UN sanction committee charges UAE for purchasing military equipment to sink boats off Libya

A panel of experts under UN Libya Sanction Committee has accused a UAE company for supplying helicopters and boats to rebel General Khalifa Haftar to attack vessels off Libyans coasts, Anadolu news agency reports.

In confidential letters, the Panel of Experts has named Emirati company Fulcrum Holding in the purchase of six helicopters and two boats to the tune of at least $18 million, through a Jordan-based company.

The equipment, including three Puma helicopters from South Africa, were shipped to Jordan then later to Libya, Anadolu reports citing anonymous source.

Three other helicopters, French-built SA 341 attack, were bought from Gabon to be deployed to Libya while the two 20-person MRC1250 boats were purchased via Malta-based Sovereign Charterers and destined to Haftar’s mercenaries, the Turkish news agency adds.

The source also revealed that 20 to 25 mercenaries went to Benghazi to receive the helicopters and boats, destined to carry out raids on vessels off Libya, pull them to the coast and search them for military equipment.

A logo of the Jordan-based company was embroidered on the helicopters and boats to give the impression they were doing “geographical researches” against the risk that equipment could be noticed by satellite, the source also told the agency.

 

Libya has been embroiled in a political and military crisis since the collapse of the regime of Colonel Gaddafi in 2011 in a NATO-backed revolution. The country has been divided between the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) and east-based government backed by Haftar.

Haftar, backed by the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, France, USA, and Russia launched in April last year an offensive in an attempt to topple the GNA.