli.
In May, Werfalli announced his resignation from the Special Forces, but this was rejected by the unit's top commander. The following month a U.N. panel of experts reported he was involved in running secret detention centers outside Benghazi.
The LNA has previously said it would investigate war crimes allegations in eastern Libya, where it is the main military force.
The Special Forces is an elite unit nominally under LNA control that joined the Benghazi campaign in its early stages.
Since announcing victory in the campaign in July, the LNA has extended its presence in the centre and south of the divided country as it has vied for control with forces linked to the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and other rivals.
GNA Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and Haftar last month committed to a conditional ceasefire and to work towards holding elections next spring in talks brokered by France.
Several previous attempts at peace deals have been scuttled by internal divisions between the myriad of competing armed groups that have emerged in oil-producing Libya since rebels toppled strongman Muammar Gadhafi in 2011.
In July, the United Nations said it was deeply concerned that people detained by the LNA might be at risk of torture or summary execution.
ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has said she "will not hesitate to bring new cases" in Libya, where evidence dictates.
