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Around Africa

How unending

proxy war

in Libya is

morphing to GNU forces celebrate routing of Haftar’s forces near Tripoli

another Syria

ince the 2011 NATO-backed revolt conflict. Turkey emerged as Kingmaker presence in the country is expected to
Sin Libya that ended 42 years of rule after it intervened in January, sending see Moscow gain greater control over
by strongman Muammar Qaddafi, troops and drones in support of the refugee flows to Europe, which could
the oil-rich North African country GNA and enabling it to beat back be used to destabilize the European
has been in perpetual turmoil. The Haftar’s forces, also supported by Union. The U.S. Africa Command
latest phase began in April, when Russian mercenaries. recently released new evidence of
military commander Khalifa Haftar Russian fighter jets being flown in
and his forces marched on the capital Turkey is reported to be in talks with Libya by state-backed Russian private
the GNA to use naval and air bases in
Tripoli determined to unseat the the country, an arrangement that would military contractors.
internationally backed government Russia, which has backed Haftar’s
located there. give Ankara leverage over European
powers and its Arab adversaries. Libyan National Army in the east, is
The battle for the city has attracted looking to further increase its military
interventions in the country by Russia Turkey’s intervention in the conflict footprint in Libya, which experts
and neighboring countries as they has prompted a rift with its NATO ally observe as being designed to have,
maneuver to shape the future of the France, which has supported Haftar’s Russians control in both Libya Syria
OPEC member state forces. The French ministry of defense outflanking NATO the south and the
has been reported to have accused the East, something the west hates to see.
In June, Commander Khalifa Haftar Turkish navy of harassing a French
ended his 14-month siege of the capital, warship in the eastern Mediterranean Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj came
Tripoli, amid, a flurry of activity from as it tried to inspect a cargo vessel to power through a 2015 United
the international backers of different suspected of carrying weapons to Libya Nations-backed political deal. But a
factions in the conflict Libyan eager to in violation of a U.N. embargo. NATO rival government was set up in eastern
influence the outcome of events in the Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is Libya and aligned with Haftar, 76.
oil-rich nation. quoted saying the bloc was investigating His coalition of regular troops and
Libya is at risk of becoming the next the incident. militias, called the Libyan National
Army, gained fame for taking the cities
Syria, embroiled in protracted proxy A high-level Turkish delegation of Benghazi and Derna from militants
war, with no end in sight with powers that included the country’s Foreign affiliated with al-Qaeda.
backing the United Nations-recognized Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, its finance
Government of National Accord minister, and its intelligence chief were Haftar has gradually extended his grip
(GNA) based in Tripoli, on a side, and in Libya in June for talks about the over the country’s east and the south,
those backing Haftar’s Libyan National latest developments in the crisis and gaining control of most of Libya’s oil
Army, which controls the east. the military cooperation agreement fields and terminals. After an attempt
last year to sell oil provoked a warning
As in Syria, Russia and Turkey have signed between the two governments from the U.S., Haftar restored control
emerged as the most consequential last November. of the resource to the National Oil
players, backing opposite sides of the Moreover, an increased Russian Corp. and revenues from it to the

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