By RFIPalled on 19-04-2019Modified 19-04-2019 at 23:52

On Thursday, the Interior Minister of Fayez el-Sarraj's national unity government - officially recognized by the international community - accused France of supporting Marshal Haftar. Why is Paris regularly accused of playing the game of the strong man of eastern Libya?

In January 2016, two months after the Bataclan attacks in Paris, France chose to provide " technical " support to Marshal Haftar's forces by sending military advisers to help fight Islamist terrorism.

A support that Paris will be forced to recognize the following summer after the crash of a helicopter in eastern Libya, a crash in which three soldiers of the French special forces are killed.

From then on, France, through Jean-Yves Le Drian, in turn Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs, will give the impression of getting closer and closer to Marshal Haftar.

Control of the oil crescent

Especially from autumn 2016, when the latter gets the stranglehold on the oil growing, strategic region through which a portion of Libyan crude destined abroad passes. Jean-Yves Le Drian visits the military several times backed by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, three countries of which Paris is near.

An attitude of France that little taste the government recognized by the international community, which sees there a willingness of Paris to legitimize politically Marshal Haftar. Emmanuel Macron will also be the first Western head of state to receive him, in July 2017, for an attempt at conciliation with Prime Minister Fayez el-Sarraj .

Paris today rejects accusations of double jeopardy in this case, assuring support for the legitimate government while wishing to associate Marshal Haftar with political discussions. For the strong man of Cyrenaica, says one at the Elysee " is part of the fact of the Libyan landscape ."

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