Libyan National Army Conducts Two-Week Military Exercises

The Libyan National Army is conducting what officers describe as its largest military exercise to date across eastern and southern Libya. The two-week drills, which began earlier this month, involve more than 25,000 troops, tank formations, and Russian-made Pantsir air-defense systems. General Omar Mrajah Al Jedid, the officer overseeing the exercises, said the maneuvers will conclude on May 19.

The exercises are taking place at a military encampment about 100 kilometers from Derna. Armored vehicles moved across the sandy terrain during a visit by AFP journalists over the weekend. The drills mark the anniversary of the LNA's 2014 Operation Dignity campaign against jihadist groups in Benghazi. That campaign gave the LNA control over eastern Libya and parts of the south.

Noureddine, a senior commander near the village of El Ezzeiat, told AFP the maneuvers send "a message for our friends and our foes." General Omar Mrajah Al Jedid said the exercises demonstrate the army's ability to protect Libya's borders from smugglers and terrorist groups moving through neighboring countries.

Libya has remained divided since the 2011 uprising that ended Muammar Gaddafi's rule. A UN-recognized government operates from Tripoli while an eastern administration in Benghazi is backed by the LNA. The LNA attempted to seize Tripoli in 2019 but withdrew after a year of fighting.

General Al Jedid, who is from Tripoli and previously served under Gaddafi, said the force serves all Libyans rather than any single region or leader. The legislative bodies of Libya's eastern and western authorities signed a U.S.-mediated agreement last month to unify public spending for the first time in over a decade.