The Libyan National Army (LNA), commanded by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and controlling southern and eastern Libya, is conducting one of its largest military exercises to date. Senior officers describe the operation as a clear message to both friends and foes.
Massive display of military might
The two-week drills, which began in early May, will culminate on May 19 to mark the anniversary of the LNA's 2014 'Operation Dignity' campaign against jihadist groups, including the Islamic State, in Benghazi. That campaign allowed Haftar's forces to seize control of eastern Libya and parts of the south.
More than 25,000 troops have been deployed, along with a wide array of military hardware, including tank formations and Russian-made Pantsir air-defense systems, said General Omar Mrajah Al Jedid, the officer overseeing the exercises.
General Abdallah Noureddine, a senior commander supervising operations near the village of El Ezzeiat, told AFP that the manoeuvres were 'a message for our friends and our foes.'
Political context and international mediation
The exercises come amid reports that the United States, through Trump's senior adviser on Arab and African affairs Massad Boulos, is trying to promote a rapprochement between Libya's eastern and western authorities. This signals a potential shift in power structures.
Last month, the legislative bodies of both authorities signed a U.S.-mediated agreement to unify public spending across the divided country for the first time in over a decade.
Libya has remained fractured since the 2011 Arab Spring uprising that toppled longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi. The oil-rich country is divided between a UN-recognized government in Tripoli and an eastern administration in Benghazi backed by Haftar.
Haftar's changing strategy
Haftar's forces attempted to seize Tripoli in 2019 but failed after a year of armed conflict. Since then, a change of tack appears to have taken place. General Noureddine said the LNA has focused less on outright conquest and more on showcasing its control over the east and south, while 'wishing the same for the rest of Libya.'
General Al Jedid said the military drills would also demonstrate the army's capacity to 'safeguard the interests of all Libyans.'
Human rights groups, however, have accused forces linked to Haftar of arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances, and centralizing power within the Haftar clan.
Observations from the field
At the entrance of a sprawling military encampment some 100 kilometres from Derna, a towering portrait of Haftar overlooked the scene. The sand whipped across a barren landscape as armoured vehicles sped along. AFP journalists were permitted to observe the exercises over the weekend.
Haftar, 82, and his sons, including Saddam, his heir apparent, will attend the final display of firepower on May 19, along with foreign and Libyan officials.
