TURKEY’S DEPLOYMENT OF TROOPS IN LIBYA HAS BEEN EXTENDED. WHAT IS ERDOGAN AIMING AT?

A few days ago, the Turkish Parliament approved an extension that would allow them to keep their troops in Libya until 2026. This step reaffirms that the Turkish state led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan is continuing with its expansionist plans and its non-stop interference in the affairs of Arab countries. Turkey is using currents of political Islam to consolidate the situation of division and the polarization inside Libya, which that country has been suffering from since 2011.

On January 2, 2020, Turkey sent its forces to Libya – specifically to the western region – as part of security agreements and memorandums of understanding with the Tripoli government. Expressing the rule of militias and extremist currents, Turkey extended their operations for an additional 18 months on June 21, 2021, and they have now extended them for a further 24 months starting from January 2, 2024.

Constant policies of Turkish intervention

Dr Hussein Al-Sharif, a Libyan academic and political analyst, said in a statement to Target Media Platform that “the Turkish Parliament decision confirms that Ankara will keep its colonial expansionist policies as long as Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in power. Their interest is all about controlling the Libyans’ sources of wealth within the framework of agreements concluded with governments in Tripoli that lack legal legitimacy.

”The Turkish President has extended his forces in Syria and Iraq before, with the argument that he is fighting terrorism or facing potential risks to his country’s national security. But what about Libya? What made him come to our country? Is there a common border that threatens his national security?”

”Erdogan does not defend a cause, but wants to impose an expansionist agenda based on neo-Ottoman ideas,” Al-Sharif added.

The Libyan academic and political analyst believes that Erdoğan’s latest decision confirms that there is no truth to the claim that the Turkish state has looked back and is correcting its relations with the region. Rather, Turkey is continuing with the same policies as in the past. They are attempting to implement their agenda by interfering illegally in the affairs of other countries.

Al-Sharif points out that the Turkish intervention in Libya has led to them sending troops, providing ammunition, allying with militias and terrorists, and sending mercenaries – including bringing mercenaries from Syria. These developments have made the situation and crisis in Libya worse, to silence from the international community in the face of Ankara’s illegal practices and interventions in many countries, including Libya.

Rejection in eastern Libya extends to Egypt

The Turkish regime has been providing support to political Islamic currents in Libya that refuse to recognize the results of the legislative elections in June 2014. These Islamist currents formed a government in the capital, Tripoli, in the west of the country and approved the continuation of the outgoing parliament. As a result, a division took place between East and West Libya.

The United Nations intervened and drafted a political agreement for the formation of a government. The legitimacy of the elected parliament was approved, and the now-defunct Council continued under a consultative format under the name of The Supreme Council of State.

The problems arose from the failure of the Tripoli government to gain the confidence of the parliament. The government became subject to the control of the militias, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Islamist movements and received Turkish support. When the Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Haftar, in charge of eastern Libya, launched a military operation against the militias in 2019, Turkey intervened through an agreement with the government in the capital. This agreement was strongly opposed by Egypt, which considered it a threat to their own national security.

Muhammad Fathi Al-Sharif, head of the Arab Centre for Research and Studies, said in a phone call to Target that “Turkey’s position is not accepted, and this troop extension creates a widespread state of anger, especially in eastern Libya, which always refuses all Turkish interventions in Libyan affairs. In recent years, it has reached the stage of direct military support for the militias, not just political support.’’

Al-Sharif stressed that Egypt is not receptive to the Turkish presence within Libyan territory in general. Based on firm principles, they reject all forms of Turkish interference in the affairs of Arab countries. Cairo has made repeated statements and announcements on this position. The Egyptian position will not change even if there is a return to diplomatic relations with Ankara.

The head of the Arab Center for Research and Studies believes that Egypt’s rapprochement with Turkey does not mean that Egypt accepts Turkish policies. Rather, the aim is to avoid disagreements in order to create a space of understanding that allows the possibility of sitting and discussing controversial issues. The first of these issues is Libya, followed by Syria. These files are, in fact, an integral part of Egyptian national security.

The extension decision means more polarization and division

Regarding the decision to extend the troop deployment, Abdul Sattar Hetita, a journalist specializing in Libyan affairs, also said in a phone call to the Target that “Libya has two conflicting sides, the reality says that one of them won and the other was defeated.  Turkey wants to claim that the western side beat the eastern side, and now they are expanding their military presence.

Hatita considers that the Turkish decision is a form of psychological warfare against eastern Libya, and that Turkey wants to convey through this extension of troops that western Libya has won and the eastern side must accept this reality. Meanwhile, this deployment will bring further division and political polarization, strengthening the separation between east and west Libya.

The Egyptian journalist pointed out that the Turkish regime now has a military presence in the bases of Al-Watiya, Mitiqiya, Al-Khums, and Al-Qaradawiya Thus, Ankara retains their former policies, and these will have an impact on the stalled political process in Libya. It is not envisaged that there will be significant developments in the period ahead, given each party’s conviction that the situation will remain unchanged.