Moscow continues to transfer equipment to its bases in Libya in order to strengthen its arc of influence in Sahel, as evidenced by the ongoing reconstruction of the Maaten al-Sarra airfield near Chad and Sudan.

About this writes Le Monde.

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When on December 8, 2024 the regime of Bashar al -Assad collapsed in Damascus, the attention of the world immediately switched to Libya, where another autocrat, Marshal Halifa Haftar, the owner of the Kirenaika (East) and Fitzan (South), also enjoys Russian military support. Flights of the private Syrian company Cham Wings, which transferred disorganized officers of the army of Bashar Assad to Bengham, the stronghold of the Haftar clan, demonstrated a clear connection between two theaters of military operations. The connection was formed around the general interests of two family oligarchs united by both Russophilia and business (in particular, by the trading of the captagon).

Something similar was expected in Libya. However, the domino effect did not occur. The forces built in Kirenaic by 81-year-old caliph Haftar and his sons (Saddam, Haled and Belgasim) survived the earthquake in Damascus. And the reason for this is Russia, which not only does not leave Libya, where it settled from 2019–2020 under the auspices of the Haftar, but also threw part of its forces there, thereby continuing to protect her local allies.

Russian transport aircraft at least three to four times a week transport goods to Al-Himim and al-Jufra bases. It is possible that Russia plans to make Libya the new main base of the Middle East to replace Syria. . Now Russian planes are forced to fly directly from Belarus on the route bypassing Turkey supporting the government of the National Unity of Libya Abel Hamida Dbayba in Tripoli, with whom the Loyal Russian Federation Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, which controls the east of the country. . However, due to the cessation of the message between the Russian base of Tartus in Syria and the Eastern Libyan ports of Tobruk and Bengham, the ships are forced to go directly from the Baltic Sea through the Atlantic and Gibraltar. . He was abandoned for some time and was not used, but now Russia plans to make a full -fledged naval base out of it - in case it is not possible to agree with the new Syrian authorities and maintain its presence in Tartus.

Already, Russia is already using Libya as a logistic hub to strengthen its influence in the countries of Sahel (Burkina-Faso, Mali, Niger and Sudan).

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Recall that the army of Sudan, who is one of the parties in the country ongoing civil war in the country, said that she was ready to receive weapons from Russia in exchange for Moscow's permission to create a military refueling station on the Red Sea coast. This is a blow to the United States, since Russians enhance influence in the African country. Sudan considers her "