Has Field Marshal Haftar ignited the spark of conflict between generals in Sudan?

The role of Libyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar in the Sudanese crisis raises questions. (illustration image) © Esam Omran Al-Fetori / REUTERS

Text by: Houda Ibrahim Follow

3 min

On April 12, just one day before the start of clashes in Sudan between the regular army and paramilitaries, one of Libyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar's sons was on a mission in Khartoum. Officially, he followed his appointment as honorary president of the second largest football club in the Sudanese capital. But that same evening, he met with General Hemedti, head of the rapid support forces that supports the same club. Al-Siddik Haftar had dinner at his home in Khartoum. According to The Observer, he passed on confidential information to her, revealing that the army was planning to attack the Rapid Support Forces.

Advertising

Read more

Was Egypt going to help the Sudanese army carry out an attack on the Rapid Support Forces? The question arises in the light of recent events before the outbreak of hostilities in the Sudan. As early as 13 April, the day after the meeting between Al-Siddik Haftar and General Hemedti - and the confidences made to him - the latter attacked the Merowe military base located in northern Sudan.

On this base were stationed Egyptian soldiers and military aircraft, ostensibly for joint military maneuvers. The soldiers were then detained and humiliated before being released after Emirati mediation. This was followed by fighting that broke out on 15 April between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum and several other cities.

Al-Siddik Haftar may have repeated that his mission in Khartoum was not political, but no one in Libya believes in it. Many voices are being raised to denounce Khalifa Haftar's interference in the Sudanese crisis. This intervention in Sudan also worries several generals of its army (the LNA). This support for Hemedti could well damage the army's relations with Egypt, an ally of Haftar.

Long-standing relations between the LNA and the FSR

Relations between the strongman of eastern Libya and the head of the Rapid Support Forces go back well to a period before the fall of Omar al-Bashir. Nevertheless, they took an important turn in Khalifa Haftar's 2019 war for control of Tripoli. Hemedti lent him a hand by sending hundreds of men to fight alongside the LNA.

Some remained in eastern Libya and were reportedly trained by Wagner's soldiers, as were Chadian rebels in southern Libya, who carried out an operation in Chad in 2021, which resulted in the death on the battlefield of General Idriss Déby.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the strongman of eastern Libya would send reinforcements in weapons, ammunition and fuel to his Sudanese ally. Since the beginning of the fighting, images have been circulating on social networks showing weapons bearing the UAE logo that were allegedly abandoned on the ground by Hemedti's forces. Its weapons would be sent from Libya.

Both Generals Hemedti and Haftar are supported by the United Arab Emirates, and are also involved in various kinds of cross-border trafficking, especially gold and uranium illegally mined in Libya and Sudan.

The Wagner group behind Haftar in Libya?

Many U.S. media outlets have recently picked up leaked secret U.S. documents. These documents demonstrate the extent of Wagner's influence in Africa and particularly in Libya. His forces have been using air bases in southern Libya under Khalifa Haftar's control for years. Satellite images show unusual movement in these bases in recent days.

The involvement of foreign parties in Sudan raises fears of a protracted conflict fuelled by external interests. Analysts warn of a catastrophic scenario where multiple regional actors and powers wage a proxy war in the country of more than 45 million people.

► Read also: Sudan: how the interests of Cairo, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh complicate the conflict between generals

Newsletter Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

Read on on the same topics:

• Sudan
• Libya
• Our selection
• Defense
• Khalifa Haftar
• Abdel Fattah al-Burhan