Libya's Haftar says won't work with unity government until militias disbanded

Libyan General Khalifa Haftar, chief of the army loyal to the internationally recognized government, speaks during a news conference in Amman, Jordan August 24, 2015. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

PARIS (Reuters) - It would be "unthinkable" for eastern Libyan forces to join a U.N.-backed unity government until militias aligned to it have been disbanded, General Khalifa Haftar, who heads up troops in the east, said in an interview broadcast on Friday.

A December unity deal was meant to end the divide between rival governments in the capital Tripoli and the east who have vied for control over the country and its oil resources since 2014, backed by competing factions, who helped oust Muammar Gaddafi five years ago.