Libyan strongman bombed Chad rebels, his forces say
The armed forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar said on 29 March that their warplanes had attacked Chadian rebels in the country's southern desert last weekend.
Air raids targeted a rebel-held roadblock 400km southeast of Sebha, as well as other positions in an oasis in the Terbu region 400km farther south, an official with Haftar's so-called Libyan National Army (LNA) told AFP.
The official, without giving details about the identity of the targets, said: ‘The strikes aim at restoring security and applying law in the south.’
An armed Chadian group, the Military Command Council for the Salvation of the Republic (CCMSR), said it had been attacked by Haftar's planes.
CCMSR's spokesperson in exile, Kingabe Ogouzeimi de Tapol, said there were no casualties.
Chadian President Idriss Deby, he charged, had ‘subcontracted’ Haftar to destroy rebels in Libya who are fighting to overturn the Chadian leader.
CCMSR claims to have several thousand fighters in Chad. It split in 2016 from another anti-Deby group in Libya, the Front for Change and Concord in Chad, based in Jufra, which is reputedly on good terms with Haftar.
Chad has a long history of revolt by rebels staged from across its borders.
Deby and his precedessor Hissene Habre were themselves rebels who seized power by force of arms.
However, rebel groups today are relatively weak and divided, often using trafficking or extortion to raise funds to survive.
Three CCMSR members, including its leader, Hassan Boulmaye, were arrested in October 2017 in the fellow Sahel country of Niger.
Haftar, who opposes a UN-backed unity government based in Tripoli, announced the ‘liberation’ of the eastern city of Benghazi in July 2017 after a three-year campaign.
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![How might European countries look to tackle drone incursions?]()
How might European countries look to tackle drone incursions?
Disruption of infrastructure in Europe, whether by cyberattack, physical damage to pipelines or uncrewed aerial vehicles flying over major airports, as has happened more recently, is on the rise. What is the most effective way of countering the aerial aspect of this not-so-open warfare?
-
![Taiwan approved for $11 billion weapon purchase from US]()
Taiwan approved for $11 billion weapon purchase from US
The US State Department’s approval of a multi-billion-dollar sale of weapons to Taiwan includes tactical mission networks equipment, uncrewed aerial systems, artillery rocket systems and self-propelled howitzers as well as anti-tank guided missiles.
-
![Ireland spells out $2.3 billion shopping list in five-year defence spending plan]()
Ireland spells out $2.3 billion shopping list in five-year defence spending plan
Ireland’s multi-annual investment in capital defence spending is set to rise from €300m in 2026 to €360m in 2029–2030 with major upgrades across land, air, maritime and cyber domains.
-
![Canada to deepen integration of multi-domain capabilities to strengthen its defences]()
Canada to deepen integration of multi-domain capabilities to strengthen its defences
The Canadian Department of National Defence has created new organisations to manage the procurement and integration of all-domain solutions and allocated US$258.33 million to strengthen production capacities.
-
![US National Security Strategy prioritises advanced military capabilities and national industry]()
US National Security Strategy prioritises advanced military capabilities and national industry
The 2025 NSS has emphasised investment in the US nuclear and air defence inventory and national industry, but it leaves multiple unanswered questions on how the White House will implement this approach.
-
![Canada set to look away from its neighbour and across the Atlantic for partners]()
Canada set to look away from its neighbour and across the Atlantic for partners
While non-EU UK struggles to join the Security Action for Europe initiative, which provides loans for defence programmes, Canada has become the first country outside Europe to get access – and did so for a nominal fee.
