The re-explosion of the Syrian crisis could also have repercussions on the delicate balance of power in Libya. Some of the acronyms to which the Syrian insurgents belong are in fact historically supported by Türkiye. Ankara has, yes, distanced itself from the ongoing offensive. However, it is difficult to believe that he has not given his approval to those groups to which he famously offers his support. If so, the relationships between Recep Tayyip Erdogan And Vladimir Putin they could fail.
The Russian president is in fact a staunch ally of Bashar al Assad: Not surprisingly, he is trying to shore up his government, despite military difficulties due to Russian involvement in Ukraine. Well, in case of turbulence between the tsar and the sultan, Libya could be affected. In fact, let’s not forget that the North African country is split between two governments: one, the Western one, backed by Türkiye; the other, the eastern one, supported by Russia.
According to reports from Nova Agencyat the end of November the Russian Deputy Defense Minister, Junus-bek Evkurovwas welcomed in Benghazi by the general Khalifa Haftar and his sons, Khalid and Saddam. This is not the first visit by the high-ranking official from Moscow. This means that the Kremlin continues to look with interest at the eastern part of Libya, among other things using it as a springboard to spread its influence over large sectors of the Sahel region. Furthermore, it is no mystery that Haftar historically enjoys Russian support. Just as it is no mystery that the general of Cyrenaica is the effective pivot around which the Eastern executive revolves.
Among other things, Middle East Eye he hypothesized that Putin may decide to move its Africa Corps, currently located mainly in Libya, to Syrian territory, to support Assad. This is an eventuality that could increase tension with Ankara. In short, it is not at all excluded that the new Syrian crisis could produce Libyan fibrillations, perhaps causing an agitated climate to explode again between the two rival governments. This is a scenario that must absolutely be taken into consideration for the impacts it could have on our country and, more generally, on the southern flank of NATO.
