Strongman Haftar and sons tighten grip on eastern Libya

Strongman Haftar and sons tighten grip on eastern Libya
Khaled Haftar (C), son of Libya's eastern military strongman Khalifa Haftar, meets with emergency first responders in the devastated eastern city of Derna on September 18, 2023 following deadly flash floods. (AFP)
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Updated 15 June 2024
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Strongman Haftar and sons tighten grip on eastern Libya

Strongman Haftar and sons tighten grip on eastern Libya

TRIPOLI: The military strongman in the east of divided Libya, Khalifa Haftar, has named one of his sons as army chief, tightening his family’s grip on the oil-rich region.
Saddam Haftar is the third of the field marshal’s six sons to assume a key post, and experts see it as a sign the 81-year-old patriarch is preparing for his succession.
They also warn this entrenches the division of the North African country that has been rocked by chaos since the 2011 overthrow of dictator Muammar Qaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising.
Energy-rich Libya is split between a United Nations-recognized government in the capital Tripoli in the west and the Haftar-backed rival administration that rules from Benghazi and Tobruk in the east.
Presidential elections that had aimed to unify the fractured country were scheduled for late 2021 but then postponed indefinitely.
In early June, the strongman’s youngest son, General Saddam Haftar, 33, took over as chief of staff of the land forces within Haftar’s self-proclaimed Libyan Arab Armed Forces.
Saddam’s older brother Khaled was named last July as chief of staff of “security units” within the LAAF.
And in February, another son, Belgacem, took the helm of a newly created development and reconstruction fund.
The appointments continue “what has been from the beginning a private and family army as Haftar bolstered his power,” said Wolfram Lacher of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.
“The inner circle” which controls “key units and resources of this private empire” is comprised of “his sons but also his cousins, his nephews, his sons-in-law,” Lacher told AFP.
Haftar was once an ally of Qaddafi but fell out with the dictator and then spent years in the United States, where he gained citizenship, before returning to Libya to help topple him.
In the years of war that followed Qaddafi’s ouster and killing, Haftar’s forces gained control of about two-thirds of Libya’s territory, including crucial oil infrastructure in its Sahara desert south.
In 2019-2020, Haftar tried to seize Tripoli but failed, despite backing from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Russia and some Western powers.
His opponents received military support from Turkiye.
Haftar is a declared enemy of Islamist forces and the Muslim Brotherhood but critics say he has previously cooperated with jihadists.
Khaled Al-Montasser, an international relations professor at the University of Tripoli, said that now the aging soldier, who suffered a stroke in 2018, is “stepping up the pace” to prepare for his succession.
Imad Jalloul, a Libyan political analyst, said Haftar’s allies abroad have begun seeing him as “unfit to lead Libya,” hence the need for “new blood.”
Lacher said that in recent years Haftar’s sons had enjoyed “a rapid rise” through the military ranks, “achieving in no time what would take other officers decades.”
He said this “became the subject of mockery” but that “since then, by seeing them every day on social media, the Libyan public started to get used to them.”
Lacher said that Saddam Haftar now holds real military power and a key role in murky business dealings in a graft-ridden country notorious for trafficking of irregular migrants.
The expert said Saddam has a hand in “repression, managing trafficking, embezzling public funds and negotiating shady transactions with political rivals in Tripoli.”
The recent reshuffles are “a clear sign of preparation for the day when Haftar disappears and when his entire power structure is then in danger,” Lacher added.
“It is also a sign that Haftar himself is getting older and can no longer manage this structure all on his own.”
Jalloul said the Haftar clan has brutally repressed opponents across a vast stretch of eastern and southern Libya, where political, tribal and civil society figures have been arrested, disappeared or killed.
The latest example was the death in April of activist Siraj Dughman while in detention at a military base controlled by Haftar.
Last December, former defense minister Al-Mahdi Al-Barghathi and six others died in custody while in custody of eastern authorities after their arrests in Benghazi.
Lacher said that “what’s distressing to see in recent months is that Western and UN diplomats, by publicly meeting Haftar’s sons, have begun to legitimize this family power structure, which sees the country’s two thirds and its underground wealth as private property.”


