# Libya **Libya** has had two governments since 2014 and no national election since then. The UN-recognized Government of National Unity under Prime Minister [[Abdul Hamid Dbeibah]] holds Tripoli and the northwest; Field Marshal [[Khalifa Haftar]] — a former Gaddafi officer who spent two decades in exile in Virginia and holds US citizenship — controls the east, the south and most of the oilfields. Russia backed Haftar with [[Wagner Group]] fighters in his failed 2019–2020 assault on Tripoli, and after losing [[Syria]] in December 2024 it made Haftar's air bases the logistics hub for its whole African operation. > [!note] Canonical country record > This page owns the bare name **Libya**. The Russian force is at [[Africa Corps]]; the leaders at [[Khalifa Haftar]] and [[Abdul Hamid Dbeibah]]. ## A divided state | Date | Event | |---|---| | Feb–Oct 2011 | Uprising, NATO air campaign, and the killing of [[Muammar Gaddafi]] | | May 16, 2014 | Haftar launches "Operation Dignity"; rival governments form in Tripoli and the east | | Mar 2015 | Eastern parliament names Haftar commander of the Libyan National Army | | Oct 2018 | UN monitors date Wagner's presence from here: 800–1,200 contractors acting as snipers, artillery spotters and electronic-warfare specialists for Haftar | | Apr 4, 2019 | Haftar's offensive on Tripoli begins; Turkish intervention defeats it by mid-2020 | | Oct 23, 2020 | Permanent ceasefire | | Mar 2021 | Dbeibah's unity government formed through a UN-run process | | Dec 24, 2021 | Scheduled national election collapses; it has not been held since | | Sep 10, 2023 | Derna dam collapse kills more than 5,900 people | | Feb 3, 2026 | Saif al-Islam Gaddafi shot dead in Zintan | | Aug 30, 2026 | UN-backed agreement on elections within 24 months — conditional on a unified government that does not yet exist | ## Russia's southern base When the Assad regime fell, Russia's Mediterranean logistics chain fell with it. Moscow shifted the hub to Haftar's territory: the al-Jufra air base, used by Russian forces since 2019; Brak al-Shati, where personnel reportedly rose from about 300 to 450 after December 2024; and Maaten al-Sarra near the Chad and Sudan borders, restored by Russia from late 2024 as a staging point for the Sahel. Reporting compiled by the Africa Defense Forum from US geospatial intelligence and other sources says Libyan bases have also been used to move weapons to Sudan's [[Rapid Support Forces]]. Britain cited Libya when it sanctioned [[Africa Corps]] in November 2024. ## The Trump track Since mid-2025 [[Massad Boulos]], Trump's senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, has run a parallel US mediation built around the two ruling families. Its reported terms would keep Dbeibah as prime minister of a unified government and make Haftar's son and designated successor, Saddam Haftar, head of the Presidential Council and co-commander of the military. Saddam Haftar was received in Washington in June 2026. The plan bypasses the UN track and has been paired with new oil licensing, including deals with ConocoPhillips, TotalEnergies and [[Chevron]]. Analyst Wolfram Lacher has warned that the "fragile stalemate" in place since 2020 may be breaking down. Libya remains under a full US entry ban. Two election timetables now compete. A June 2026 roadmap agreed by the eastern parliament, the Presidential Council and the High Council of State set elections for February 17, 2027; the UN-backed August 30 agreement allows up to 24 months. The parliament endorsed the UN agreement on September 14, but the High Council of State rejected it. Interviewed in early October 2026, Boulos denied his plan is about power-sharing between families and called it complementary to the UN effort. The UN mission's mandate expires October 31, 2026. ## See Also - [[Khalifa Haftar]] · [[Abdul Hamid Dbeibah]] · [[Muammar Gaddafi]] · [[Massad Boulos]] - [[Wagner Group]] · [[Africa Corps]] · [[Sudan]] · [[Syria]] · [[Turkey]] - [[Arab Spring]] · [[Africa]] · [[Countries Hub]]