Saddam Haftar central to US plans for Libya

A US backed effort to reunify Libya is now centred on a power sharing formula that could elevate Saddam Haftar while keeping Abdul Hamid Dbeibah in office, as reported by the Financial Times and agencies on June 17th.

The initiative is being advanced by Massad Boulos, US President Donald Trump’s adviser on Middle East and African affairs, the stated goal is to bring Libya’s divided institutions under one authority after years of failed UN led attempts to move the country toward elections.

The plan would place Saddam Haftar, son of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar, at the head of an executive presidential council, Dbeibah who leads the internationally recognised government in Tripoli would remain prime minister, while a close relative would take a national security role.

The proposal would formalise a balance between Libya’s two dominant power centres, the Dbeibah network in the west and the Haftar family in the east.

Boulos has linked political unification to new investment by US energy companies, arguing that Libya’s oil production could rise sharply if institutions are stabilised and the business environment improves.

ConocoPhillips and Chevron have already signed agreements with Libya in 2026, adding a clear commercial dimension to Washington’s renewed interest.

Libya’s rival sides agreed a unified national budget in April while both eastern and western forces took part in US led military exercises, these steps suggest Washington is trying to build practical cooperation before a full political settlement.

Still, the plan faces the same problem that has undermined earlier initiatives, that of legitimacy.

Libya’s crisis is not only a dispute between two executives but a wider struggle involving armed groups, rival institutions, foreign patrons and public distrust of closed door deals.

The US may be prioritising stability and oil access over political renewal, if the plan reduces tensions it could create a temporary framework for cooperation but if it entails the same actors who benefit from division, it risks becoming another arrangement that manages Libya’s crisis without resolving it.

Financial Times plus agencies, maghrebi.org