Flight data and satellite images show both nations using large-scale military cargo planes to funnel in goods and fighters to forces or proxies inside Libya, routinely violating the 2011 UN arms embargo despite political promises to abstain.
Washington’s active role is tied by analysts to the influx of foreign mercenaries in Libya and wariness about Russia’s growing role.
Egypt’s involvement in efforts led by the US State Department, represented by its embassy in Tripoli and the acting UN envoy to Libya, US diplomat Stephanie Williams, has surprised observers of Libyan political affairs, given that the US State Department is known for its support of Islamists in western Libya who are opposed to Egyptian authorities and Libyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, Cairo’s ally in the east of the country.
Morocco on Monday arrested four suspects allegedly linked to the Islamic State (IS) group who were plotting “dangerous and imminent terrorist” attacks, the judicial police said.
Plans for a durable Libyan ceasefire are to be endorsed by diplomats from 15 countries on Monday, but the value of the commitments made in the virtual meeting are belied by signs that deepening involvement in the country by rival external powers including Russia and Turkey could complicate efforts to form an interim government of national unity.
A transition government tasked with leading Mali back to civilian rule was appointed on Monday, with numerous members of the military junta that seized power in a coup occupying key posts.
Following the bloodless August 18 coup that toppled president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the junta vowed to relinquish control and hold fresh elections.
Ankara has huge economic and strategic stakes in Libya, which it seeks to maintain.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday his country aims to strengthen relations with Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA).
The Mediterranean Sea is still the principal corridor for migrants trying to enter the European Union, and Italy is in effect its front door.
The Libyan people continue to suffer as the country’s politics are fractured and regional powers seek to advance their own interests.
Nearly a decade into Libya’s byzantine conflict, a sustainable solution appears as distant as ever, even though negotiations are ongoing. As global and regional players jockey for influence, international efforts to resolve the conflict remain stymied and ineffective.
Turkey and Russia are moving counter the international efforts led by the United States to impose a new political settlement in Libya, which brings the spectre of war to the fore again about a month and a half after the rival parties in the conflict announced a ceasefire following a year and a half of war on the outskirts of Tripoli.
A November 2019 agreement between Turkey and Libya determines a portion of Turkey’s maritime rights in the region.