Libyan army accuses Egypt of sending weapons to Haftar 'disguised as aid'

The army claimed the weapons were hidden inside a batch of medicine onboard cargo planes which touched down in the southern Libyan city of Sabha on Tuesday.

"Two Egyptian C-130 aircraft landed in Sabha Airport under the pretext of bringing medicines, but brought weapons and ammunition," Abdelhadi Drah, a spokesperson for the Libyan army's Sirte-Jufra Operations Room told the Turkish news agency Anadolu.

Drah said that the shipment contained only a small amount of medical supplies with the rest of the cargo made up of weapons and ammunition.

Read also: In Libya, Washington wades into the political mess it helped to make

On Tuesday, the Libyan Health Ministry announced on its Facebook page that "two batches of medicine and medical equipment presented by the Arab Republic of Egypt had arrived at Sabha International Airport, in coordination with the Government of National Unity".

The news was confirmed by the pro-Haftar Libyan Al-Hadath TV channel.

Rogue General Khalifa Haftar's militias were previously in conflict with the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), before it became part of a unified authority.

Haftar received backing from Egypt, Russia, and the UAE, while the GNA was supported by Turkey.

Under a ceasefire deal agreed in October 2020, the GNA stepped down last March to make way for a new Government of National Unity, headed by interim Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibah.

Despite the ceasefire, occasional clashes have erupted between Haftar's forces and those loyal to the former GNA.

Haftar's forces have also reportedly engaged in efforts to mobilise and re-arm.

On Tuesday, the Libyan army said it had recorded planes belonging to the Wagner Group, a Russian private security firm which has given support to Haftar before, over the city of Al-Jafra south-east of Tripoli.

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