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France 24
France 24
World
Leela JACINTO

Russia woos Haftar, but can the Derna floods give Libyans another chance?

Khalifa Haftar Libya Russia United States Derna YunusBek Yevkurov Benghazi Yevgeny Prigozhin Moscow Europe
A file photo of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (left) meeting Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar (right) taken January 13, 2020, in Moscow. © Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP

Moscow seized the disaster diplomacy initiative after the deadly Derna floods, with Russian Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov arriving in eastern Libya with a promise of aid. Russia is helping Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar while seeking geostrategic payback. But the Derna tragedy has also drawn the US back into Libya, and that could be a game-changer.

On a moonless night shortly after two dams in the port city of Derna collapsed, killing thousands, a hulking Russian Ilyushin IL-76 military cargo aircraft landed at an airport near Benghazi in eastern Libya.

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