... self-proclaimed Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, while to the west, the real power on the ground is often held by various armed groups and militias.
Ruslan Mamedov, Grigory Lukyanov:
Playing Pick-Up-Sticks in Libya
In 2020, thanks to the mediation of Russia and Turkey, a ceasefire was established in Libya, making it possible to stop large-scale armed clashes between the LNA and the GNU forces that had lasted since April 2019 and to start resetting of the political process in late 2020–early 2021. The Government of National Accord led by Fayez al-Sarraj, established in 2016 as part of the implementation of the 2015 ...
... take Gharyan, the LNA’s principal base in the vicinity of Tripoli.
Unlike Egypt or the United Arab Emirates, Russia boosted its standing in Libya, in spite of the field marshal’s failures. First, Haftar’s military weakness and defeats made the LNA more dependent on Russian support. In January 2020, a phone call from Cairo or Abu Dhabi was enough to convince the field marshal to leave
Moscow
without signing the ceasefire agreement drafted by Russian and Turkish diplomats. But he could hardly afford such escapades ...
... be the key coordinator of a ramified network of militias in western Libyan. His opponents explain his appointment to the office of the Minister of Interior by the growing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood (a terrorist organization that is banned in Russia) with whom Bashagha has
connections
.
Bashagha’s rise to prominence has angered both the forces consolidated around the HR and the LNA inside Libya, as well as their foreign political partners. And their determination to oppose their coming to power stems not from a personal like or dislike of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, but from understanding their own national interests, the ...
... cannot participate in any negotiations on the post-war structure of Libya, and the Minister of the Interior of the F. Saraj Government
announced
that Libya will not be able to end the war until it’s East is liberated from H. Haftar.
Ruslan Mamedov:
Russia's “Wait and See” Policies and the Libyan Settlement
The GNA is ready to continue the attack on the position of the LNA. Turkish troops can play an important role in that, considering that Ankara doesn’t hide the presence of its troops in Libya. The escalation of hostilities in Libya is taking place against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Coronavirus didn’t ...