UN rejects ‘annexation’ proposals for Palestinian territories

UN rejects ‘annexation’ proposals for Palestinian territories
Updated 15 sec ago
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UN rejects ‘annexation’ proposals for Palestinian territories

UN rejects ‘annexation’ proposals for Palestinian territories
“We must resist any normalization of unlawful conduct, including proposals for annexation or forced transfer,” Volker Turk told the UN Human Rights Council
Such proposals “could threaten the peace and security of Palestinians and Israelis, and of the wider region“

GENEVA: The UN rights chief on Wednesday rejected as “unlawful” proposals for the annexation of or forced transfer from Palestinian territories, warning they posed a threat to the entire region.
“We must resist any normalization of unlawful conduct, including proposals for annexation or forced transfer,” Volker Turk told the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Such proposals “could threaten the peace and security of Palestinians and Israelis, and of the wider region,” he warned, insisting that “this is the moment for voices of reason to prevail.”
Turk did not give details, but there have been rising levels of violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank and calls for annexation after Israel announced expanded military operations in the occupied Palestinian territory.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly proposed emptying war-ravaged Gaza of Palestinians.
He has floated the idea of a US takeover of Gaza under which its Palestinian population would be relocated — a proposal met with widespread condemnation, but welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump later appeared to soften his plan, saying he was only recommending the idea, and conceding that the leaders of Jordan and Egypt — the proposed destinations for relocated Gazans — had rejected any effort to move Palestinians against their will.
But the US president’s official social media accounts on Wednesday posted an apparently AI-generated video depicting war-ravaged Gaza rebuilt into a seaside resort, replete with a towering golden statue of Trump himself.
Presenting a fresh report on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories, Turk said Wednesday: “We urgently need to end the conflict.”
To do so, he said it was vital to hold accountable perpetrators of a vast array of abuses committed since the war in Gaza erupted after Hamas’s deadly October 7, 2023 attacks inside Israel.
“Israel’s means and methods of warfare have caused staggering levels of casualties and destruction, raising concerns over the commission of war crimes and other possible atrocity crimes,” he said.
But he raised “serious doubts” about the Israeli justice system’s ability to deliver justice “notably in relation to the unlawful killing of Palestinians in Gaza or in the West Bank.”
He also noted that “Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups have taken, held, and tortured hostages in Gaza, and have indiscriminately fired projectiles into Israeli territory, amounting to war crimes.”
To his knowledge, none of these groups had taken measures to punish those responsible, he said, adding that such “impunity begets more violence.”
So to did “delegitimising and threatening international institutions that are there to serve people and uphold international law also harms us all,” he warned.
All violations and abuses need to be investigated independently, he said.
While Turk mentioned no names, earlier this month Washington sanctioned the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court Karim Khan over the ICC’s investigations targeting US personnel as well as alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Khan was responsible for the request that led the ICC to issue arrest warrants late last year for Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant.

Egypt rejects proposal for it to run Gaza as ‘unacceptable’

Palestinians sheltering in tents set up near the rubble of buildings in Gaza City, February 26, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians sheltering in tents set up near the rubble of buildings in Gaza City, February 26, 2025. (Reuters)
Updated 58 min 53 sec ago
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Egypt rejects proposal for it to run Gaza as ‘unacceptable’

Palestinians sheltering in tents set up near the rubble of buildings in Gaza City, February 26, 2025. (Reuters)
  • “Any notions or proposals that circumvent the constants of the Egyptian and Arab stance (on Gaza)... are rejected and unacceptable,” Foreign Ministry spokesman said

