Libya Update: Sep 2021

I last wrote about LIbya in March 2021. At the time, they had just voted on an interim government lead by Abdelhamid Dbeibah. Six months later and he is still interim Prime Minister. That is positive news. Aljazeera (Sep 16) had the following that discusses the upcoming December elections:

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has pledged support for elections in Libya in talks with the North African country’s interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.

. . . The talks with Dbeibah in the Egyptian capital, Ciaro, took place days after el-Sisi met the Libyan renegade commander Khalifa Haftar, who leads forces that have de facto control over Libya’s east and parts of the south.

. . . Critics accused him [I believe the him here is Egypt's president] of failing to follow due process and seeking to favour Haftar, who is increasingly expected to run in the country’s presidential poll later this year.

Let's remember that Libya is basically split at the moment between the Libyan National Army which controls the eastern and southern parts of Libya under Haftar. On western part, which includes Tripoli, the Government of National Accord (GNA) is in control. The LNA was backed by the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Egypt and France. The GNA was backed by Turkey. On the more neutral side (at least under President Trump) was the United States.

So let's just note that President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met with the LNA and then the interim prime minister. I don't know if that has any specific meaning as I figure that who ever you meet with last gets the final word. But there is also the note that Egypt is favoring the LNA.

I suppose the question really is: what happens when the elections are closer as well as after the votes are counted.

Not all is peaceful in Libya. Reuters (Sep 15) reports:

The Libyan National Army (LNA) of eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar clashed with Chadian rebel forces in the south of Libya on Tuesday and Wednesday, both sides said.

. . . The rebel group Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) said via social media that its positions on the frontier had been attacked by Haftar's forces, fighting alongside what it said were Sudanese mercenaries and French troops.

. . . FACT [Front for Change and Concord in Chad] had been based in Libya and fought alongside the LNA during periods of Libya's civil war, receiving heavy arms from Haftar, researchers say.

Note the comment that Haftar is working with Sudanese mercenaries and French troops. So as mentioned above, the French had backed the LNA in the civil war between the GNA and LNA. It would appear they're still supporting the LNA during this interim period prior to the December elections.

I do question Reuters when it comes to FACT being previous allies with the LNA and now currently fighting each other. Back in March 2018 I quoted Al Jazeera stating this:

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.

I also reported in June 2018 that Chadian mercenaries had gone after some oil terminals in Libya.

I'm rather sure that Reuters isn't correct.