Haftar has been backed by Russia and the United Arab Emirates, among others, while the GNA has received support from Turkey. Share this contentTRIPOLI: After backing rival sides in Libya's long-running conflict, Russia and Turkey appear to have agreed to avoid direct confrontation and instead carve the country into"spheres of influence", analysts say.
And in recent weeks the GNA, supported by Turkey with drones and air defence systems, has inflicted a string of battlefield setbacks on Haftar's forces. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Wednesday expressed concern about the"Syrianisation of Libya".GNA forces on Monday suspended air attacks and gave their rivals 72 hours to withdraw from the Tripoli region.Russian military aircraft then transported them to the central Al-Jufra air base, some 500 kilometres south of Tripoli.
"Taken together, these developments suggest that Turkey and Russia are trying to carve up spheres of influence in Libya.""The US, the UAE, Egypt and France might all try to torpedo a Russian-Turkish arrangement in Libya, since this would marginalise them and accord Russia and Turkey long-term influence" there, he said.
Emad Badi, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, told AFP that Russia would still take steps to"increase Haftar's dependence on them, as he is now in dire need for any form of foreign support to sustain his offensive and not lose face".Haftar has had support from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt since 2014, and analysts say Gulf countries including the UAE are bankrolling the Wagner Group's intervention.
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