CAIRO: Egypt rejected on Wednesday an Israeli opposition leader’s proposal that it take over the administration of Gaza, calling the idea “unacceptable” and contrary to longstanding Egyptian and Arab policy.
“Any notions or proposals that circumvent the constants of the Egyptian and Arab stance (on Gaza)... are rejected and unacceptable,” the official MENA news agency quoted foreign ministry spokesman Tamim Khallaf as saying, a day after Israel’s Yair Lapid floated the idea.
In press remarks, Khallaf said any suggestions bypassing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state were “half-solutions” that risk prolonging the conflict rather than solving it.
He said the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, were integral parts of the Palestinian territories that must be under “full Palestinian sovereignty and management.”
On Tuesday, Lapid said Egypt should run the Gaza Strip for at least eight years after the war is over, in exchange for massive debt relief.
Egypt has repeatedly rejected proposals for the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million Palestinian inhabitants to be relocated, calling such mass displacement a “red line.”
It led diplomatic efforts this month against a plan floated by President Donald Trump for the Unmited States to “take over” and “own” the war-battered enclave after its inhabitants have been relocated to Egypt or Jordan.


United Arab stance allows us to face region’s challenges, Aoun tells Omani minister

United Arab stance allows us to face region’s challenges, Aoun tells Omani minister
Updated 26 February 2025
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United Arab stance allows us to face region’s challenges, Aoun tells Omani minister

United Arab stance allows us to face region’s challenges, Aoun tells Omani minister
  • Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi: This visit proves that the sultan puts Lebanon as a priority
  • Macron expresses readiness to support Lebanon’s reconstruction through trust fund

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed hope that “the upcoming extraordinary Arab Summit, scheduled to be held next week in Cairo, would yield a unified Arab position to address the region’s current challenges, especially since it targets the joint interests of the brotherly Arab countries.”

Aoun received on Wednesday Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi, who was accompanied by a diplomatic delegation.

He said that “amid the developments in southern Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, the challenges are significant and ongoing and require a unified Arab stance to face them.”

He added: “The presence of a unified (front) is enough to strengthen the Arab stance and allow it to impact the sequence of events.”

Aoun thanked Oman for “the assistance provided to Lebanon, including medicines, medical support, organizing training courses, and offering university scholarships.”

He also hoped that “the Omani airline would resume flights to Lebanon as soon as possible.”

The Omani minister conveyed Sultan Haitham bin Tariq’s greetings to Aoun “on his election as president” and highlighted “the strong relations between Lebanon and Oman.”

He also extended to Aoun “an official invitation to visit Oman and discuss ways to develop and activate bilateral relations in the interest of the two brotherly countries.”

Al-Busaidi said: “This visit proves that the sultan puts Lebanon as a priority and emphasizes the solidarity of the Omani people with the brotherly Lebanese people.”

He affirmed that “Oman is looking into activating the work of the joint committee between the two countries, signing agreements and memoranda of understanding, and exchanging delegations, especially cultural and economic ones.”

Meanwhile, discussion sessions on the ministerial statement of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government resumed in parliament. MPs are expected to give a vote of confidence to the government by a significant majority.

MP Ibrahim Mneimneh called for “opening the books to examine the reasons behind the losses and who benefited from them. The rule of accountability is the only standard capable of addressing the crisis.”

MP Ghassan Skaff said the government is required to function as a “foundational body” during a transitional period. “While we understand that the government’s term may not allow it to accomplish all that was outlined in its ministerial statement, it is imperative that we begin the challenging journey ahead,” he added.

MP Wael Abu Faour called for “the lifting of immunities, the liberation of the judiciary from political influence, sectarianism, and corruption, as well as a reevaluation of the Supreme Council for the Trial of Presidents and Ministers.”

MP Halima Kaakour said she hopes that the ministerial statement does not “cater to certain influential parties and interests,” while MP Adib Abdel Massih hopes that it includes “an economic vision to raise the GDP.”

Herve Magro, French ambassador to Lebanon, conveyed to Yassine Jaber, Lebanon’s finance minister, the readiness of his country to provide unwavering technical and political support to the government and its reform approach.

According to the finance minister’s office, Magro discussed with Jaber “the reform steps adopted by the ministry and the support projects existing between the ministry and the Agence Francaise de Developpement in the context of preparing the 2026 budget.”

The French diplomat revealed “the interest and intention of French President Emmanuel Macron to help establish a fund to support the reconstruction process, especially since Lebanon has declared its determination to show transparency in its reforms.”

