Allegations That Haftar's Son Directed UAV Strikes Derail Libya Unification Plan
Patrick Wintour
The western-based Government of National Unity says it can no longer work with Saddam Haftar after accusations that he directed a UAV campaign against fuel and power facilities. The alleged strikes, which deepened blackouts in western Libya, threaten a US-backed plan to unify the country's rival administrations and complicate UN-sponsored election talks.
Accusations that Saddam Haftar, son of warlord Khalifa Haftar, directed a "terror network" carrying out UAV strikes on fuel storage facilities and power plants in western Libya have upended plans by the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) to continue cooperating with the Haftar camp on unifying the country.
Saddam Haftar, deputy commander of the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA), is increasingly seen by Washington as a key figure in plans to unify Libya's security, judicial and political institutions.
But a wave of UAV strikes in August deepened power outages in western Libya, piling pressure on the GNU led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
Libya has been split between the Haftar-dominated east and the GNU-run west since Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's fall in 2011, plunging the oil-rich nation into a spiral of corruption, militias, human trafficking and intervention by multiple outside powers.
Donald Trump's Africa adviser, Massad Boulos, has laid out a plan to unify Libya's two administrations under which Haftar in the east would serve as president and a member of Dbeibah's family in the west would become prime minister.
Boulos has insisted he is not seeking a quick fix that would entrench Libya's elite families. "It's not about a family or a name," Boulos said when asked about the reported Haftar-Dbeibah deal, before adding: "At the end of the day, it's individuals who have to hold a certain position."
According to the accusations, the UAV strikes are said to stem from Haftar's anger over what he saw as Dbeibah's stalling of Boulos's merger plan, along with allegations that Tripoli encouraged tribes in southern Libya to attack and kill his forces.
Over more than five days in August, UAVs struck the Zawiya oil terminal and fuel storage facilities in western Libya. The attacks hit a gasoline tank at the Zawiya oil complex west of Tripoli, triggering a large fire and causing the tank to collapse. According to Libya's National Oil Corporation, the tank held about 4.5 million litres of fuel when it was hit.
On September 5, three Libyans and a Spanish citizen were arrested by the GNU south of Tripoli on suspicion of involvement in the plot, which was expected to include an attack on Tripoli airport. The entire group is believed to have comprised five Spaniards and four Libyans. The three detained Libyans are said to have links to the Tareq ben Ziyad Brigade, a unit belonging to the LNA. Information obtained from interrogations about the plot and Saddam Haftar's alleged role has been described as a "gold mine" that could weaken Khalifa Haftar.
GNU sources say those accused in the plot were working for Saddam Haftar. "No official decision has been made, but in light of what has been uncovered, cooperation with Saddam is impossible," the sources said.
The accusations not only damage Saddam Haftar's role in Boulos's plan but also affect the parallel UN-sponsored 4+4 talks, which involve four main Libyan political institutions and produced an August agreement to hold elections within two years. The agreement, backed by the UN Security Council, overcame earlier obstacles to elections and had been endorsed by key figures capable of bringing about change.
Walid Ellafi, minister of state for political affairs in the UN-backed GNU and a supporter of elections, said: "Our support for the 4+4 process stems from its role as a UN-sponsored framework that offers a new approach to achieving practical results, paving the way for elections and institutions with political legitimacy derived from the will of the people — not a political settlement that ignores violations or sets aside the rights of those affected."
He opposed an elite east-west political deal that would bury long-standing grievances, such as the displacement of 9,000 families in Benghazi during the 2014 war.
The allegations of a sabotage campaign could intensify a power struggle among Khalifa Haftar's three sons in the east.
Saddam Haftar is seen as his father's most likely successor, controlling the most resources, enjoying the backing of the United Arab Emirates and so far dominating political processes. However, his two brothers, Khaled and Belqasim — closer to Egypt than to the UAE — have recently begun challenging his dominant position.
