UAE appears to be using remote airbase in eastern Libya to help Haftar

According to the defense publication IHS Jane's, the United Arab Emirates is flying warplanes from a remote airbase in Libya to the south-east of Marj, the headquarters of eastern commander Field Marshal Kahlifa Haftar.

Jane's Defence Weekly that reports on military and corporate affairs is owned byIHS. Jane's claims that the UAE is operating a propeller-driven AT-802U light aircraft, helicopters, and surveillance drones from the Al Khadim airport which is to the southeast of Marj. Jane's has a photograph dated July 23 of 2016 that shows six of the AT-802's known as Air Tractors, along with two Black Hawk helicopters, two drones and an Ilyushin II-76 transport aircraft. The Air Tractor is so-called because it was originally made as a crop dusting plane. The report refers to an Air Tractor photo on social media about this time. The plane was said to have been modified by the U.S. company IOMAX so that it can carry "an electro-optical pod, guided bombs, missiles, rockets and guns". However, it is not clear when exactly the photo was taken.

The Libyan Express also reports on the base:IHS Jane’s revealed that Al-Khadim Airport is in Al-Marj province around 100 km from Benghazi, where the UAE aircraft are supporting “so-called Libyan National Army (LNA) forces”, which are Khalifa Haftar-led Dignity Operation forces fighting Benghazi Shura Council fighters in Benghazi.

The article adds some further details from the Jane's report.

The Jane's article points out that at the beginning of 2016 there was little development at the airbase. A 2004 Google shot shows only a runway with no buildings at all. There were no tire marks on the runway suggesting it had not been used. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) give the airbase code HL59. In March of this year new buildings and an aircraft dispersal area were observed. By June there were also hangars under construction. While all of the aircraft listed are types used by the UAE, Jane's does not explain how they identify the aircraft as belonging to the UAE. The Jane's report appears just a day after Haftar had arrived in the UAE for talks with the UAE defense minister Mohammed Al-Bawardi. Up to know there has been no reaction to the report from Haftar or the UAE government.

Haftar was said to be in Abu Dhabi to discuss the defense needs of Libya, meaning those of the east where he and the House of Representatives government are in control. He also is said to have discussed wider problems in the area. Haftar's visit comes just a day after that of Martin Kobler, the UN envoy to Libya. The UAE news agency has not even mentioned Haftar's visit. However, officials at Haftar's headquarters in Marj claim that the visit was at the request of U.S. officials who are anxious to convince him to support the Government of National Accord (GNA). The U.S. had no comment on this. However, a U.S. Congressional Committee was also in Abu Dhabi and met with the Under-Secretary of the Minister of Defense. In September Faiez Serraj, PM of the GNA visited Abu Dhabi for talks. The UAE has been helping Haftar for some time as indicated in an earlier Digital Journal article. As shown on the appended video, the UAE was probably involved in August of 2014 in air strikes on Tripoli.

Libyan ambassador to the UAE resigns

The long-serving Libyan ambassador to the UAE, Aref Nyad, has resigned. He was originally appointed to the job by the National Transitional Council (NTC) in June of 2011.

In a letter to Ageela Saleh, President of the House of Representatives (HoR) Nyad gave no reason for his resignation but said that it had been an honor to serve as ambassador. He said that all official documents and stamps had been handed over to the financial controller of the embassy. A document attached to the resignation letter says that Nayed had not been paid his salary or received any money during the long period he was ambassador. However, it is not thought that non-payment of his salary was a reason for his resignation. One wonders why Nyad's salary was never paid. You would think this should be a reason for his resignation! However, it is Nyad rather than the UAE who has opted for this arrangement: "Nayed has resigned five times, each resignation being rejected by successive Libyan governments. During his tenure as Ambassador, Nayed has never taken a salary nor exercised diplomatic privileges."

The Libya Herald suggests that exasperation with the political impasse in Libya and the inability of Libyan politicians to do anything to solve the crisis were the main reasons for his decision to resign.