Meanwhile, Israeli reconnaissance planes flew intensively over Beirut and its suburbs throughout the day.

Israeli airstrikes were carried out before noon on Jabal Al-Rayhan in the Jezzine district. The warplanes carried out mock raids over the villages and towns of Tyre district and the border villages.

On Tuesday night, Israeli airstrikes targeted the town of Janta in the Baalbek district, “killing two people and injuring three others,” according to the Ministry of Health.

The victims were traveling in a transport vehicle in Shaara in the Janta region when they were targeted by an Israeli drone. This is a border area where illegal crossings abound.


Hamas official says no public ceremony for handover of bodies

Hamas official says no public ceremony for handover of bodies
Updated 26 February 2025
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Hamas official says no public ceremony for handover of bodies

Hamas official says no public ceremony for handover of bodies
  • “The handover will take place without public presence to prevent the occupation from finding any pretext for delay or obstruction,” the official said
  • Hamas has handed over 25 hostages alive in public ceremonies

GAZA CITY: A senior Hamas official told AFP that the Palestinian movement will not hold a public ceremony for the handover of the bodies of four Israeli hostages on Thursday.
“The handover will take place without public presence to prevent the occupation from finding any pretext for delay or obstruction,” the official said on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to discuss the matter.
Since the first stage of the ceasefire took effect last month, Hamas has handed over 25 hostages alive in public ceremonies at various locations in Gaza, drawing widespread condemnation, including from the United Nations.
It also handed over the bodies of four hostages, after first displaying the coffins on stage in front of a large crowd.
However, after Saturday’s handover of six living hostages, Israel suspended the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, insisting it would free them only after Hamas halted these “humiliating ceremonies.”
Earlier on Wednesday, two Hamas officials said the militants would hand over the four bodies on Thursday in exchange for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners.


UN food agency pauses aid to famine-hit Sudan displacement camp of half a million people

UN food agency pauses aid to famine-hit Sudan displacement camp of half a million people
Updated 26 February 2025
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UN food agency pauses aid to famine-hit Sudan displacement camp of half a million people

UN food agency pauses aid to famine-hit Sudan displacement camp of half a million people
  • “Without immediate assistance, thousands of desperate families in Zamzam could starve in the coming weeks,” said WFP’s regional director, Laurent Bukera
  • Bukera urged the warring sides to stop fighting and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid

CAIRO: The United Nations’ food agency says it has temporarily paused aid distribution in Sudan’s famine-hit Zamzam displacement camp of a half-million people as fighting intensifies between the country’s warring sides, and it warns that thousands could now starve.
The World Food Program said Wednesday that fighting in the past two weeks between the military and a paramilitary group in Sudan’s civil war has forced its partners to leave the camp in western Darfur for safety.
“Without immediate assistance, thousands of desperate families in Zamzam could starve in the coming weeks,” said the agency’s regional director, Laurent Bukera.
Bukera urged the warring sides to stop fighting and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid. “We must resume the delivery of life-saving aid in and around Zamzam safely, quickly and at scale,” she said.
WFP has been feeding about 300,000 camp residents, but it and partners reached only 60,000 people this month amid intensified shelling. One attack destroyed the camp’s central open market, pushing residents farther from essential food and supplies, the agency said.
Earlier this week, the Doctors Without Borders medical charity said it paused its operations, including its field hospital, in the camp due to intensified attacks.
Famine was announced in the Zamzam camp in August and spread to two other camps for displaced people in Darfur and the Western Nuba Mountains.
The camp is 12 kilometers (6.5 miles) south of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, or RSF, has been trying for months to take.
The RSF has been at war with the Sudanese military since April 2023. The conflict has been marked by atrocities including ethnically motivated killing and rape, according to the UN and rights groups. The International Criminal Court is investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Aid groups have made pleas for access for months in Zamzam and elsewhere, with little success. The UN’s top humanitarian official in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, has accused the RSF of preventing life-saving aid from reaching many in Darfur. The RSF and allied militias control most of that region.