UAE Ran Covert Arms Flights to Aid Libya’s Haftar, UN Finds
- UN experts probing flights for embargo breach, diplomats say
- Libya war has drawn in rival foreign powers, arms, hired guns
Members of the self-styled Libyan National Army, loyal to the country's east strongman Khalifa Haftar, open fire during clashes with militants in Benghazi's central Akhribish district on Nov. 9, 2017.
Photographer: Abdullah Doma/AFP via Getty Images
The United Arab Emirates has been involved in operating a covert air-bridge to supply weapons to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar in contravention of a United Nations arms embargo on the North African country, according to a confidential UN report.
At least 37 flights in early January are being investigated by the UN panel of experts responsible for monitoring sanctions on Libya, according to two diplomats briefed on the report that was presented to the Security Council this month. Excerpts of the report were also shared with Bloomberg. The flights were operated by a complex network of companies registered in the UAE, Kazakhstan, and the British Virgin Islands to disguise the delivery of military equipment, the diplomats said.