Tripoli (AFP)
If fighting continues on the ground, south of Tripoli, another battle rages for several months in the Libyan sky between UAVs and Emirati, without changing the balance of power, according to analysts.
Since the beginning of April 4 the offensive of the strong man of the east Libyan, Marshal Khalifa Haftar, on the capital Tripoli, seat of the government of national union (GNA) recognized by the UN, the lines of front have moved little.
In the face of the status quo, the rival camps turned to more sophisticated weapons, hoping to gain the upper hand in this battle that has already killed more than 1,000 people and forced 120,000 people from their homes, according to the UN.
Libya is "probably the largest drone war theater in the world," UN envoy Ghassan Salamé said this week.
Quoted by the press services of the UN, Mr. Salamé noted a "much more intense use of drones", 600 times by one camp and 300 on the other, without specifying which camps it was.
UAVs came into play in June, despite an arms embargo imposed by the UN on Libya since the 2011 uprising that toppled the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
"Given the intensive use of air assets during the first month of the offensive (...), most of the airplanes of the two air forces are immobilized" for purposes of "maintenance", says Arnaud Delalande, specialist in defense issues.
- "Direct engagement" -
"Not wanting to stay without air power, Haftar and the GNA seem to have turned urgently to another type of craft: drones," he told AFP.
According to analysts and experts, Marshal Haftar has acquired Chinese-made Wing Loong drones from his main ally, the United Arab Emirates.
Opposite, the GNA turned to Ankara, which supports less and less discreetly its forces, to equip itself with Turkish drones of type Bayraktar.
Since then, the goal of each side has been to destroy the opponent's drones and their command centers.
For example, Marshal Haftar's forces repeatedly carried out air raids against the Mitiga airport, the only facility in the Libyan capital that is currently closed, claiming to target Turkish drones or the command center of the aircraft each time.
"This air war has become a direct commitment between the two main sponsors of the ANL (Libyan National Army self-proclaimed by Marshal Haftar) and the GNA" respectively Abu Dhabi and Ankara, says Delalande.
Ahmad al-Hasnaoui, a retired Libyan general, believes that on the side of Camp Haftar, the drones support the ground forces and play "an important role in weakening the forces and supply lines" of the pro-GNA. And vice versa.
- "Not an end in itself" -
Libyan analyst Jalal al-Fitouri also emphasizes the "crucial role" of the drones in the Battle of Tripoli, and notes an "intensification" since the end of June of the air raids against the bases of take-off of drones of the two rival camps.
"The United Arab Emirates' Wing Loong track down the Bayraktar's runways to destroy the ANG's air potential, but fail to do so," Delalande said.
"The Turks have diversified their way of action by using roads to get their aircraft off the ground and by spreading relay antennas over the whole area between Tripoli, Misrata and al-Jufra (center) to increase the range of action. of their drones, "adds the expert.
Wing Loong or Bayraktar? Regardless of who wins, "drones are not an end in itself" if land forces do not progress, says Delalande.
In the face of the status quo on the ground, the UN is encouraging the Libyan belligerents to silence their arms and restart a compromised political process since the outbreak of Marshal Haftar's offensive.
But for Mr. Delalande, the latter "pushes the United Arab Emirates to engage even more".
"Mirage strikes (used by UAE air forces) are not to be ruled out in the coming weeks," he says. Opposite, Ankara "no longer hides its support for Tripoli, without directly engaging its air potential."
In early September, Salame called on the international community to end the conflict, fearing "an intensification of military support" to either party "plunging the whole region into chaos".
© 2019 AFP