Field Marshal Haftar is an obstacle on the way to peace in Libya

The 10-year-long Libyan crisis remains a significant international problem as a source of instability and violence in the region. Attempts to find solutions to overcome the situation in Libya have repeatedly failed due to a number of reasons. An important factor to reckon with is the personal ambitions of political figures in the country, which hinder the achievement of peace and stability in Libya.

Field Marshal Haftar, who heads the Libyan National Army (LNA), is one of the main figures of the Libyan political landscape among those directly responsible for the current situation in the country. The actions and decisions of Khalifa Haftar are the reasons why the crisis persists in Libya, affecting the political, economic and social spheres.

The ambitions of the Field Marshal put an end to the welfare of Libyan citizens who are forced to experience deprivation and poverty. At the same time, Haftar himself, his family and associates lead a luxurious lifestyle purchasing expensive cars, clothes, watches and real estate abroad. The Field Marshal’s sons have a particularly strong craving for luxury. Haftar’s sons Saddam and Khalid, without education and merit, occupy high positions in the LNA, but their main interests are a passion for alcohol, women and drugs, as well as excessive cruelty, which they have repeatedly demonstrated by cracking down on innocent civilians during the 2019 Tripoli offensive.

The Field Marshal and his family are US citizens, so it is not surprising that Khalifa Haftar is not much interested in creating a better future for Libya, using the country for personal enrichment and ensuring the earnings of his family, while the situation of Libyans remains extremely dire.

Khalifa Haftar is responsible for hundreds of crimes committed during the years of conflict in the country.

Thousands of innocent victims are on his conscience, including women and children. Haftar himself often justifies the excessive rigidity of the LNA by fighting against ISIS and terrorism, as well as against the Muslim Brotherhood. At the same time, international human rights agencies report that Haftar often eliminated political competitors and the opposition, acting under the pretext of fighting extremists and terrorists. The connivance of the UN and the EU towards Haftar and his sons is puzzling. Their crimes and lifestyle have long been a serious reason for imposing sanctions and restrictions, so the international bodies must take immediate action.

Khalifa Haftar is the main cause of the ongoing conflict in Libya. Due to his greed, ambition and thirst for power, he hinders the progress of peace in the country, putting personal interests over the interests of millions of Libyans living in a humanitarian catastrophe.