Libya-Chad Joint Security Force Launched as Haftar Expands Border Operations
Launched amid swirling desert dust and uncertainty, a joint Libyan-Chadian force announced in mid-November pairs troops from General Khalifa Haftar’s eastern command with Chadian border units, aimed at bolstering security cooperation against smugglers, armed gangs and human traffickers. The initiative is overseen by Saddam Haftar, Khalifa Haftar’s son and the LNA’s deputy commander, who has ordered Libyan border guards and desert patrols to begin joint operations with their Chadian counterparts. Haftar’s War Information Division said the force will “support security cooperation” between the two countries as it seeks to clamp down on criminal networks along the frontier. This security pact, announced on a dusty desert outpost, comes as Libya’s leaders also court foreign partners: earlier this year, Tripoli hosted its first Spanish trade mission in more than a decade, and dozens of Italian executives attended an economic forum in Benghazi. These overlapping moves reflect a narrative among Libyan officials that stability and development must advance together.
Securing the South
Saddam Haftar’s shadow looms large over Libya’s unsettled south. The LNA’s deputy commander recently completed a sweeping tour of Libya’s remote border regions – from Ghat and Ubari in the west across to Kufra in the east – inspecting checkpoints and security posts. Shortly afterwards, LNA statements described how the desert patrol of the Subul Al-Salam battalion had been tasked with carrying out field operations alongside their Chadian partnersthetripolipost.org. The timing reflects accelerating unrest: pro-Haftar media point out that several Chadian rebel groups have been attempting to regroup in southern Libya, raising alarms in N’Djamena. At the same time, the war in neighboring Sudan is intensifying and spilling over Libya’s ill-defined southern frontiers. In this volatile landscape, Libya’s eastern military appears to see a bilateral security pact with Chad as a necessary buffer against regional chaos. Within the LNA itself, recent personnel changes underscore the emphasis on the south: on the same week as the announcement, the LNA appointed a new chief of staff and elevated Saddam Haftar to the army’s deputy command, a reshuffle that Haftar’s camp says strengthens unity of command.
Economic Outreach and Institutional Challenges
In parallel with these security developments, Libyan officials have been eager to showcase new economic opportunities. In Tripoli this winter, the Libyan Business Council hosted the first Spanish trade delegation in over a decade. Over several days of meetings, Spanish and Libyan agribusiness leaders discussed partnerships in farm equipment, modern technology and investment, and delegates toured nurseries and model farms to assess Libya’s agricultural potential firsthand. The council said the visit was part of broader efforts “to support development and enhance international partnerships”. In the east, a Libya–Italy forum in Benghazi convened some eighty Italian business executives, according to Italian media, who signed dozens of cooperation agreements in energy, transport, infrastructure and other sectors. Together these visits signal a cautious optimism that foreign investors are reconsidering Libya as its security picture shifts.
These overtures coincide with tentative moves toward institutional reconciliation. Earlier this fall the Central Bank of Libya said it had expanded talks with both Tripoli’s Government of National Unity and the rival eastern authority over a unified budget and economic reforms, an unprecedented moment of coordination. And this month Tripoli announced that Beijing will fully re-open its embassy in Libya’s capital after a decade abroad, a step praised by a Libyan–Chinese economic chamber as symbolic of deepening ties. Taken together, the security partnership with Chad and this flurry of diplomatic and commercial activity reflect a dual strategy by Libyan leaders: shore up stability on the ground while encouraging investment and institutional alignment. Whether these moves can break Libya’s long cycle of conflict remains to be seen, but for now they represent a notable thaw in a country slowly inching toward rebuilding.
