Libya's Haftar appointed army chief for recognised government

Then-General Khalifa Haftar speaks during a news conference in Abyar, east of Benghazi May 31, 2014. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori

BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Khalifa Haftar, one of the most divisive figures in post-revolutionary Libya, was appointed army commander for the country's internationally recognised government on Monday in a move that could complicate U.N. talks to end the conflict.

Four years after Muammar Gaddafi's demise, Libya is mired in a conflict pitting the recognised government against a rival administration set up by an armed faction known as Libya Dawn that seized the capital Tripoli last summer.