Southern Libya offensive

Southern Libya offensive
Part of the Second Libyan Civil War

Map showing the LNA's advances in southern Libya
DateJanuary – April 2019
Location
Southern Libya, with spillovers into Chad
Result HoR/LNA victory
Territorial
changes		 Libyan National Army captures Sabha, and oilfields around Sabha
Belligerents

House of Representatives (HoR)

JEM[1]
SLM/A[1][2]
 United Arab Emirates (suspected)[1]
Co-belligerents:
 Chad[3]
 France[3]

GNA/PC

Allied forces:
NSG loyalists[4]
Tuareg militias[4]
Toubou militias[4]
Chad Chadian rebels[4]

 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

AQIM (HoR claim)[5]
Commanders and leaders
Khalifa Haftar
(LNA supreme commander)
Abd al-Salim al-Hassi[1]
(LNA chief for the west)
Hassan Matoug al-Zadma[1]
(128th Brigade)
Khalifa al-Seghair al-Hasnawi[1]
(177th Brigade)
Masoud al-Jadi[1]
(Deterrence Brigade)		 Fayez al-Sarraj
(Head of unity government)
Ali Kanna[6]
(Southern military zone)
Ahmed al-Ataybi[7]
(6th Infantry Unit)
Muhammad Omar Hassan[4]
(166th Battalion)
Ahmad Allal[1]
(30th Brigade)
Ibrahim Muhammad Kari Executed[1]
(Murzuq forces)
Salah Badi[4]
(Al-Sumud Front)		 Islamic State Al-Mahdi Rajab Dungo[a]
(ISIL Minister of Defence for Libya)
Units involved

Libyan National Army

  • Tariq Ben Zeyad Battalion[5]
  • 128th Brigade[8]
  • 141st Brigade[1]
  • 166th Infantry Brigade[5]
  • 173rd Brigade
  • 177th Brigade[5]
  • 160th Battalion[4]
  • 181st Battalion[1]
  • Subul al-Salam Battalion[1]
  • Deterrence Brigade[1]

United Arab Emirates Air Force (suspected)[1]

French Air Force (only against Chadian rebels)[3]

Libyan Army

  • 6th Infantry Unit[7]
  • 166th Battalion[4]
  • 30th Brigade[1]
  • Southern Protection Force[1][9]

NSG loyalists

  • Al-Sumud Front[4]

Chadian rebels

Military of ISIL

  • Chadian militants (alleged)[4]

In late January 2019, the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive to take control of the city of Sabha and the rest of southern Libya from the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) and local factions. Officially, the LNA announced that the reason for the operation was to remove terrorists, Chadian rebel groups, and secure the border, but it expanded Haftar's territorial control and acquired him oil fields near Sabha. It also restarted some interethnic conflicts as the LNA had allied with local Arab tribes, while the Tuareg and Toubou tribal militias were loyal to the GNA.[9][10][11][12]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Cite error: The named reference Aberfoyle 2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference widha was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference crisis group 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cite error: The named reference Aberfoyle 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference herald 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Serraj appoints Shareef as new Chief of Staff and Juha as his Assistant. Libya Herald. Published 14 February 2019.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference aawsat 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference observer 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b Profazio, Umberto (15 March 2019). Push for southern Libya tests ethnic ties and regional alliances. International Institute for Strategic Studies.
  10. ^ "Eastern Libya government delegation visits key southern city of Sabha". Reuters. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  11. ^ Megerisi, Tarek (1 April 2019). While You Weren't Looking, General Haftar Has Been Taking Over Libya. Foreign Policy.
  12. ^ Wintour, Patrick (8 February 2019). Conflict erupts for control of Libya's largest oil field. The Guardian.


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