Over the past few months, 5,300 Syrian mercenaries have arrived to Tripoli, 199 of them were killed in combat

Erdogan's false promises in Libya

photo_camera AFP/BULENT KILIC - Archive photograph from 2019. Syrian fighters supported by Turkey

The coronavirus pandemic hasn't been able to stop - even temporarily - the dozens of wars that exist around our planet. And, not only that, but desperation and fear have caused tensions to rise, even internally, as has happened in Libya. The inhuman conditions of war, having to face death day after day and the failure of Ankara to keep its promises have created the perfect breeding ground for the Syrian mercenaries in Libya, sent by Turkey and supported by Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood, to start a rebellion against Turkish officials and militia leaders loyal to the National Accord Government (GNA) led by Fayez Sarraj. They also try to emigrate illegally to Europe via the Mediterranean, according to The Arab Weekly newspaper. During the last hours, several local media have warned about a possible confrontation between the Syrian and foreign mercenaries sent to Libya by the Turkish leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the one hand, and Turkish officers and high officials of the GNA militia, which has the support of the UN and whose headquarters is in Tripoli. 

This event has taken place after Turkey broke its promises and reduced the salaries of these mercenaries. For their part, the leaders of the militias loyal to the GNA have considered this rebellion an act of disobedience and indiscipline. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), an international organization based in London, reported last Sunday that Turkey had reduced the salaries of Syrian mercenaries who came to fight in the Libyan conflict.  Earlier this month, the same organization released an audio recording in which a Syrian fighter regretted "having participated in the battle of Libya" and asked all those who were thinking of going to this country "not to do so, because the Turkish didn't pay the monthly salary (2,000 dollars)," according to Al Masdar News.  

Clashes between the mercenaries and militias loyal to the GNA have reached the level of a riot, the newspaper The Arab Weekly said, and armed clashes are expected in the coming days. Over the past week, several cases of rebellion have been recorded around Tripoli, for example in the areas of Salah al-Din, Al-Toisha, Ain Zara and Abu Salim, which are just a few kilometers from the center of the capital. A spokesman for the Libyan security forces had explained that clashes had occurred after several groups of mercenaries had decided to abandon their positions on the front lines "indiscriminately". 

El presidente de Turquía, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, y el jefe del Gobierno de Libia de Acuerdo Nacional (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj, en Estambul, el 12 de enero de 2020

According to the same source, to which The Arab Weekly has had access, these rebellions have taken place on the Hadhaba front, between groups of mercenaries and the Abu Salim militia, led by Abdal-Ghani al-Kakli, alias "Ghniwa", and on the Salah al-Din front between the mercenaries and the 301st battalion, formerly known as the Halbous Battalion, led by Abd al-Salam al-Zoubi. These clashes were marked by accusations of weakness and racist insults directed against the mercenaries, as reported by several local media. 

The spiral of instability in which hundreds and hundreds of Syrian mercenaries find themselves, who are also seeing how Turkey has broken its promise by not paying them the agreed salary, has led to increased tensions between the mercenaries and the leaders of the Sarraj Government militias; in particular, those of the 301st battalion belonging to the General Staff Office. In this context, the mercenaries have also refused to obey the orders of Turkish officers who, according to Arab News Weekly, "appeared to be on the side of the militia leaders". 

On the other hand, this same newspaper has reported that several mercenaries have attempted to desert and migrate illegally to Europe via the Mediterranean. Faced with this situation, the Minister of the Interior of the Sarraj Government, Fathi Bashagha, has ordered a military squad to pursue any mercenary who tries to leave Tripoli. This is not the first time this has happened. In January, some of the Turkish-backed fighters began to flee to Europe, via the Italian route. Furthermore, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights went so far as to ensure that more than 15 people had achieved their goal of reaching the coasts of Europe. 

In early January, at least 2,000 Syrian fighters were deployed to Libya from Turkey to fight in the civil conflict in the North African nation. At the same time, Ankara sent hundreds of engineers and technicians to Libya to support the Government of National Accord, in order to manage the armed operations through the interference of the air defense systems and the use of drones, among many other actions. 

Combatientes del Gobierno de Libia (GNA) se reúnen en una posición cercana a la ciudad de Garabulli, en las inmediaciones de Trípoli
Turkey's failure to deliver on its promises 

Turkey's inability to keep its promises has led many of these mercenaries to wish to flee a cruel conflict which, since its inception, has killed hundreds and hundreds of civilians. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had documented an increase in the number of deaths of Syrian mercenaries who had lost their lives in the military operations in Libya, a war that was continuing despite the fact that the consequences of a pandemic such as the coronavirus could be disastrous. At the moment there are 51 confirmed cases and only one death from the disease. 

According to the Observatory, nine mercenaries supported by Turkey were killed in battles against the forces of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar on various fronts in Libya, bringing the total number of Syrian mercenaries supported by Turkey who have lost their lives in military operations in Libya to 199. Thus, the number of mercenaries who have arrived in Tripoli during the last few months has reached 5,300, while another 2,100 have been sent to Turkey for training courses. 

For his part, the spokesman for the Libyan National Army (LNA), Ahmed al-Mismari, said last week that his troops were waging a "war against Turkey" to take control of the country's capital, the seat of the National Accord government, according to the Ahval News. Last November Turkey signed an agreement with the Executive led by Fayez Sarraj by which Ankara committed itself to supporting the GNA, sending everything from military equipment to Turkish soldiers. "The Syrian mercenaries in Libya are suffering big casualties, and Turkish intelligence is ready to publish any false news in order to distract them from their big losses".

Ahmed al-Mismari, portavoz del Ejército Nacional Libio (LNA)
Deterioration of the humanitarian situation 

At the same time, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has expressed its concern over the past few hours about "the deteriorating humanitarian situation in and around Tripoli" as a result of the intensified fighting in recent days. In an official statement, the agency said that at least 28 civilians had been injured and five others killed, including women and children, following increased bombing in the regions of Ain Zara, Al-Swani, Tareeq al-Shook, Souq Al-Juma, Al-Krimya, Al-Furnaj and Arada. 

UNSMIL has also warned of the "deteriorating humanitarian situation" in Tarhouna, due to the military escalation in and around the city, which has led to further displacement of civilians. "The serious humanitarian situation is further exacerbated by the continuous power cuts, in what constitutes an apparent collective punishment of the town's population, in reprisal for the cutting of gas supplies to the Khoms and Misrata power station," they have criticized. In view of this situation, they have called on all parties involved in the conflict to put an end to this type of action and to restore the flow of gas "immediately". 

Fear and uncertainty have occupied every corner of a country that now also has to face a global pandemic such as the coronavirus. Turkey has become a major player in the conflict in Libya, a fragmented nation that has been in chaos since the fall of Muammar al-Qadhafi.

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