Efforts to reunify Libya’s rival eastern and western authorities have suffered a major setback following allegations that Saddam Haftar, son of powerful eastern commander Khalifa Haftar, was connected to a series of drone attacks targeting fuel and electricity infrastructure in western Libya.
Saddam Haftar is deputy commander of the eastern-based Libyan National Army, also known as the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, and has emerged as an increasingly influential figure within his father’s military and political network.
The allegations have created a serious problem for efforts backed by the United States to bring Libya’s competing power centres together after years of division.
Sources within the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity have indicated that cooperation with Saddam Haftar has become extremely difficult following information obtained during investigations into the attacks.
The controversy stems from a series of drone strikes carried out over several days in August against oil, fuel storage and electricity facilities in western Libya.
One of the most serious attacks hit the Zawiya oil complex west of Tripoli.
A gasoline storage tank containing approximately 4.5 million litres of fuel was struck, triggering a large fire and causing the tank to collapse, according to Libya’s National Oil Corporation.
The attacks also contributed to electricity disruptions in western Libya, worsening existing blackouts and increasing public anger over deteriorating services.
The United Nations has expressed concern over attacks on Libya’s energy infrastructure, warning that interference with facilities vital to the country’s economy and public services could result in sanctions.
Libyan authorities subsequently launched an investigation into the attacks.
The Government of National Unity announced in September that its security services had dismantled what it described as an organised sabotage cell consisting of Libyans and foreign nationals.
According to the government, members of the group were involved in drone attacks targeting oil storage tanks in Tripoli and Zawiya as well as the Zawiya power station.
Authorities said other planned attacks were prevented, including an alleged attempt to strike the South Tripoli Power Station and plots against other important facilities and individuals.
Reporting on the investigation has now linked some of the suspects to the Tareq ben Ziyad brigade, a powerful military formation associated with Haftar’s forces in eastern Libya.
Sources within the GNU have alleged that members of the network were working for Saddam Haftar.
The allegations have not been proven in court, and no public evidence has established that Saddam personally ordered the drone attacks.
The revelations could have major consequences for diplomatic efforts to reunify Libya.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior adviser on Africa, Massad Boulos, has been involved in attempts to bring the rival eastern and western authorities closer together.
One proposal discussed as part of those efforts reportedly envisaged a political arrangement in which Khalifa Haftar would take a leading national role while a member of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s family would occupy another senior position.
Boulos has rejected suggestions that Washington’s approach is simply designed to divide power between Libya’s dominant political families, insisting that the objective is to reunify the country’s institutions.
Saddam Haftar had also become increasingly important to U.S. efforts to encourage the integration of Libya’s divided security, political and judicial institutions.
The drone allegations have now complicated that strategy.
GNU sources cited in the latest reporting said that while no formal decision had been reached, information uncovered during the investigation had made continued cooperation with Saddam extremely difficult.
Libya has struggled to establish stable national government since longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed during the 2011 uprising.
The country subsequently descended into conflict involving rival governments, armed groups and foreign powers.
Today, western Libya is governed from Tripoli by the Government of National Unity under Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, while Khalifa Haftar and his allies dominate much of eastern and southern Libya.
The division has repeatedly frustrated attempts to hold nationwide elections and establish permanent political institutions.
Oil is particularly important to Libya’s stability because petroleum exports provide most of the country’s government revenue. Attacks on production, pipelines, refineries or storage facilities can therefore quickly produce economic and political consequences.
The latest controversy could also complicate the United Nations’ attempt to move Libya toward national elections.
The UN has been pushing Libyan factions to resolve disputes over electoral laws, political institutions and the structure of a future unified government.
Any breakdown in cooperation between Tripoli and the Haftar camp could make those negotiations considerably more difficult.
The accusations surrounding Saddam Haftar may also affect internal politics within the Haftar family.
Khalifa Haftar, who is in his 80s, has increasingly elevated his sons to powerful military and political positions, generating speculation about who could eventually inherit his influence.
Saddam has long been considered one of the most prominent potential successors, although his brothers Khaled and Belqasim have also taken increasingly important roles.
The drone investigation could therefore have consequences extending beyond the immediate dispute with the Tripoli government.
For Libya, the larger concern is whether the allegations will destroy the limited cooperation established between the country’s rival power centres.
After years of conflict and failed political settlements, another breakdown in negotiations could further delay elections and prolong the institutional divisions that have shaped Libya since 2011.
