“Before, the conflict was mainly Libyan, with some outside interference,” says Mohamed Eljarh, a Libyan analyst in Tobruk. The vacuum has drawn in the two Middle East axes that competed to shape the Arab world following the 2011 Arab Spring and are facing off again in Libya. And he sees General Haftar – a military man like himself – as the best way to restore stability, crack down on terrorism, and secure the countries’ shared 695-mile border. Sensing economic opportunities and a desire to stem migrant flows to Europe, France has thrown its support behind General Haftar, while Italy has backed Prime Minister Sarraj, rekindling a colonial rivalry. Libya has the largest reserves in Africa and ninth-largest in the world, in addition to potential natural gas and other minerals.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 07, 2020 20:15 UTC