Libya Rejects Establishing Foreign Military Base
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sysAdmin
- . November 25, 2023
- . Update: November 25, 2023 2:33 pm
The Speaker of Libya’s House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh has strongly rejected the establishment of any foreign military bases in the country. He said the exchange of experience and military and technical cooperation with other countries are acceptable to Libya.
“Regarding foreign military bases, we reject the establishment of any military base in our country, we can defend our country ourselves.”
Saleh’s comments come after reports that Russia wants to establish military bases in Libya. A Bloomberg report stated that the deal is being negotiated following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Khalifa Haftar, Libya’s eastern military commander, in Moscow in September 2023.
If things go ahead, Russia will supply Haftar with air defense systems and Moscow will gain docking rights for its warships in the port city of Tobruk on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
Foreign Military Base Speculations
However, Haftar’s talks or deals with Russia were brushed off as rumors. An insider in the Libyan National Army said there were no such plans, and no such agreement with Russia to set up a military base in the country.
Sources said the army was playing its role in protecting Libya from foreign occupation. “The military cooperation agreements with Russia don’t include granting it any facilitation to set up military bases. Such misleading reports are aimed at diverting attention from foreign military presence in the country.”
In August, the UN-recognized national unity government in Libya denied ceding rights to an important civilian port or authorized its use as a military base by foreign forces. Mohamed Hamuda, spokesman for Abdelhamid Dbeibah’s government, said what is being stated about the state ceding or authorizing the operation of al-Khoms seaport as a foreign naval base is incorrect and baseless.
It should be noted that there are Turkish and American forces at the Mitiga base in Tripoli and in the al-Watiya base, and Italian and British forces at the Misrata air base. Libya is wary of foreign interference in the country. And it reached unprecedented levels in 2020, with the delivery of sophisticated equipment and presence of mercenaries.
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Militias in Libya
Foreign military and armed groups are exerting massive influence over who gets key appointments in the country and how state resources are distributed. This has resulted in the amalgamation of private interests mixed with military units, shaping Libya’s political and security landscapes.
Experts say the process of institutionalization is evident in the growing professionalization of armed groups. Militias are increasingly trying to appear as providers of security, just as they work to counter civilian perceptions that they are primarily a threat.
