By Sami Zaptia.
London, 14 February 2019:
Faiez Serraj, head of the Presidency Council and Government of National Accord, passed two decrees in his role as Supreme Commander of the (Tripoli-based) Libyan Army appointing a new Chief of Staff and his Assisstant.
The decrees were published today but are both dated 5 February.
Serraj appointed General Mohammed al-Shareef as Chief of Staff replacing Abdul Rahman al-Taweel and appointed Maj. Gen. Salim Juha as his assistant.
It will be recalled that Serraj had also appointed Ali Kana as the Southern Military Region Commander last week.
Juha, who is a leading Misrata militia commander, has been regularly linked to the post of Chief of Staff over the years and especially more recently during the Cairo Libyan army reunification talks. However, it is reported that he has consistently resisted the top national army role.
Juha has particularly been linked with a role in some kind of committee or joint chief of staff role with Hafter over a unified Libyan army.
