Libya: The Djava Khalifa Haftar movement, whose founding leader is reportedly a soldier named Khalifah Haftar, who currently in exile in the United States (May 2006)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa |
| Publication Date | 9 May 2006 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | LBY101307.FE |
| Reference | 1 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Libya: The Djava Khalifa Haftar movement, whose founding leader is reportedly a soldier named Khalifah Haftar, who currently in exile in the United States (May 2006), 9 May 2006, LBY101307.FE, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/45f147662.html [accessed 16 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
No current information on the existence of a group called the Djava Khalifa Haftar led by a man named Khalifa Haftar could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. Several sources cite the name Haftar, but without any mention of the Djava Khalifa Haftar group.
In March 2001, Le Monde diplomatique published a chapter of the book Manipulations africaines, in which the author indicated that [translation] "the Haftar force, created and financed by the CIA in Chad, vanished into thin air with the help of the CIA shortly after the Hissène Habré government was overthrown [in 1990 (IRIN 19 Apr. 2006)] by Idriss Déby" (see also The Washington Post 26 Mar. 1996). A report published by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) on the Web site of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) notes that in 1996 the main opposition group in Libya was the Libyan National Salvation Front (LNSF), founded in 1981 and headed by Muhammad Al-Muqaryif (CRS 19 Dec. 1996). Its military wing is known as the Libyan National Army and is headed by Colonel Haftar (ibid.; see also The Washington Post 26 Mar. 1996).
The same report indicates that Colonel Haftar joined the LNSF in March 1987 after he was captured in the Chadian war; his goal was to create an army to fight against the Libyan authorities (ibid.). The Washington Post reported on 26 March 1996 that, according to some sources, Colonel Haftar was the leader of the Libyan National Army, a group of counter-revolutionaries supported and trained by the United States and operating in Libya. According to the sources cited in the article, anti-government uprisings in Libya were led by Colonel Haftar from the United States (The Washington Post 26 Mar. 1996; see also CSR 19 Dec. 1996). A CRS report states that the United States was providing financial and military aid to the LNSF at that time and that a number of LNSF members were living in exile in the United States (ibid., see also The Washington Post 26 Mar. 1996). An article on the Daily Nation Web site at nationmedia.com reports that the American authorities permitted the "Haftar forces" to stay in Kenya before welcoming them to the United States (1 Mar. 1999). The "Haftar forces" had previously attempted to overthrow the Libyan government (Daily Nation 1 Mar. 1999)
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Congressional Research Service (CRS). 19 December 1996. Clyde R. Mark. 93109: Libya. Daily Nation. 1 March 1999. Eric Otenyo. "Kenya's Naïve Foreign Policy Exposed." Le Monde diplomatique (Paris). March 2001. Pierre Péan. Manipulations africaines. "Les preuves trafiquées du terrorisme libyen." United Nations. 19 April 2006. Integration Regional Information Network (IRIN). "Tchad: Idriss Déby, un président assiégé." The Washington Post. 26 March 1996. "Unrest Reported in Eastern Libya." (Reuters/Factiva)
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: The Libyan League for Human Rights (LLH), Libyan Union for Human Rights Defenders (LUHRD) and Libya Watch for Human Rights (LWHR) did not respond within the time constraints for this Response.
Internet sites, including: Africa Confidential, Afrique Express, Agence France-Presse, AllAfrica, Global Security.org, Institut français des relations internationales (Ifri), Institute for Security Studies (ISS), International Crisis Group, IRIN News.org, Jeune Afrique, United States Department of State, World News Connection.
