Pakistan strikes $4bn arms deal with Libya’s eastern forces
Pakistan has struck one of the largest arms export agreements in its history, reaching a deal valued at more than $4 billion to supply military equipment to Libya’s eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), as reported by Reuters on December 22. The agreement, which includes advanced aircraft and broader defence cooperation, is likely to attract international attention as Libya remains under a United Nations arms embargo.
The deal was finalised following a meeting in Benghazi between Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Saddam Khalifa Haftar, the Libyan National Army’s deputy commander-in-chief and the son of its leader, Khalifa Haftar. Pakistan’s foreign and defence ministries, as well as the military, did not respond to requests for comment. Authorities in Benghazi also offered no immediate response.
Pakistan’s reported agreement with the LNA fits a broader pattern of foreign influence in Libya, particularly with Haftar’s eastern-based government, which has long relied on external partners to bolster its hold over the east and south of the country.
In recent years, the LNA has received political and military backing from countries including Russia and the United Arab Emirates. As with those relationships, Pakistan’s deal underscores how international actors continue to pursue strategic and geopolitical interests in Libya through defence cooperation and arms deals. In the case of this latest deal, Pakistan is reinforcing the LNA’s grip over the country’s vast oilfields amid the country’s protracted political fragmentation.
A draft of the agreement reviewed by Reuters listed the purchase of 16 JF-17 fighter jets, jointly developed by Pakistan and China, along with 12 Super Mushak trainer aircraft used for basic pilot instruction. Two officials placed the value above $4 billion, while two others estimated it at $4.6 billion.
The LNA confirmed the existence of a defence cooperation pact with Pakistan through its official media channels, describing it as covering weapons sales, joint training and military manufacturing. “We announce the launch of a new phase of strategic military cooperation with Pakistan,” Haftar said in remarks broadcast by Al-Hadath television.
Libya has been subject to a UN arms embargo since 2011, following the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi and left the country divided between rival authorities. A panel of UN experts said in a December 2024 report that the embargo remained ineffective, noting continued foreign military involvement on both sides. Pakistani officials said the agreement did not violate UN restrictions, though it was not clear whether any exemption had been sought.
The deal aligns with Pakistan’s broader push to expand its defence exports, promoting equipment such as the JF-17 as cost-effective alternatives to Western systems and highlighting the operational experience of its armed forces, including clashes with India in May. The deal will further Pakistan and its allies’ reach into North Africa, a region where external powers are competing for influence as faith falters in Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Unity.
Reuters, Maghrebi.org
Want to chase the pulse of North Africa?
Subscribe to receive our FREE weekly PDF magazine
