Khalifa Haftar

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Chalifa Haftar (2011)

Chalifa Belqasim Haftar Alferjani ( Arabic خليفة بلقاسم حفتر الفرجاني, DMG Ḫalīfa Bilqāsim Ḥaftar Alferjani ; born November 7, 1943 in Ajdabiya ) is a warlord and former military officer who rival the Libyan government in Tripoli . During the reign of Muammar al-Gaddafi in the 1980s, he was the military commander in the Libyan-Chadian border war , and after 1987 he served in the CIA for several years . In 2011 he participated in the overthrow of Gaddafi. Since May 2014 he has been the military commander of the Libyan National Army of the Libyan (counter) government of the Council of Representatives, which is based in Tobruk . This controls most of Libya with the exception of the Tripoli region under the Government of National Accord (GNA). Haftar is one of the key figures in the second Libyan civil war and receives military support from various countries, among others. a. by Russian mercenaries of the " Wagner Group ".

Life

From 1964 to 1966 he studied at the Military Academy in Benghazi . He then received further training at the Frunze Military Academy in the Soviet Union and in Egypt .

On September 1, 1969, Khalifa Haftar took part in Gaddafi's successful coup against King Idris of Libya . He then made a career in the Libyan army . With the rank of colonel, Haftar served as one of the commanders of the Libyan intervention forces in Chad.

In the service of the CIA

From the beginning of 1987 the Libyan troops in Chad were pushed back. During the fighting between Libyan troops, Chadian rebels, Chadian government troops and Chadian allies (French, Zairians, Americans), Haftar was captured in the Battle of Wadi Dum in March 1987 - although it is not entirely clear whether he had to give himself up or not had defected. A total of up to 2,000 Libyan soldiers were taken prisoner in Chadian. From 1987 onwards, the Americans formed an anti-Gaddafi force on Chadian territory from these Libyan prisoners of war under the name of the Libyan National Army (LNA) , which was to serve as the armed arm of the National Front for the rescue of Libya . There is different information about how many of the Libyan prisoners of war had joined this front. After the fall of the Chadian regime, the USA evacuated Haftar with allegedly 350 men from Chad in December 1990, and in May 1991 they were granted asylum in the USA. In contrast, 250 prisoners of war were released and returned to Libya. According to other sources, only 220 Libyan mercenaries had (initially) been flown to the USA, while between 400 and 500 prisoners of war were released and returned to Libya. Haftar became a US citizen and worked for the CIA for several years. In Libya, he was sentenced to death in absentia . From exile in the United States, he supported an unsuccessful attempt at overthrowing Gaddafi in 1996 .

Uprising against Gaddafi

He returned to Libya in 2011 and supported the uprising against Gaddafi. There he commanded the ground troops in the Cyrenaica . After the commander-in-chief Abd al-Fattah Yunis and the chief of staff, he was considered the third man in the rebel hierarchy. After Yunis' murder and the fall of Gaddafi in the Arab Spring , Khalifa Haftar was supposed to reorganize his country's armed forces as supreme commander in 2011. This task was withdrawn from him after a short time. The Sintan brigades he controlled turned against Islamist tendencies. On May 18, 2014, units of the brigades attacked and occupied parliament, but then withdrew to areas they controlled around Tripoli airport. At the same time, an operation launched two days earlier by Haftar's militia against Islamist groups was ongoing in Benghazi . In a joint statement, the government, parliament and the army of Libya accused Haftar of attempting a coup. The commander of the special forces of the Libyan army and the troops at the air base in Tobruk joined Haftar on May 19, 2014.

Civil war

In spring 2019, Haftar's army and the Tobruk government ruled most of Libya (red)

On March 2, 2015, the (East) Libyan House of Representatives in Tobruk appointed him Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan Armed Forces . According to Article 8 of the By-Laws to the Libyan Political Agreement, which was signed in Skhirat (Morocco) on December 17, 2015 and entered into force immediately, the military command was transferred to the Presidential Council created by the Agreement; the position of commander in chief had to be filled again. The implementation of this provision remains controversial in Libya after the House of Representatives only approved the Political Agreement on January 25, 2016 with a reservation against Article 8. Russia wanted Haftar to play a leading role in Libya and to provide him with weapons as soon as the sanctions were lifted. On the political side, the eastern “central bank” turned to Russia in 2015 and received 9.7 billion Libyan dinars from its printing works within three years . On the way back from a military mission in Syria, a Russian unit anchored around the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov off the east Libyan coast. There Haftar was taken aboard the Admiral Kuznetsov , where he held a video conference with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Kushugetowitsch Shoigu . In 2017 the general traveled to Moscow a few times , where he met Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov . In addition to Russia and Saudi Arabia , Egypt and the United Emirates , both resolute opponents of all varieties of Islamism , are Haftar's closest allies, who support him with weapons and armed forces. The United Emirates, for example, has an air base in eastern Libya with AT-802 aircraft and Chinese Chengdu Wing Loong drones . No cooperation with Islamists is expected from Haftar. Even France is considered as indirect supporters Haftars. The French expected him to effectively combat ISIS jihadists, which Haftar also did. In Libya as well as internationally, this support has been criticized again and again. It is possible that this would also win US support.

