US warns Haftar on Russian presence in Libya​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

A senior US Republican lawmaker has warned Khalifa Haftar about potential Russian naval expansion in Libya, amid escalating concerns over Moscow’s military footprint in North Africa.

Representative Joe Wilson issued the caution via social media as Haftar began a diplomatic visit to Belarus, where President Alexander Lukashenko offered broad support for cooperation with Libya.

During talks in Minsk, Haftar spoke of establishing strategic partnerships, particularly in Belarus’s industrial and agricultural sectors.

The diplomatic engagement coincides with eastern Libya’s foreign minister Abdul Hadi Al-Huwaij’s preparation of a Libyan-Russian forum for expanded bilateral relations.

These developments follow the US Libya Stabilisation Act of 2023, which authorises sanctions against foreign entities supporting Libyan factions in the wake of the Government of National Unity’s expired mandate.

Recent intelligence assessments report that Russian military presence in Libya has more than doubled, rising from 800 to 1,800 personnel between February and May 2024. Satellite imagery analysis has revealed Russian forces developing logistical bases in southern Libya along the Chad and Sudan borders.

Russia’s strategic focus on Libya forms part of its wider African engagement initiative, aimed at countering international isolation following its Ukraine intervention.

Previous CIA diplomatic efforts have sought Haftar’s cooperation in removing Russian forces from Libyan territory.