Despite the smiles, yesterday’s European Council meetings was overshadowed by various grim realities including the reality of blackmail by Libya’s new dictator Khalifa Haftar.
European leaders forecast a renewed wave of migrants heading towards Europe from Libya this Summer. The EU and Italy have deals with the north African countries to prevent the migrants from crossing to the Mediterranean. In exchange for this cooperation, the north African countries are being paid significant amount of funds.
Khalifa Haftar, the rump dictator of Benghazi does not have a deal signed with the EU over migrants, but The Maltese Herald has been informed by foreign diplomatic sources, that Khalifa Haftar has been blackmailing the Italian government with migrants in exchange for lucrative deals similarly signed with other north African countries. Instead of signing official agreements with him, Italy is now trying to appease Haftar with business contacts. Benghazi just held the Libyan Italian Forum for Development and Reconstruction in collaboration with the support of the Italian government under the shadow of Haftar’s blackmail.
Khalifa Haftar has recently caused a migration crisis in the Libyan border triangle after having invaded Sudan. The Nigerian investigative journalist Philip Obaji Jr claims that Russia is purposefully causing migration crisis in Africa to increase the pressure on Europe and achieve greater leverage over it.
Khalifa Haftar is an ally of Russia and he is allowing the Russians to build a military presence in the east of Libya. He is also trading oil with Russia and is negotiating several energy projects with major Russian energy companies. Khalifa Haftar is also deeply involved in oil smuggling, sanction-breaking and also the illicit flow of arms to the genocidal Rapid Support Forces which he supports.
Effectively, Khalifa Haftar is building a rump dictatorship in the east of Libya which is being allowed to break sanctions and even allow the Russian military, specifically the Wagner Group build a strong military’ presence there. Europe, especially Italy, is doing business with Khalifa Haftar not by choice, but out of fear that he will follow through on his threats to allow African migrants to leave the Libyan shores in large numbers.
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