Eastern Libya News Part 1: Expansion into Southern Libya?

Expanding to the South? Asharq al-Awsat (admittedly, I've never heard of this site) reports the following about the Libyan National Army (the LNA controls Eastern Libya via strongman Khalifa Haftar):

The spokesman for the Libyan National Army, Brigadier General Ahmad al-Mesmari, said that Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar is planning to eradicate Sudanese, Chad and local insurgent groups that are threatening the national and strategic security in the south.



I don't find the news about wanting to eradicate the Chad forces as unusual, but I do find it interesting that they're going after Sudanese groups. As per Al Jazeera in Mar 2018:

One of the groups that are active in this region is a Chadian rebel group called the Front for Alternation and Concord in Chad (FACT), which is believed to be fighting alongside local groups opposed to Khalifa Haftar. But Haftar has also relied on the support of foreign armed groups in the Fezzan region. For example, fighters from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), a Sudanese opposition group, are believed to be fighting alongside forces loyal to Haftar in this region.

So Al Jazeera seemed to imply that Haftar was allied with Sudanese forces to fight the Chadian rebel groups. Of course, Sudan could have many militia groups, as does Libya. This is just something to keep an eye on.

Another reason (other than the Al Jazeera quote) I don't find it unusual that the LNA would go after Chad forces is that these forces help take control of some oil facilities in the east recently. So there has been a long struggle with Chad forces. The LNA must have some confidence in their control of Eastern Libya to expand into Southern Libya.