For the first time, Libyan officers from both the east and the west of the divided country participated in the maneuvers. With the Americans simulated missions utilizing 2 B-52H Stratofortress aircraft From the 2nd Bomb Regiment, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.
The presence of US strategical aircraft over Libya proves that both the US and Russia are strengthening their influence in this North African country, key to the control of the Mediterranean and the African Sahel.
Russia has been present in the central and east regions of Libya under the control of Marshal Khalifa Haftara for years. Despite the expanding force from the US, Moscow consolidated its military infrastructure in east Libya, to which it has transported advanced air defence systems from lost Syrian bases, including S-400. Her mercenaries are deployed to respective Libyan bases.
The United States is fighting for influence in Africa
The United States is trying to reduce the Russian influence on Haftar, who in the times of Muammar Gaddafi's dictatorship collaborated with the CIA. Washington is trying to convince the Libyan marshal to rethink his alliance with Moscow., by offering his forces to carry out military missions together with Western Libya's troops, specified as border monitoring with the Sahel countries.
"The US nonsubjective is clear: to defend Libyan oil infrastructure from Russian influences and make a barrier against Moscow's penetration of the region," said Italian Agenzia Nova, quoting Musa Faraja, a associate of the Libyan advanced Council of State, who said North Africa “may shortly be at the center of fresh tensions and that Libya risks becoming a theatre of an increasingly fierce confrontation between the 2 superpowers."
Libya remains inactive divided between the internationally recognized Government of the National Agreement (GNA) in Tripoli and the Libyan National Army (LNA) of Haftara, which controls the east. This Division allows external powers, including Russia, Turkey and the United States, to exploit the instability of the country to implement its own regional plans.