In July 2017, Haftar announced that it had defeated the Islamist militia Ansar al-Sharia and conquered Benghazi. In September only a few streets were controlled by IS. Recapturing them is dangerous because of hidden explosives. The police, who had not been seen for two years, are again present.

In August 2017, he threatened the Italian navy to bomb their warships after the Italian forces began to intervene on behalf of al-Sarradsch and set up bases in Tripoli and Misrata . As-Sarradsch's government is supported by the militias from Misrata as well as the Muslim Brotherhood , Turkey and Qatar .

Haftar's military organizations replace civil structures in the areas he controls with military personnel. At the same time, his troops are accused of mass executions. At the same time, his troops were repeatedly victims of massacres by al-Sarradsch's armed forces.

In early November 2017, Haftar's armed forces operating in Tripolitania were encircled and broken up in al-ʿAzīzīya . This was made possible by the defection of their allies, such as Usama al-Juwaili units. These united with the troops of al-Sarradsch flowing out of Tripoli.

At the end of 2017 there was a rapprochement between Haftar and al-Sarradsch. Their two camps agreed to form a joint army to pacify the country, end the militia system and enable new elections at the end of 2018.

After his troops had already conquered the oil fields south of Sirte in 2016 , in early 2019 he also succeeded in capturing large parts of the Libyan south with the largest oil fields in the country. With a mixture of money and security promises he was able to bind local rulers to himself largely non-violently. At the same time, he took decisive action against militias that terrorized the local population. This increased its popularity in the country. At the beginning of April 2019, he announced an attack on Tripoli.

At the beginning of April 2019, Khalifa Haftar had his troops march on the capital Tripoli. On April 4, fighting broke out with GNA troops in the suburbs of the city. On April 15, 2019, Donald Trump spoke to Khalifa Haftar on the phone . In an official White House statement, the US recognized Haftar's important role in the fight against terrorism and in securing Libyan oil reserves. After the capture of Gharyan , the GNA showed captured Javelin missiles in the depots of Haftar's LNA. These missiles apparently come from the USA and were probably sold to the United Arab Emirates in 2008. Reporters used the findings as further evidence of the UAE's support for Haftar.

On November 24, 2019, a US delegation met with Khalifa Haftar. The aim was to end the offensive. The delegation expressed serious concerns about Russian influence "at the expense of the Libyan people".

On January 6, 2020, Haftar's militias captured the Libyan port city of Sirte. Haftar rejected a ceasefire proposed by Russia and Turkey in January. He left Moscow without signing the document. According to Russian press reports, there was no binding timetable for the dissolution of groups loyal to the government in the agreement. In April 2020, he canceled a UN agreement signed in December 2015 that explained the distribution of power in Libya.

