A new power struggle looms on Libya’s horizon. This time, the two rivals are Elseddiq Haftar, the eldest son of Khalifa Haftar, and Saddam Haftar, the younger, writes Il fatto quotidiano newspaper. Two very different brothers compete for their father’s trust, as in the most banal family story.

The first – strikingly similar to his father – stands out in the family of the strongman of Cyrenaica: he does not hold military positions, he is not accused of serious crimes against humanity and there are – at least for the moment – no suspicion of corruption against him. Extremely active in social networks, in his biography on X he presents himself as a businessman and a doctor of international law.

Analysts call Elseddik a “cheerful”, clean face who could be useful to the field marshal if his candidacy in the upcoming elections achieves the expected results. When the city of Derna was destroyed by the fierce storm Daniel on September 11 and the subsequent collapse of two dams on the outskirts of the city, Elseddik Haftar was in Paris. A short stopover before flying to Strasbourg for the European Parliament and then on to Brussels to participate in the Brussels European Press Club, a permanent discussion forum that brings together international journalists and was launched in 2010 by former European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. .

The reason for his visit to the European institutions is more than clear: to lobby allegedly on behalf of his father, but mostly for himself. When asked by the media, he confidently answered: “My father, thanks to his wise leadership, understood how everything was a few days before the disaster. Full combat readiness was announced: the army ordered citizens to evacuate the entire territory. But, given that the situation was unprecedented in our region, many residents did not react.”

Elseddiq strongly defended his father’s actions, but his version was soon debunked. On the other hand, loyalty to the head of the family is a distinguishing feature of all Haftar children.

But Elseddik knows he has an advantage compared to the other brothers: he doesn’t have skeletons hidden in the closet and he has a good network of contacts in Europe. “I think I have all the means to help and stabilize Libya and bring unity and cohesion to Libyans,” he told reporters. “If Libyans see that they can add value, that they can change things,” he added, “then why not?” However, Elseddik Haftar’s rise to power promises to be difficult.

The marshal has 6 children, one of whom is Saddam Haftar, the youngest, as well as the fiercest and most power-hungry, whose name is a tribute to the Iraqi dictator.

Accused of war crimes by Amnesty International, Saddam is 32 and since 2016 has led Tarek Ben Zayed’s militia, the most powerful Libyan National Army (LNA), the military force in eastern Libya that many see as a possible successor to Khalifa Haftar.

Even his father believes it, so much so that he has asked Aguila Saleh, the speaker of the House of Representatives, and Mohammed Menfi, the chairman of the presidential council, to support Saddam in the upcoming elections.

Haftar has also promoted his candidacy among Cyrenaica’s tribal chiefs, some of whom, however, do not look favorably on the field marshal’s younger son, whom they consider too violent. Despite never having attended a military academy, he was immediately promoted to captain in 2016 and then to colonel in 2019. A series of rapid promotions, which did not end there for Saddam. Last week, he was appointed chairman of the Disaster Response Committee, the body responsible for managing the emergency in Derna.

It is a pity that the young descendant of the Haftar family has no experience in organizing aid activities. Previously, this did not even apply to a small evacuation or fire. nothing However, he was entrusted with one of the most important and delicate tasks of this period.

Saddam will have to learn on the ground how to coordinate rescue teams still digging through the rubble to try to find more bodies, and above all, he will have to deal with the massive economic aid coming from the international community. A vault full of money that he will completely control.

Not bad for a man accused of attacking the headquarters of the Central Bank of Libya in Cyrenaica in 2017, stealing 160 million euros, 6,000 silver coins and another 639 million Libyan dinars (about 120 million euros to be exact). The game between the two brothers is officially open. According to the election law, Saddam would have had to give up his military posts to run for president.

But with non-existent political weight, he is unlikely to relinquish the only power he has — control over the armed forces.

Meanwhile, Khalifa Haftar continues to weave an international network that will support his rise to power. On Tuesday, September 26, he went to Moscow, where he first met with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and on Thursday, September 28, with President Vladimir Putin.

The head of the Kremlin and Haftar have not met since 2019, that is, since Haftar’s offensive on the city of Tripoli, which later failed, with the support of Wagner’s mercenaries. “They discussed the situation in Libya and the region as a whole,” Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov told the Russian state news agency TASS. Nothing concrete is yet known about the content of their meeting, only that there are two issues on the table: the possibility of Russian ships using the port – a choice between Tobruk or Benghazi – for supplies or repairs; and Russia’s future support for the Haftar cause after the departure of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Andriy Troshev, a retired colonel, former chief of staff of the Wagner group in Syria, has already been chosen as the successor to Putin’s former cook. The reorganization and rearmament of the group in Libya will depend on him.

The article is published with the support of Rador Radio Romania