Khalifa Haftar is a strongman who, with his sons, rules eastern Libya from Benghazi. He controls the parliament in the east, most of the country's oilfields and roughly 80% of its territory. His bloody siege of Tripoli failed in 2020, but he has since wooed allies in the hope of a comeback. In May 2025, as violence erupted in Tripoli, parliament in Benghazi declared Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh "illegitimate" and proposed replacements.
Saddam Haftar, the strongman's son, is suspected of ordering the killing of Saif al-Islam Qaddafi on February 3rd 2026. His security forces have been known to bump off his foes. He barred Saif's burial in Sirte, the Qaddafis' hometown.
Haftar is an ally of the United Arab Emirates, as is Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), the leader of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Haftar's forces have helped the RSF smuggle fuel, cars and weapons into Darfur, according to the UN. The RSF has training camps in southern Libya. In June 2025 a militia loyal to Haftar helped the RSF overrun the Chevrolet garrison in Sudan's Northern region, near the Sudan-Libya-Egypt border triangle.
On-line, adj.: The idea that a human being should always be accessible to a computer.