THE most important story in Libya this year is unfolding in a Paris hospital. Khalifa Haftar, the general who rules the east of the divided country, checked into the Val-de-Grâce military hospital earlier this month. His condition is a mystery. There are reports that he suffered a stroke and may be in a coma—or even dead. His spokesman insists he merely needed some tests and will return home in a “few days”, though he said that weeks ago. The French government is tight-lipped. But reality may now matter less than perception. General Haftar has not been seen since early April. His grip on eastern Libya is faltering and his allies are scrambling to find a successor.
It is a stunning fall for one of Libya’s most powerful and polarising figures. General Haftar (pictured above) backed the coup that in 1969 brought Muammar Qaddafi to power, but eventually ran afoul of the dictator and wound up in exile in America. He returned to Libya during the uprising that toppled Qaddafi in 2011. In early 2014,...Continue reading
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