Troops of Libyan military leader Khalifa Haftar are closing in on the capital Tripoli, thanks to military support from the Russians. With this, Haftar's forces threaten the position of the UN-recognized Libyan government.
Now that Turkey has offered military support to the Libyan government, an end seems to be approaching to the Turkish-Russian military intervention in Syria. Libya also appears increasingly to have become a refuge for various combat groups from the Syrian front.
As a result, the efforts of the European Union to gain control over human smuggling across the Mediterranean risk ending up in international military waters. Due to the chaos in the country, Libya is used by many African migrants as a transit country to Europe. Jihadist organizations such as ISIS also take advantage of the chaos to hide in the country.
“Since the Russians have joined Haftar's troops, he is gaining more and more ground. In the past ten days, the fighting has spread to the outskirts of Tripoli,” said UN envoy Salame, who said he cannot rule out further advances. Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Syala also confirmed that the Russians make an important contribution and that it is not excluded that Tripoli may be captured as a result.
Libya has been in chaos since the 2011 revolution in which dictator Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown. The self-declared Libyan National Army of General Haftar, based in Tobruk, is fighting for power against the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj. Haftar launched an offensive on Tripoli in April.
Both groups in Libya receive support from abroad. Turkey, for example, is said to have recently provided military support to the internationally recognized government. Haftar's troops boarded a Turkish cargo ship off Libya's east coast last week to search it. They announced this themselves.
The announcement came on the day the Turkish parliament approved an agreement on military and security cooperation with the Libyan government. This allows Ankara to develop its presence in Libya. The agreement was concluded with the Libyan 'Government of National Unity,' recognized by the United Nations.
Turkey has always supported that government in its war against Haftar's forces. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised on December 10 to send troops if the Libyan government requested them. Haftar's troops, in turn, receive support from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, two regional rivals of Ankara.