US, Russia vie for clout in Libya
Cold war rivalry renewed
IT APPEARS the former cold war rivalry between Russia and the US is repositioning itself in the Middle East as the two superpowers vie for influence in Libya, an extension of what they are currently doing in Syria.
The new American administration under President Donald Trump plans to put Libya on the US radar following comments by a senior American general that Russia was vying for influence in the country.
The head of the US Africa Command (Africom), Marine General Thomas Waldhauser, told the US Senate’s foreign affairs committee recently that “Russia is trying to exert influence on the ultimate decision of who becomes, and what entity becomes, in charge of the government inside Libya,” the Libya Herald reported yesterday.
Waldhauser’s comments follow Moscow’s involvement in talks with key parties in Libya, including the head of the Libyan National Army, Khalifa Haftar, who visited a Russian aircraft carrier off the Libyan coast last year where talks were held with the head of the UN-recognised Presidency Council, Fayez Serraj.
Admiral Kuznetsov was previously based in the Mediterranean and actively involved in supporting Russian military involvement in the Syrian civil war.
Washington’s alarm at Russia’s growing influence was further heightened following an agreement between state-owned Russian oil firm Rosneft and Libya’s National Oil Corporation.
The Americans also believe Russia could be taking sides in Libya’s civil war just as it has done in Syria and, furthermore, could be supporting militia groups who are fighting those groups being supported by America.
These developments follow Egyptian and diplomatic reports of the Russians deploying special forces to an airbase in western Egypt, near the border with Libya, over the past few days.
Egyptian security sources further described a 22-member Russian special forces unit, but declined to discuss its mission. They added that Russia also used another Egyptian base farther east in Marsa Matrouh early last month.
US and diplomatic officials stated that any such Russian deployment could be part of a further bid to support Haftar, who suffered a setback with an attack on March 3 by the Benghazi Defence Brigades on oil ports controlled by his forces.
Retired Israeli military analyst, Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Segall, from the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs, said Russia had been ramping up its involvement in the Libyan socio-political crisis, which has been ongoing since the removal and death of Libya’s former leader, the late Muammar Gaddafi.
One of the ways Moscow was doing this was by strengthening its ties with Haftar, who has long-standing ties with Moscow going back to the early 1970s.
After Gaddafi’s fall, Haftar returned from abroad to Libya and became active mainly in its eastern region of Tobruk and Benghazi.
He opposes the Government of National Accord (GNA) that is supported by the UN, the US and European countries and is based in Tripoli.
Moscow views Haftar as a main power broker whom it can cultivate while also mocking European countries, which, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, backed the wrong horse.
To this end Russia is prepared to give Haftar’s army military and logistical aid in bases in eastern Libya as part of his struggle against Islamic terror organisations.
Furthermore, argues Segall, Russia appears to be setting up its pawns in the Middle East as part of its overall strategy of regaining its superpower status.
One example was Moscow recently mediating in a conference between Palestinian rivals Fatah and Hamas, indicating that Moscow plans to become more involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict as well.