Nyad was born in Benghazi in 1962 and raised in Tripoli. He and his family fled to Costa Rica, Hong Kong, the U.S. and then Canada after the family property and businesses were confiscated by Gadaffi. Nyad received a BSc. in Engineering from the University of Guelph in Ontario, and afterwards a PhD in Hermeneutics. He also studied Islamic philosophy and theology at the University of Toronto and also Christian theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

Nyad was back in Libya in the late nineties:In 1998, Nyad interrupted his academic career at the behest of his father and founded Agathon Systems Limited/Alada, an engineering and technology enterprise focused on building data centers, networking and banking infrastructures across Libya. Prior to the Libyan Revolution in 2011, Agathon represented 33 global technology companies in Libya, including IBM, CITRIX, NCR, Nortel, Microsoft and APC. Nayed directly oversaw the implementation of projects across Libya and deployed some of the earliest projects in the automation of both the oil and banking sectors of Libya. Nayed's companies introduced ATM systems across the country and was responsible for the national payment system for the Central Bank of Libya.The Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) could probably use his expertise in building the financial system and ironing out difficulties.

Nyad was active during and after the revolution against Gadaffi and when Tripoli was liberated in August of 2011 he was made head of the Libya Stabilization Team. During the early days of the revolution, Nyad was active in gaining international support for the new government and he convinced the UAE to become the first country to recognize the rebel government. Nyad still has academic interests in Libya as he heads the Libyan Institute for Advanced Studies(LI(AS) which has campuses in Tripoli. Bayda, and Tobruk. The Libya Herald suggests that he may concentrate his work on the LIAS.

During the negotiations for the Libya Political Agreement, Nyad let his name stand among 12 names presented by the House of Representatives to the UN but Faiez Serraj was chosen as PM of the GNA and Nyad was not among those named. The rival General National Congress(GNC) did not submit any names. Nyad said that Serraj was his friend and he would help Serraj in any way he could. He also said he might run in a future election.

In an article in The Star in April of this year, Nyad claims that Islamists hijacked the Libyan revolution. He also criticizes Morsi, the Islamist who was elected president of Egypt. But Nyad refuses to criticize el-Sisi or even mention the thousands of protesters killed and jailed under Sisi, instead saying: "It is very simple for the Islamists to play the victim-hood game, which they are very good at!" He manages to blame the Islamists for hijacking the revolution without ever bringing up the subject of Haftar's Operation Dignity, or his attempted coup of February 2014, or his constant criticism of the peace process and rejection of the GNA. In fact, Haftar's name does not even come up at all!

The Libyan Gazette has quite a critical article on Nyad's resignation. The Gazette remarks that it is not clear why Nyad resigned. Some claim it is to further his political career. Others say it is that the UAE policy is changing away from Nayed and those he backs. The Gazette claims Nyad's popularity in Libya while he had been ambassador to UAE has declined. The Gazette mentions the secret airstrikes by the UAE in August of 2014 on Tripoli which were in support of Haftar's Operation Dignity. In April of 2016 the UAE sent an illegal shipment of Armored Personnel Carriers and military pick-up trucks to Haftar. The Gazette notes the UAE made several donations since 2012 which violated the UN arms embargo. The Gazette claims that UAE drones have also been used in attacks in the Benghazi suburb of Ganfouda killing many civilians. The Gazette notes: Despite the United Nations Security Council’s call on all UN Member States to end official contact with any parallel institutions that claim legitimacy in Libya, the UAE has continued to undermine the country’s attempts at unification and national resolve by supporting the House of Representatives and Haftar. Nyad's connection with the arrest of several business people, some dual citizens of Canada and the US, is also problematic. He certainly was no help in having them released it seems.

Another, possible reason for Nyad's resignation may be that he is suspected of having a role in the recent attempted coup d'etat in Turkey. Whatever, the cause of Nyad's resignation it is quite possible that he will seek out a role in Libya's politics. The Gazette suggests that Nyad could further divisions already present in Libya. However, perhaps with his business expertise and connections he could help the GNA improve services to Libyans as he did under the Gadaffi regime.