Interior Minister of Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) Fathi Bashagha called on the United States (US) to set-up a military base in his country to address "the expansion of Russian influence in Africa”.
In press statements to “Bloomberg” news agency, he added, “The redeployment is not clear to us,” “But we hope that the redeployment includes Libya so it doesn’t leave space that Russia can exploit.”
Moreover, he claimed that the alleged Russian support for the Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Haftar is a part of a broader push for influence in the black continent.
It is worth mentioning that, earlier this week, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu met with Haftar, to discuss the situation in Libya, stressing the need to fulfill the decisions made at the Berlin conference.
Moreover, they confirmed the commitment to Libya’s independence, unity, and territorial integrity.
Libya was thrown into chaos in 2011, when a revolt – backed by a NATO bombing campaign – led to the overthrow of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi, and turned the once prosperous North African state into a battlefield pided up by various militant factions, according to Russia Today (RT).
Over the past few years, Haftar’s forces have taken control of most of Libya, apart from the capital, Tripoli.
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