Libya: The South-East, South-Eastern Border


Mohammed Haftar’s relations with Russia open the door to the possibility that Russia may seek to expand the Sahel Corridor through a Maghreb perpendicular. Libya’s West is occupied by a non-Haftar aligned general but Lybia south-east is occupied by Haftar. With the recent news that Chad followed in Niger’s footsteps by calling for the Americans, whose like those in Niger, stationed a base in the country, Russia’s influence over Haftar may provide Russia with the ability to seal Lybia’s south-eastern border with Chad in a way that Lybia’s south west border is sealed with Niger. The collapse of America’s diplomacy in Chad, therefore, portends significant geopolitical consequences for the countries surrounding the Sahel corridor, especially Libya. The Maghreb perpendicular is one of those consequences.