Russia blocked attempted UN Security Council measures on the ongoing fighting around Libya’s capital
of Tripoli, objecting to language which singled out the Libyan National
Army (LNA) of Khalifa Hafter and demanding that they immediately halt
all activity.
Russia is not the only nation seen as favoring the LNA, as both Egypt
and the United Arab Emirates have also been very close to Hafter.
Russia, however, is the only one that has veto power to keep the UN
Security Council from passing a resolution.
Hafter was a general for the Gadhafi government, and later a key leader
in the CIA-backed rebellion. He has announced myriad coups d’etat and
other attempts at taking power since Gadhafi’s ouster, but has had mixed
success.
Egypt has been the most direct in aiding Hafter in recent years, but talk of his ties to Russia are such that the Putin government felt the need to deny having anything to do with this latest offensive.
Russia Rejects UN Statement Singling Out Hafter’s Forces
Russia denies backing Hafter's latest offensive
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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