Turkey’s defence minister in Libya to boost military role

Turkey’s Defence Minister Hulusi Akar made a surprise trip to Libya on Saturday in a move showing Ankara’s intent to maintain its military presence in the North African country at the risk of disrupting the UN sponsored peace process there, analysts say.

The Turkish defence ministry said Akar would inspect Turkish forces in Libya during the visit, while Libyan officials said talks would focus on “military cooperation” between Tripoli and Ankara.

Turkey has backed the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) with military advisers, material and mercenaries against an offensive last year by the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar Haftar.

Ankara also has a large military base in Al-Watiya region on Libya’s border with Tunisia.

Akar’s visit to Tripoli also came after the Turkish parliament this week adopted a motion extending the deployment of forces in Libya by 18 months.

Upon landing in the Libyan capital, Akar held talks with his counterpart Salah Eddine Namrouch and then met Khaled el-Mechri, who heads the High State Council aligned with the GNA, an HSC statement said.

The Turkish and Libyan officials agreed during the talks to “pursue their coordination in a bid to repel any hostile” action by Libyan National Army commander Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the statement added.

Turkish support for the GNA helped stave off the April 2019 offensive by the LNA.

Turkish military presence is sparking renewed tensions in Libya. During a speech on Thursday, Haftar said there would be “no peace in the presence of a coloniser on our land” and called on his forces to “get ready”.

“We will therefore take up arms again to fashion our peace with our own hands… and, since Turkey rejects peace and opts for war, prepare to drive out the occupier by faith, will and weapons,” he said.

Libya was thrown into chaos after a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and led to the killing of long-time ruler Muammar Gadhafi.

Wracked by violence since then, the North African country has become a battleground for tribal militias, jihadists and mercenaries and a major gateway for desperate migrants bound for Europe.

Turkey has dispatched thousands of mercenaries from Syria and delivered military equipment, including advanced drones, to the GNA in its showdown with the LNA forces.

But in October the GNA and the LNA struck a ceasefire agreement, which has been generally respected, setting the stage for elections at the end of next year, after negotiations sponsored by the United Nations. The process seemed to stir concerns in Ankara about losing its influence in Libya especially after intensified contacts undertaken by the GNA’s Minister of the Interior Fathi Bashagha with Egypt and France.

Turkey’s military involvement could lead the political process to unravel, analysts say.

On Saturday, the GNA’s defence minister Namrouch told local media that Libya was striving to build a military institution with the help of Turkey.

“The Turks have helped the GNA and we thank them for that. But now we wish to reorganise the Libyan army and inject new blood into it,” he said.