The interior minister in Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) has told ministry officials to “stop dealing with France” due to the latter’s support for renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar and a senior official of GNA seeks support from Algeria, Anadolu reports.

Early this month, Haftar, who is affiliated with a rival government based in the country’s east, launched a military campaign to capture capital Tripoli, where the GNA is headquartered.

In a Thursday directive posted on Facebook, Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha ordered all ministry officials to halt all dealings with France, especially those pertaining to security agreements and military training.

Bashagha attributed the move to the French government’s position “in support of the criminal Haftar”.

A senior official of Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) has called on Algeria to support it against renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar.

“We expect Algeria to demonstrate a strong presence for the resolution of the Libyan crisis,” Ahmed Maiteeq, vice president of the GNA’s Presidential Council, told Algerian state-run television after a meeting Thursday with Algeria’s interim president Abdelkader Bensalah in the capital, Algiers.

“We know that Algeria takes the side of the people of Libya and supports the Libyan people’s demands for the establishment of a civil state, a new constitution and holding democratic elections,” Maiteeq said.

Referring to the long border and important historical relations between the two countries, Maiteeq added that “the security of Algeria is the security Libya”.