Libyan Government Bankrolling Syrian Rebels

More Than Half of SNC's Funding Came From Libya

by Jason Ditz, November 05, 2012

The rebel Syrian National Council (SNC) has released its financial statements today, revealing a $40.4 million budget, more than half of which came from a single source: the Libyan transitional government.

More than $20 million was provided to this group alone by the Libyan government, which has made exporting its own NATO-imposed brand of violent revolution the centerpiece of its foreign policy, with fighters from several Libyan Islamist factions flocking to Syria to join the rebellion there.

Libya’s own economy is still struggling in the wake of a very ugly civil war, complete with NATO air strikes, but as the IMF projects major growth in the upcoming years, they have no shortage of Western nations willing to float them loans. This and lucrative oil deals will ensure Libya plenty of money to subsidize rebels abroad for years to come.

The funding for the SNC, however, could be a risky proposition, as the Obama Administration has recently been condemning the organization and promising to appoint a replacement leadership for the civil war.

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