A US-backed plan to merge Libya's rival institutions has broken down after Tripoli's government linked Saddam Haftar, son of warlord Khalifa Haftar, to drone attacks on fuel facilities and power stations in western Libya.
Key facts
- Western Libya's Government of National Unity (GNU) says working with Saddam Haftar is now 'impossible'.
- Saddam Haftar is accused of overseeing a 'terror cell' that launched drone attacks on fuel storage facilities and power stations.
- Saddam Haftar is deputy commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA).
- The allegations have upended a US-backed plan to unify Libya's security, judicial and political institutions.
- The US had increasingly viewed Saddam Haftar as an important figure in its unification plans.
Plans to unify Libya’s divided institutions have been thrown into disarray after the Tripoli-based government of national unity (GNU) said continued cooperation with Saddam Haftar had become ‘impossible,’ according to the Guardian.
The breakdown follows allegations that Saddam Haftar, the son of Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar, oversaw a ‘terror cell’ that launched drone attacks on fuel storage facilities and power stations in western Libya.
Saddam Haftar serves as the deputy commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), the armed force associated with his father in the east of the country.
The Guardian reports that Saddam Haftar had increasingly been seen by the United States as an important figure in its plans to unify Libya’s security, judicial and political institutions.
The allegations now cast doubt over that US-backed merger plan, with the GNU signalling it is unwilling to continue working with him in light of the accusations.
The developments mark a further strain in efforts to reconcile Libya’s rival administrations, which have governed separate parts of the country since the collapse of central authority.
Why it matters
Libya has remained politically divided between rival administrations, and international efforts to reunify its institutions are closely watched for their impact on regional stability and energy supplies. The collapse of a US-backed unity plan, tied to allegations of attacks on critical infrastructure, signals renewed uncertainty for the country's fragile reconciliation process.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Saddam Haftar?
Saddam Haftar is the son of Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar and the deputy commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA). The US had increasingly viewed him as an important figure in plans to unify Libya's institutions.
Why have the Libyan unity talks collapsed?
According to the Guardian, the Tripoli-based GNU said working with Saddam Haftar had become 'impossible' after allegations he oversaw a 'terror cell' that launched drone attacks on fuel storage facilities and power stations in western Libya.
What was the unity plan meant to achieve?
The US-backed plan aimed to unify Libya's security, judicial and political institutions, merging the country's divided administrations.