Libya's Eastern Forces (Libyan National Army) led by Khalifa Haftar announced today, Friday, that it has commenced a military operation to secure the southern border following renewed fighting near the area between the Chadian government and a rebel group trying to overthrow it. They have conducted airstrikes on "foreign armed groups" near the border with Chad after clashes in the region.
Chadian President Mahamat Idris Deby stated on Sunday that the army is once again fighting the Front for Change and Concord in Chad, which has bases in Libya and withdrew from a ceasefire last week amid clashes.
Researchers on Libya indicate that the Front for Change and Concord in Chad has fought alongside Eastern Forces among many mercenary groups involved in the civil war in Libya, although they found themselves on opposing sides during fighting two years ago following the death of Deby's father.
Brigadier General Ahmed Al-Mesmari, spokesperson for Eastern Forces, stated that the operation will involve both ground and air forces. A media unit affiliated with Eastern Forces circulated photos of Khalifa Haftar's son, Saddam Haftar, overseeing the operation with other officers.
The media unit mentioned that the forces expelled members of the Chadian opposition and their families from a residential area they used in a desert town located 300 kilometers north of the border with Chad. Libya has experienced little peace or internal security since the NATO-backed uprising against Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and its southern desert borders have become a major transit route for smuggling networks.
