Libya: Haftar's Star on the Rise
| Publisher | Jamestown Foundation |
| Author | Alexander Sehmer |
| Publication Date | 27 January 2017 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | Terrorism Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 2 |
| Cite as | Jamestown Foundation, Libya: Haftar's Star on the Rise, 27 January 2017, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 2, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/589d9eae4.html [accessed 3 November 2019] |
| 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. |
Link to original story on Jamestown website
Libyan fighters loyal to General Khalifa Haftar have recaptured the Ganfouda district of Benghazi, in Libya's east, finally securing an Islamist stronghold that had resisted the general's forces for nearly two years (Libya Herald, 25 January). The move is a victory for Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA), but also strengthens concerns about the general's wider ambitions.
Some believe he has set his sights on Tripoli, and those fears are not without foundation. Already backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, the anti-Islamist general has seen increasing support from Russia. Earlier in the month, Haftar toured a Russian aircraft carrier off the Libyan coast and spoke to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu by video link (Libya Observer, January 11).
It was reported last year that the general had approached Moscow via Libya's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Abdel al-Badri, requesting military support (Moscow Times, September 28, 2016). Some say Russia has since agreed to use Algeria to skirt a United Nations arms embargo on Libya (Middle East Eye, January 25). Algeria, however, has maintained a longstanding policy of non-interference (see Terrorism Monitor, December 1, 2016). And both Russia and Haftar have denied any contravention of UN sanctions (New Arab, January 19).
Western diplomats, officially at least, are less enamored of Haftar, who opposes Libya's UN-backed government of national accord (GNA) in Tripoli. According to certain indications, however, this view is changing. Some think the new U.S. administration will want to back Haftar, although others suspect it will grow less interested in the Libyan conflict.
Europe, on the other hand, can ill afford to disengage. With migrants continuing to travel through Libya, events there are of particular concern to Europe and have left many contemplating whether there might not be a benefit to having a strongman in place, with Haftar the obvious choice.
Weary of this, the GNA has tried to play up its own successes in Libya and offered the prospect of reopening the oil sector to foreign investment (Libyan Express, January 25). At a conference held in London this week, Ahmed Maetig, the deputy chairman of Libya's Presidency Council, asserted that an area of the country spanning from Libya's western border to Sirte — which government-allied forces recently liberated from Islamic State (IS) — is now "secure, with no obstacles or clashes whatsoever"(Libya Herald, January 26).
The implication is that such a claim cannot be made about the east, where Haftar's anti-Islamist campaign continues. The LNA took a back seat during the liberation of Sirte, and has come under criticism from the GNA-allied forces, which say he has allowed IS militants to flee Benghazi and regroup in Bani Walid (Libya Observer, January 7).
Haftar still has work to do then; but his star, at least for now, is on the rise.
