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
-
![US lawmakers warn that “more military spending is absolutely necessary” to ensure Pentagon’s readiness]()
US lawmakers warn that “more military spending is absolutely necessary” to ensure Pentagon’s readiness
The US Congress has raised concerns about how inflation rates and cuts in main acquisition programmes could affect the US military.
-
![Can the US overcome Russian and Chinese nuclear capabilities?]()
Can the US overcome Russian and Chinese nuclear capabilities?
Washington’s ageing inventory and the pace Moscow and Beijing have been modernising their capabilities put in check the US Nuclear deterrence.
-
![US FY2024 funding package passes as China closes military capability gap]()
US FY2024 funding package passes as China closes military capability gap
The Pentagon has been operating under temporary funding since October 2023, which has impacted its main acquisition and development programmes, increasing the capability gap between the US and China.
-
![NATO outlines future challenges as Ukrainian funding from US stalls]()
NATO outlines future challenges as Ukrainian funding from US stalls
In 2023, defence spending increased by an unprecedented 11% across European NATO countries and Canada. Since 2014, the group has spent an additional US$600 billion on defence.
-
![US Pentagon to reduce investments in main acquisition programmes over FY2025]()
US Pentagon to reduce investments in main acquisition programmes over FY2025
The DoD requested nearly US$850 billion to fund operations over the next fiscal year. Despite the amount being 1% higher than the FY2024 budget request, it has not covered the 3% inflation rate, which could impact the DoD’s main programmes in the medium and long term.
