Who’s fuelling the fighting in Libya?
The UAE is accused of supplying fighters trying to seize Tripoli with anti-tank missiles made in the US.
How did US-made anti-tank missiles sold to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) end up on the battlefield in Libya?
It is a question that is being asked by Libya’s internationally-recognised government in Tripoli and in Washington as well.
The Libyan army, supporting the UN-recognised government, says boxes of the weapons, stamped with UAE logos, were found in Gharyan.
Troops recaptured the city on Wednesday, three months after strongman Khalifa Haftar took control there, using it as a springboard for his campaign to seize the capital.
Haftar has the support of regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and the Emirates.
The weapons find raises questions about whether the UAE is violating internationally recognised US arms sales agreements as well as the UN arms embargo on Libya.
Inside Story discusses how regional players are propping up their proxies in the ongoing war in Libya
Presenter: Peter Dobbie
Guests:
Salah Al Bakkoush – senior adviser to the Negotiating Team of the High Council of States
Andrew Smith – spokesman, Campaign Against the Arms Trade
Lawrence Korb – former US assistant secretary of defence