Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) has retaken control of Tarhuna, a major western stronghold from rebel commander Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army (LNA), just one day after retaking Tripoli and its international airport, ending a fourteen-month assault on the capital. Despite the government’s latest victories, the conflict is far from over as Haftar’s LNA still controls the country’s east and large parts of the south where critical oilfields are located.
In early June, the UN reported that both sides had agreed to resume cease-fire talks, however, it is expected that the GNA may use the shift in momentum to further repel LNA forces from Libya’s northwest. The LNA is backed by Russia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, while the GNA is supported by Turkey, Italy, and Qatar. The conflict in Libya has strained relations between Russia and Turkey, which also find themselves on opposing sides of the battlefield in Syria.
Click here to read our Insight on the Associated Risks of the Libyan Civil War.
