The EU is planning cooperation with Eastern Libya to close the refugee route to Crete, it becomes clear from confidential documents available to German media. Experts warn - Europe is obeying an autocrat.
Khalifa Haftar has controlled Eastern Libya since 2017. For a long time, his militias fought against the government army in Tripoli - the capital of the divided country. Human rights organizations accuse them of war crimes, and the EU does not recognize Haftar's authority.
However, the general holds a strong trump card in his hands - African refugees arriving from Libya by boat to the Greek island of Crete, ARD writes. And it is precisely these that he uses to gain legitimacy from Europe.
Migrants as a means of blackmail
Haftar and his sons control the migration routes to Greece, they can open or close them whenever and however they want. In other words, they have a weapon of blackmail, and the EU is vulnerable, warns Wolfram Lacher, a Libya expert at the German Foundation for Science and Politics. The German public-law media ARD and the magazine "Spiegel" have access to numerous confidential documents that show how the EU really wants to get closer to Haftar.
The documents make it clear that Brussels wants to finance long-term training for the eastern Libyan coast guard, provide a radar station and build a "maritime rescue center" in Benghazi, which also falls under the control of the Libyan National Army. The goal is clearly formulated: "To limit migration". Technical negotiations have been underway in this regard for a long time, including with officials in eastern Libya, ARD points out.
Internal documents clearly indicate that the EU has succumbed to pressure from Haftar. For example, a document from the German Foreign Ministry from July states that "Haftar uses migrants as a means to achieve his goal and as a business model. (…) So far, the EU has not been able to offer anything to eastern Libya, but we hope that will change." The planned cooperation is obviously being considered, ARD explains.
Partnership instead of confrontation
The EU naval mission "Irini" is in focus. Until now, the mission's mandate has mainly covered the fight against arms smuggling and the collection of information on oil smuggling - actions aimed primarily at Haftar's forces. According to available documents, the internationally recognized government in Tripoli has advocated significantly more decisive action, which, however, has been met with criticism in Brussels. The EU apparently does not want to confront the military grouping around the general.
Instead, the training and equipment of the eastern Libyan units will now be carried out through "Irini". This means: instead of taking action against Haftar, he will be supported, the German public media outlet points out.
In the past, one eastern Libyan group has constantly attracted attention: the "Tarek bin Zeyad" brigade. "It is even more brutal than other militias and uses violence to stop boats carrying refugees," said Neske Beckman of the NGO Sea Watch, which monitors Libyan activity in the Mediterranean. Human rights groups such as Amnesty International have accused it of war crimes. The militia is led by Saddam Haftar, the son of Khalifa Haftar.
A report by the EU border agency Frontex shows how brutal it is at sea - including shooting at refugees. The European Commission told ARD that it has no contact with the Tarek bin Ziyad Brigade. The EU's goal is to "manage migration while improving conditions for migrants and ensuring compliance with international standards."
Is the EU training members of the "Tarek bin Ziyad" brigade?
Bilateral training of eastern Libyan units is already underway in several European countries, for example in Greece. At least two participants in this training have been identified by internal sources as members of the "Tarek bin Ziyad" brigade.
One of them even responded to an inquiry by ARD and "Der Spiegel." He initially denied being a member of the brigade, but responded to subsequent questions with: "Fuck you!"
Wolfram Lacher of the "Science and Politics" Foundation warns: "Everyone knows that the real power in eastern Libya is in the hands of Haftar's sons. "Cooperating with them actually means working with war criminals and traffickers," he told ARD.