The greatest treat for Haftar, the war contractor

In Libya, the legitimate Government of National Accord (UMH), recognized by the international community, has with Turkey's support all but wiped out Haftar's rule. For days it was being said that Haftar was no longer on Libyan soil, but where he was nobody knew. There is still no clarity on this, but it was even said that his private plane, without carrying him, went to Venezuela and back, and that this traffic was repeated many times.

These were unconfirmed reports, to be sure, but even this much has a symbolic expression that reflects very well Haftar's relationship with Libya. For it was said that Haftar's plane was carrying the gold and money he had smuggled out of Libya, and in fact this is the one point at which a man whose only tie to Libya is professional warlordism has arrived and will arrive.

It has been known from the start. Neither the Libyan people nor Libyan patriotism concerns Haftar. He is a warlord who fights in Libya professionally, on behalf of others, for money or power. One should not expect the defeat he suffered at the hands of Turkey or the Libyan UMH to cause him any identity or personality trauma. He took on a war contract. He had probably received the price of his work up front from those who hired him, but, like a bad contractor whose contract is terminated and whose guarantee is forfeited because he could not meet the obligation to finish the job, he will try to smuggle out whatever he can.

This behavior itself probably angers those who gave him this job and pinned their hopes on him. In fact, we said earlier too that in one respect Haftar is also dependent on those who gave him this job, because one of the risks of the job he took on is the crimes against humanity and war crimes he will commit. These war crimes, after a certain point, make both him and those who gave him the job compelled to one another.

But even this compulsion goes only so far. With the UMH's counteroffensive, Haftar was routed along with all his legionnaires. One handicap of those who do business in his style is that those fighting in their ranks are ultimately fighting for money. In this mode of work, where there is neither religion, nor homeland, nor any human ideal, the high risk of death is not something the legionnaires can easily bear.

Yet the UMH units have a homeland they must protect and save, a sense of honor, a religion and ideals. For this reason, their readiness to face death is a very ordinary thing.

Now, although Haftar and those fighting on his side have no standing left on the ground, Russia is trying to put forward a negotiation and political solution card on his behalf once again. This makes the situation even stranger than it is. Turkey, for its part, was saying that Haftar had no standing left, that in fact he never had any from the beginning, and that he was a war contractor doing a professional job on behalf of those who supported him. The ones who had really given the war contractor the job needed to come out. And they did. But although this emergence has no legitimacy whatsoever, they are trying to take refuge in the legitimacy of speaking on behalf of a dead body they are forcibly holding upright.

In his telephone conversation with President Erdoğan, Putin reportedly said, "A ceasefire must be observed as soon as possible for dialogue between the parties in Libya." Erdoğan, for his part, said, "The one violating the ceasefire is not Serraj, the legitimate leader recognized also by the UN, but Haftar. And he draws his strength from you," and thus, in effect, told Putin to his face, in the clearest terms, that this game must now be brought to an end.

Although the ceasefire decision announced in Berlin included provisions on enforcing an "arms embargo," Russia applied no embargo whatsoever to Haftar, yet kept demanding that an embargo be applied to the legitimate government. Now, despite all the support they have given, they are demanding a ceasefire to save Haftar, who is finished, and his projects.

Turkey, for its part, states openly that it does not want to be occupied with a figure with no real existence like Haftar. If Haftar had had a real existence, a standing among the Libyan people, he would not have collapsed so easily despite so much support.

The greatest hospitality that can be shown to the dead is to bury them; trying to hold them upright by force is the greatest torment for the dead. Least of all is there anything to be gained by taking refuge behind a dead man.

Libya is rapidly approaching a real solution. The solution is to leave Libya to the Libyan people. The parties that will take part in negotiations on this need to set out what they want not for themselves but for Libya. Anything else is nothing but a blatant and disgusting appetite for plunder.

Turkey: for Libya, territorial integrity, the right of the Libyan people to self-determination, and the establishment of a political order within a political process with the participation of all the Libyan people and in which everyone's rights are respected.

What does Russia want in Libya, and on what basis of legitimacy is it present there?

Egypt, the BAE, France, Saudi Arabia: let each of them state clearly why they are in Libya and what they want there for themselves.

They should also, if they would be so kind, explain what these wants mean for the Libyan people. Of course, how far will the justification be from the logic of "I saw a plunder, so I came to take a share too," as it appears right now? Will they be able to show this distance? Let us see.