[Midden-Oosten] Russian, Syrian Mercenaries Fighting for Haftar in Libya

[Jeff]

Russian mercenaries are fighting in Libya, UN diplomats confirm

AFP•May 7, 2020

https://news.yahoo.com/un-confirms-russian-mercenaries-fighting-libya-diplomats-004523526.html

United Nations (United States) (AFP) - Mercenaries from the Wagner 
Group, a Russian paramilitary organization seen as being close to 
Vladimir Putin, are fighting in Libya, UN diplomats said Wednesday, 
citing an experts' report on the country's arms embargo.

It was the first time the UN has confirmed claims first made in US media 
that the group is supporting military strongman Khalifa Haftar. Moscow 
has denied being responsible for deploying the group.

The report also revealed that Haftar was being supported by Syrian 
fighters.

The Wagner Group is a shadowy private security firm and thousands of its 
contractors are believed to be in foreign conflicts from Syria and 
Ukraine to the Central African Republic.

A senior US State Department official has told AFP the group is "an 
instrument of the Kremlin's policy" in Libya.

"The Panel has identified the presence of private military operatives 
from ChVK Wagner in Libya since October 2018," the UN report says, 
according to several diplomats who spoke to AFP on condition of 
anonymity as the document has not yet been made public.

"Wagner has been providing technical support for the repair of military 
vehicles, participating in combat operations and engaging in influence 
operations," the UN report says.

They are also involved in "more specialized military tasks such as 
acting as artillery Forward Observation Officers and Forward Air 
Controllers, providing electronic countermeasures expertise and 
deploying as sniper teams," it continued.

"Their deployment has acted as an effective force multiplier" for 
Haftar, it said.

The experts said they could not independently verify how many Wagner 
mercenaries were in Libya, but estimated their deployment at between 800 
and 1,200.

The report, submitted on April 24 to the UN Security Council, notes that 
there are tensions between Wagner and Haftar's command.


- No call for sanctions -

It also revealed that Haftar is receiving help from Syrian fighters, 
further complicating the conflict.

In February, Turkey said that pro-Turkish Syrians were fighting in Libya 
in support of the internationally-recognized Government of National 
Accord (GNA).

Haftar has opened a consulate in Damascus, where the regime of Syrian 
President Bashar al-Assad is backed by Russia.

The UN report says Syrian mercenaries are now fighting alongside Haftar 
-- though it said it could not identify who was responsible for training 
and financing them.

The fighters reached Libya via at least 33 flights operated by 
Damascus-based private Syrian company Cham Wings Airlines since the 
start of this year, according to the report, adding that they numbered 
less than 2,000.

The text is an update of the expert panel's last annual report from 
December, which had noted the existence of foreign armed groups from 
Chad and Sudan in the conflict, but did not mention Wagner.

Pro-Haftar forces have been battling to seize the capital Tripoli from 
the GNA since April 2019.

Foreign military involvement has exacerbated the conflict, with the 
United Arab Emirates and Russia backing Haftar and Ankara supplying the 
GNA.

A January truce brokered by Turkey and Russia has been repeatedly 
violated.

Wagner's involvement in the conflict was first revealed by The New York 
Times and The Washington Post last year. The former put their numbers at 
200, while the latter said it could be as high as several thousand.

The UN report does not recommend sanctions against the groups or any 
action to prevent their involvement.

A report by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres submitted to the 
Security Council on Tuesday and obtained by AFP also mentioned foreign 
mercenaries but did not identify them or recommend any action against 
them.


More information:
     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagner_Group