Recent allegations connecting Saddam Haftar, deputy commander of the eastern Libyan National Army, to drone attacks on fuel infrastructure have disrupted diplomatic efforts to unify Libya’s divided governing structures. The attacks in August targeted oil storage facilities and power stations in western Libya, causing widespread blackouts and prompting strong public backlash against the Tripoli-based government of national unity led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
Libya has remained divided between the eastern region controlled by Khalifa Haftar and the western region governed by the GNU since 2011. Donald Trump’s Africa adviser had been promoting a unification plan whereby Haftar would assume the presidency while a member of the Dbeibah family would serve as prime minister. However, investigators allegedly determined that Saddam Haftar directed a cell responsible for the sabotage campaign, prompted in part by frustration over stalled merger negotiations and rival tribal activities in southern Libya.
In September, authorities arrested individuals suspected of involvement in an alleged plot targeting Tripoli airport, with sources indicating connections to Saddam Haftar and the LNA-affiliated Tareq ben Ziyad brigade. Officials within the GNU stated that cooperation with Saddam Haftar was no longer viable given the emerging evidence. The allegations have also complicated parallel UN-sponsored negotiations involving Libya’s main political institutions, which had produced an agreement in August to conduct elections within two years, endorsed by the UN Security Council.
Libyan government officials have expressed commitment to the UN-backed election framework rather than accepting political settlements that ignore historical grievances, including the displacement of thousands of families during earlier conflicts. The scandal may intensify internal power struggles among Khalifa Haftar’s three sons, as Saddam’s brothers, who maintain stronger ties to Egypt, have begun challenging his dominance within the eastern power structure.
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