Why is Libya’s commander Hifter visiting Russia?

The visit comes amid the aftermath of the Wagner Group’s ill-fated mutiny and the death of its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in Russia.

Libyan military commander Khalifa Hifter made a surprise visit to Russia on Tuesday during a critical time in Libya-Russia relations.

Hifter, who commands the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), was received by Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov in Moscow. The two were scheduled to discuss unspecified developments in Libya and relations between Libya and Russia, according to a Facebook post by the LNA.

Haftar in Moscow today pic.twitter.com/ZKqITjOO6P
— Jalel Harchaoui جلال حرشاوي (@JMJalel_H) September 26, 2023

Russia has supported Hifter’s forces throughout the Libyan civil war in its fight against the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, now led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.

Yevkurov also visited Libya in August, meeting with Hifter in Benghazi.

Why it matters: Hifter’s visit follows significant developments in Libya-Russia relations. In June, Russia reestablished its diplomatic presence in Tripoli and sent a new ambassador to the capital. Russia had evacuated its diplomats in 2013 following an attack on its embassy in Tripoli.

The trip also follows the aftermath of the Russian Wagner Group’s short-lived mutiny in Russia in June. Wagner has an extensive presence in Libya, including in and around oil facilities.

One purpose of Yevkurov’s August visit, which occurred a day before the plane crash that killed Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, was to reassure the LNA that Russia had control over the mercenary force, Mohamed Eljarh wrote for Al-Monitor earlier this month.

Yevkurov’s stay included a meeting with Hifter, in the company of other high-ranking LNA officers.

What exactly will happen to the Wagner Group in Libya and throughout Africa has been a matter of speculation.

“Rather than fully liquidating Wagner in Africa and the Middle East, Russian intelligence services will purge Wagner’s structures to weaken affinities to Prigozhin and strengthen ties to the Kremlin,” read a July report from Brookings.

Hifter’s visit also comes less than three weeks after the devastating floods in the city of Derna, in eastern Libya, on Sept. 10. More than 5,000 people died in the disaster after two dams collapsed amid heavy rain resulting from Storm Daniel.

The rivalry between the two governments and issues of territorial control in Libya have affected the flood response. Agence France-Presse reported earlier this month that infrastructure had fallen into disrepair due to years of political infighting in Libya.

Locals protested in Derna last week, demanding accountability for the tragedy.

Hifter and Russia are both involved in the flood response. The New York Times reported last week that Hifter is exercising control over aid to flood-affected areas that fall under his control.

Meanwhile, Russia had sent rescuers to Libya, with the Russian Foreign Ministry tweeting on Wednesday that they were concluding their mission in the country.

💬 #Zakharova: Russian rescuers are finishing their mission in Libya. For ten days, they have been working around the clock to eliminate the aftermath of #StormDaniel in the most challenging and dangerous areas.

💪 They have cleaned up almost 2,000 m3 of structures and debris. pic.twitter.com/akC7G9faJl
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) September 27, 2023

Know more: Hifter’s visit to Russia follows the visit of a US military leader to Libya. US Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, who leads US Africa Command, traveled to Libya last week to further bilateral cooperation and discuss the humanitarian response to the floods. Langley met Prime Minister Dbeibah in Tripoli and Hifter in Benghazi, among other officials, according to a press release from the command.