Offensive left Libyan public burdened with unpaid loans, and key figures have faced no consequences, the report says.A group of companies tied to Khalifa Haftar helped funnel hundreds of millions of dollars into the eastern Libyan commander’s failed 2019–2020 assault on Tripoli, according to a new investigation, and left the Libyan people to bear the cost.The report published on Tuesday by The Sentry, an investigative and policy organisation, said Libyan businessman Ahmed Gadalla functioned as a “key enabler” for Haftar family members, who secured $300m in loans from a “minor” bank based in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ahead of the offensive.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listThe months-long campaign by forces loyal to the renegade military commander to seize the Libyan capital from the United Nations-recognised government killed hundreds of people and displaced hundreds of thousands.The cost of the campaign was significant. “The offensive required a roughly $700 million effort mobilised upfront,” Sentry stated.According to the investigation, the money likely helped finance operations including payments to Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group, which supported Haftar’s offensive.The campaign eventually saw Haftar’s Libyan National Army get pushed back from the capital and lose a string of western towns to forces loyal to the Government of National Accord.“After Haftar’s offensive collapsed, the loans have remained largely unpaid, leaving the Libyan public to bear the financial burden while Gadalla has faced no accountability,” the report said.Neither Gadalla nor the banks named in the report responded to requests for comment, The Sentry said. Advertisement Libya, a major oil-producing nation, has been mired in turmoil since 2011, when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed during an uprising.Despite the failure t …
