The future of North Africa’s leading oil and gas producer Libya is once again under threat. International media reports that Libya’s strongman General Khalifa Haftar, leader of the LNA, the largest and strongest military power in the country, has had a stroke. Libyan and Arab news sites stumble over each other predicting the death or incapacitation of the Libyan military strongman, which would without doubt increase internal instability and could lead to a renewed power struggle in eastern Libya. Political initiatives led by several Arab countries, the UN, U.S. and EU, are to all intense and purposes null and void at present, as without clarity about the power of the LNA these deals may well fall apart. A potential removal of Haftar from the delicate balance of power that has been created in Libya will also put anti-IS and Al Qaeda military operations in doubt. The first signs of […]