Libyan warlord Haftar faces fresh US federal charges

The Libyan American Alliance (LAA) has announced a fresh federal court case on Tuesday to "seek justice for Libyan victims" of war crimes committed by General Khalifa Haftar and Wagner Group forces engaged in Libya. 

The legal proceedings also target Wagner chief Yevgeny Prighozhin, whose whereabouts are currently unknown, according to the US-based NGO.

"The charges against Haftar, including war crimes and human rights violations, will be brought before a federal court in Washington," according to Essam Omeish, director of the LAA. 

The LAA confirmed that Haftar will be pursued under a 1991 US law, the Torture Victim Protection Act, which allows for civil lawsuits against anyone who, acting in an official capacity for a foreign nation, commits acts of torture and/or extrajudicial killings.

The 1991 law has been used in previous cases against the rogue Libyan general, who holds US citizenship. 

The New Arab has requested comment from the legal team, which has supported legal challenges against Haftar and his estate for years. 

A brief statement by the Alliance released on Tuesday noted the success of previous efforts to bring Haftar to justice in the US system. 

The LAA believes that, should Haftar's position in Libya be compromised, he may try and seek refuge in the US, at which point the lawsuits would have maximum impact. 

In September 2022, the US-based alliance launched a lawsuit on behalf of three families whose sons were killed in a drone strike on a military college in Tripoli. 

Lawsuits have had considerable success in the past, several of which have ordered the Libyan warlord to compensate victims in absentia who have suffered at the hands of Haftar’s forces in the decade of chaos and war that proceeded the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. 

The Benghazi-based military commander has responded sporadically to legal proceedings - and has sometimes ignored lawsuits entirely. 

It is not clear how a US court would pursue compensation claims with the Wagner Group in a civil case.