reception

Haftar's goals

According to the former US ambassador to Libya, Jonathan Winer , Khalifa Haftar's goal in the civil war is to become the highest Libyan military commander, a post that should not be subject to any political control.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ General Haftar: An Unscrupulous Power Man, SRF, TodayMorning, January 20, 2020
  2. ↑ a b c d e f New strong man? , Arnold Hottinger , journal21.ch, December 26, 2017
  3. ↑ Jok / dpa in Spiegel online: According to the UN, Russian mercenaries are fighting the government in Libya. Spiegel online, accessed on May 26, 2020 (German).
  4. ↑ Khalifa Haftar is a dazzling warlord with powerful friends , Ulrich Schmid, NZZ, April 29, 2019
  5. ↑ tagesschau.de: Escalation in Libya - the general and the power. Retrieved April 5, 2019 .
  6. ↑ a b c Peter Steffe, The General Who Was Suddenly Back ( Memento from May 23, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), tagesschau.de from May 23, 2014.
  7. ↑ Portrait Chalifa Haftar: From Virginia to Benghazi , the daily newspaper of May 18, 2014.
  8. ↑ Difficult terrain , Der Spiegel issue 14/1987 of March 30, 1987.
  9. ^ Robin Leonard Bidwell : Dictionary of Modern Arab History , pp. 111f. ("Libyan intervention in Chad"). Routledge, New York 1998
  10. ^ Munzinger archive : Libya Chronicle 1988 - IH-Zeitarchiv 46/89, page 41
  11. ↑ Bodo Harenberg (Ed.): Aktuell '92 , page 538 (Libya). Harenberg Lexikon-Verlag. Dortmund 1991
  12. ^ A b Robin Leonard Bidwell : Dictionary of Modern Arab History , pp. 299f. ("National Front for the Salvation of Libya"). Routledge, New York 1998
  13. ↑ a b Munzinger Archive : Libya Chronicle 1991 - IH-Zeitarchiv 46/93, page 68f.
  14. ↑ Munzinger archive : Libya Chronicle 1990 - IH-Zeitarchiv 46/93, page 64
  15. ^ Munzinger archive : Tschad-Chronik 1990 - IH-Zeitarchiv 19/91, page 39
  16. ↑ Mario von Baratta (ed.): Fischer Weltalmanach 1992 , page 178 (Tschad). Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1991
  17. ^ Neue Zürcher Zeitung of December 7, 1990: Idriss Déby - Chad's unknown hero
  18. ^ Munzinger archive : Current events December 1990 - IH-Zeitarchiv 4/91, page 1.
  19. ↑ a b c Chaos in Libya: Apostate general storms parliament , Spiegel Online from May 19, 2014.
  20. ↑ Renegade ex-military clears Libya on its own , Focus from May 19, 2014.
  21. ^ Libyan government accuses General Haftar of earlier coup attempt , Die Welt, May 19, 2014.
  22. ^ Revolt in Benghazi and Tripoli: Libya is facing a new civil war , Spiegel Online from May 20, 2014.
  23. ↑ Internationally recognized parliament appoints army chief , Neue Zürcher Zeitung , March 2, 2015
  24. ↑ UNSMIL Press Releases. In: unsmil.unmissions.org. Retrieved June 19, 2016 .
  25. ↑ Russia Urges Libya Leadership Role for UN-Defying Military Chief .
  26. ↑ Russia is apparently sending special forces to Libya , Die Zeit, March 14, 2017
  27. ↑ Christina Hebel and Christoph Sydow: Libyan General Haftar: Putin's Wüstenfuchs . In: Der Spiegel , March 20, 2017. Last accessed on January 19, 2020.
  28. ↑ Ulrich Schmid : General Haftar's Russian money press on page 2 in the NZZ from November 24, 2018
  29. ^ Russian aircraft carrier on its way back from the Mediterranean, Der Standard, January 17, 2017
  30. ↑ Ulrich Schmid: Moscow breaks a lance for Haftar
  31. ↑ US-Made Airplanes Deployed in Libya's Civil War, in Defiance of UN Time Magazine May 9, 2017
  32. ↑ http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20190419-libye-entre-france-le-marechal-haftar-trois-ans-entraide
  33. ↑ «Haftar embodies the hope of a sovereign Libya» . In: NZZ, September 19, 2017.
  34. ^ Ulrich Schmid: Haftar celebrates the conquest of Benghazi. The warlord in eastern Libya proclaims a victory over the Islamists . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung of July 7, 2017, p. 7.
  35. ^ Rebirth of Benghazi: Where the IS terrorist militia still ruled a few weeks ago , NZZ, September 18, 2017
  36. ↑ Haftar instructs bombing Italian warships requested-by Fayez al Sarraj, al Alarabya August 3, 2017
  37. ^ War in Libya: The warlord is preparing to march on Tripoli , NZZ, October 4, 2017
  38. ↑ Faz discovered mass grave in Libya .
  39. ^ Rival Libyan Regimes Are Busy Slaughtering Each Other
  40. ↑ Usama Juwaili and Zintani forces takes Aziziya, Libya Herald 9.11.201 7
  41. ↑ Haftar's former comrades-in-arms turn weapons against him, Sputnik News, November 23, 2017
  42. ↑ Can Cairo talks succeed in uniting Libya's divided armed forces?
  43. ↑ Haftar has conquered the Libyan south , Ulrich Schmid, NZZ, March 5, 2019
  44. ↑ March on Tripoli: The escalation of the civil war threatens in Libya , Daniel Steinvorth, NZZ, April 5, 2019
  45. ↑ a b Patrick Wintour and Chris Stephen: “Battle for Tripoli escalates as fighting nears Libyan capital” The Guardian of April 7, 2019
  46. ↑ Reuters: "Airstrikes hit Tripoli as Haftar steps up assault on Libyan capital" The Guardian of April 21, 2019
  47. ↑ "Libya's GNA says US missiles found at captured Haftar base" aljazeera.com June 30, 2019
  48. ↑ US officials meet with Libya's Haftar amid push to end Tripoli offensive , Swissinfo, November 26, 2019
  49. ↑ General Haftar Takes Libyan Coastal City of Sirte , Der Standard, January 7, 2020, accessed January 7, 2020
  50. ^ "Libyan warlord Haftar leaves Moscow without signing ceasefire deal" theguardian.com
  51. ↑ DER SPIEGEL: War in Libya: General Haftar cancels UN agreement - DER SPIEGEL - politics. Accessed April 30, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Haftar, Khalifa
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Haftar, Chalifa Belqasim (full name); خليفة بلقاسم حفتر (Arabic)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Libyan military officer
DATE OF BIRTH November 7, 1943
PLACE OF BIRTH Ajdabiya