Russian mercenaries are multiplying on Libyan soil. For the first time, a UN report confirms the presence in Libya of private soldiers employed by the Russian group Wagner, to support Marshal Haftar, the strong man of eastern Libya, who has been seeking to conquer Tripoli since April 2019 .

The implication of these mercenaries had been revealed in 2019 by American media but it is the first time that the UN confirms in this expert report, submitted to the Security Council on April 24. The Wagner group is reputed to be close to President Vladimir Putin, but Russia has always denied any role in the presence of Russian mercenaries in Libya.

"A force multiplier"

"The group of experts identified the presence of soldiers deprived of ChVK Wagner in Libya since October 2018." He estimates their number "at no more than 800 to 1,200", but stresses not "being able to independently verify the importance of their deployment", according to the summary.

>> In Libya, Russia in search of influence

Members of the Wagner group "provide technical support for the repair of military vehicles, participate in combat and influence operations", according to UN experts. They also help in the field of "artillery, air traffic control, provide expertise in electronic countermeasures and deploy snipers".           

"Their involvement has acted as a force multiplier" for Marshal Haftar's troops, experts say. "Private soldiers from the Russkie System Bezopasnosti (RSB) group have also been identified as providing maintenance and repair to military aircraft." There are also reports of a "January 6, 2020 deployment to Benghazi of members of the private military groups Moran Security Group and Schit Security Group," said the summary.

The unprecedented involvement of Syrian troops alongside Khalifa Haftar

Experts finally claim to have evidence of a transfer of Syrian fighters from Damascus to Libya. The presence of Syrian combatants to support the Government of national unity in Tripoli, opponent of Marshal Haftar, had been confirmed in February by Turkey, engaged militarily since the beginning of the year with the Government of National Union (GNA), directed by Fayez el-Sarraj.

But that of Syrian fighters who came from Damascus to help Khalifa Haftar is unpublished information. In early March, authorities in eastern Libya reopened a Libyan embassy in Damascus after eight years of severing diplomatic ties between Libya and Syria.

In their report, the experts state that they are unable to identify those responsible for the recruitment and financing of the mercenaries who came to fight alongside Marshal Haftar.

Antonio Guterres does not identify Russia or Syria as the country of origin of mercenaries. But in a report to the Security Council dated May 5, the UN secretary-general denounces "continuous information on the involvement of foreign mercenaries for the benefit of the GNA and the ANL" (Libyan National Army of Haftar) " in violation of the arms embargo "decreed in 2011. Neither he nor the UN experts recommend punishing those responsible for the violations.

With AFP

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