As a key part of Libya peace process, the return of Field Marshal Haftar renews hopes for

It is a measure of Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar’s status that after returning last Thursday from medical treatment in France he was greeted by a line of the top brass stretching from the aircraft to the arrivals terminal.

Army, navy and air force chiefs lined up with politicians to shake the field marshal’s hand, underlining their support after weeks of speculation about the commander’s future.

Field Marshal Haftar, 75, was admitted to hospital in Paris with an undisclosed condition on April 11, and rumours went into overdrive over whether he was incapacitated. The speculation was dampened two days later when the UN special envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salame, tweeted that he had spoken to the commander by phone.

Mr Salame’s tweet emphasised the pivotal role Field Marshal Haftar has played in Libyan politics since civil war broke out in July 2014.

Later that year, Libya’s parliament, the House of Representatives in the eastern town of Tobruk, appointed him its army commander and he has since led troops to two key victories.

The first was in September 2016, when the Libyan National Army recaptured ports in the so-called Oil Crescent, home to two thirds of Libya’s oil production. A year later, he finally captured Benghazi, Libya’s second city, from militias after a three-year struggle.

This has won Field Marshal Haftar support across much of Libya, particularly in the east, with many regarding him as a bulwark against the militias who have brought chaos to the country.

He has rebuilt the armed forces that were devastated by the 2011 revolution, in which Muammar Qaddafi was deposed and killed. Meanwhile, the army is massing forces for an assault on the coastal town of Derna, the last eastern town held by militias.

Publicly, Field Marshal Haftar insists it is business as usual, announcing after his arrival: “I want to reassure you that I am in good health. I should be addressing you standing up but I am obliged to do so sitting down.”

Speculation of a power struggle during his absence was heightened after the army’s second-in-command, Chief of Staff Abdul Razzak Al Nazouri, survived a car-bomb attack in Benghazi on April 18.

Diplomats recognise that because the army is the most powerful military force in Libya, its commander has a pivotal role to play in any peace deal. A deal will hinge on Field Marshal Haftar’s key demand – the dissolution of the Tripoli militias.

Last July, in an initiative by the UAE and Egypt, French President Emmanuel Macron invited him to Paris for talks with Fayez Al Serraj, head of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).

Field Marshal Haftar is sceptical about the government, which has failed to rid Tripoli of its militias. This month, militia rockets struck a plane

Any peace deal depends on Field Marshal Haftar’s demand for a break-up of Tripoli’s militias

waiting to take off from Mitiga International Airport.

In December, Field Marshal Haftar said the government was no longer legitimate, having come to the end of a two-year mandate announced when it was set up in December 2015. He also told graduating soldiers that UN-led peace efforts were “just ink on paper”.

But a more robust peace effort may be under way after talks last week in Morocco between the speaker of parliament, Aguila Saleh Issa, and the head of the High State Council in Tripoli, Khaled Al Mishri.

The talks are exploring the idea of reforming the GNA to make it more inclusive. Mr Salame also favours reform of the government, hoping it can unify Libya and boost his call for elections this year.

Field Marshal Haftar has given his support for an elected government, saying the army operates in “full compliance with the orders of the free Libyan people”.

His return, in apparent good health, means his role in any peace process remains crucial.