Russia expands military presence in Libya in strategic relocation
Russia has expanded its military presence in Libya in a major relocation of its military following the loss of influence in Syria.
Russia has transferred members of its military and its equipment to abandoned Libyan military bases to strengthen its control over the Sahel region, an area increasingly of geopolitical interest to Moscow.
Reported by Nova News on January 14th, Moscow has relocated to the Maaten al Sarra base which sits on the border with Chad and Sudan allowing Moscow to “transform it into a strategic point for military operations in Africa.”
The Syrian military and Russian technicians are working to bring the base back into operation by restoring pivotal infrastructure like plane runways and warehouses.
The Maaten al Sarra base is set to become a key logistics hub in Africa, allowing Russia to facilitate the flow of supplies to other areas of the Sahel, like Mali, Burkina Faso, and potentially Sudan, where Russia has already established its military presence.
The move follows the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria in December 2023, who was a key strategic ally of the Kremlin. The loss of military positions in Syria has weakened its presence in the Levant.
Members of the Syrian military fleeing the new de facto Syrian government, along with Russian military members have transferred military equipment via dozens of flights between Benghazi, in Libya, and the Latakia base in Syria.
The equipment includes air defenses, MiG-29 fighters and drones, and are operated by Russian military personnel and Russian-hired mercenaries, therefore outside the supervision of an already weak Libyan government.
The new phase of Russian military expansion in Libya marks the consolidation of their presence in Northern Africa in tandem with expanding Chinese influence.
At the same time, the west is withdrawing their military presence from the region, with France agreeing to withdraw the last of their troops from Chad at the beginning of January.
Nova News
