Libya Is a Proxy War Between Italy and France

Source: Check Point Asia

Once Gaddafi fell France moved to contain the jihadist blowback, and Italy the migrant blowback, leading them to partner up with different factions 

by Marko Marjanović | April 10, 2019

Macron with Haftar. Also, once again Italy had the best energy contracts with Tripoli and France didn't like that very much

If you recall in 2011 it was France, not the US, which did the most politically to get the NATO war on Libya started. The immediate reason was that Sarkozy thought it would boost him politically at home, additionally France had few deals with Gaddafi in place and wouldn't lose much if he fell — it could only gain. Italy meanwhile was the NATO power most opposed to war, even more so than Merkel's Germany, precisely because it had lucrative oil and gas deals with Gaddafi.

Today history is repeating itself. Italy is the foremost backer of the western-installed government in Tripoli (GNA) with which it is tied with oil and gas deals, while France has been increasingly backing the eastern Libyan forces (LNA) of General Haftar against it.

France's relationship with Haftar started when Paris was looking for a way to contain the jihadists its own war against Gaddafi had unleased (and on whose side it fought in 2011) and who were spreading from Libya into the former French colonies of Chad and Mali.

Please go to Check Point Asia to read the entire article.
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Source: New Eastern Outlook

Who will Win Control over Libya and its Energy Wealth?

April 8, 2019 • by Jim Dean

It appears now that the Benghazi-based Libyan National Army's (LNA) General Khalifa Haftar wants to negotiate the final settlement with the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord's(GNA)Al Serraj government over who will rule over Libya and its oil and gas reserves, after he has taken Tripoli.

All diplomatic attempts to derail Haftar's advance have failed. The UN-backed GNA head Fayez Sarrj had offered to meet with Hafter, but he refused. UN chief António Guterres' attempts to broker a ceasefire failed, and he left Libya Friday.

The UN Security Council says it will hold accountable those responsible for the current escalation, which would be Haftar. I cannot imagine how it plans to do that, when it has never been able to do so in the past when the fighting was more intense. The UN is still attempting to mediate, but an array of foreign backers of each side will also have influence over any resolution.

Who thought the Libyan civil war would last this long?

Veterans Today has followed the Libyan conflict closely since the civil war that removed Gaddafi. When fighting was raging, we were covering the story hour by hour, fortunate to have had sources on the ground from the Libyan expat community who had returned to help overthrow Gaddafi.

Our key source and his team were present when Gaddafi was captured just outside Sirte, but then quickly left, knowing in advance that a bloody struggle for power over who would control Libya’s oil wealth would ensure, and wanted no part of it.

To avoid the impending battle for Tripoli during that war, where casualties were being estimated at 100,000, VT, without being asked to do so, successfully negotiated a safe exit for Gaddafi and his family to an African country to hopefully avoid that slaughter.

Gaddafi turned the offer down. And to everyone's surprise, Tripoli fell in a day, the result of a carefully laid and executed plan that not only saved countless lives and injuries, but the destruction of the city.

Looking through the fog of war

I have held off writing this Libya article, due to some major loose ends with the story. The biggest one was how Haftar, with his base in Benghazi, was maintaining logistical supply lines for advancing on Tripoli from the south and west.

General Haftar’s forces advanced from the south after having taken Sabha in the southern oil fields, and thenUbari to the west to protect his left flank. His LAN fighters then moved north to take Garyan on Saturday April 6.

Tripoli's GNA reported a counter attack by its forces, inflicting major losses on the LNA advance. Despite this claim, Haftar's forces have actually closed on Tripoli by taking its non-operational international airport south of the city.

If Haftar had 155 howitzers, he could be shelling the city today, but I have seen no photos of any moving columns showing artillery being moved. There are reports that he has wanted to take the city with as little fighting and damage as possible, a hard thing to wish for.

All we have seen are columns of "technicals" with their heavy machine guns mounted, and lots of them. We see no columns of supply trucks following them to provide the ammunition and logistics needed for assaulting Tripoli. This could be Haftar's undoing if Tripoli puts up a stiff defense, which I suspect it would.

Please go to New Eastern Outlook to read the entire article.