UAE Ally, US Accepts Lawsuit against Emirati-Backed Khalifa Haftar
Amidst the increasing UAE Libya war crimes, a lawsuit filed against Haftar in the US has received a green signal, leaving the Emirati-American alliance under red spotlight. While the UAE has been supporting the deadly objectives of the Libyan militia leader, its crucial ally is not at all hesitant in doing what would be deemed appropriate.
In the alliance with powerful Arab nations like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, the United States on several occasions has neglected abundant violations of human rights by these nations, under the presidency of Donald Trump. However, when it comes to lawsuits against the UAE-backed Khalifa Haftar of Libya, the federal courts of US take no time in approving them.
In past nearly 18 months, the UAE Libya war crimes have escalated disregarding everything, including the UN arms embargo and extensive breach of human rights. The country has been involved in supplying sophisticated arms to Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) in large quantities, using a web of countries like Egypt and Jordan. The extended support of the UAE to Haftar has led to severe loss of human lives in Libya.
In light of the intensifying offensives, a litigation was filed against Haftar in the US, accusing him of war crimes and human rights abuses. The LNA leader, who earlier resided in Virginia, had then requested the court to cast out the lawsuit. However, a federal judge turned down the appeal and instead approved the lawsuit. At a hearing in the US District Court in Alexandria, Judge Leonie Brinkema said that the allegations against UAE-backed militia leader were “very problematic and they’re allegations of some very, very serious conduct”.
Reports have highlighted that the lawsuits were filed by the families of victims, claiming that the UAE Haftar war crimes in Libya have indiscriminately killed thousands of civilians. A number of the complainants have even alleged that the forces of Haftar even singled out their relatives for torture and execution.
With the support of UAE, Egypt and Russia, Haftar has been striving to gain control over Tripoli, violating several boundaries of human rights. However, the Turkey-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), recognized by the UN, recently gave it back to the LNA forces and put an end to an year-old campaign of gaining control over the Libyan capital. Since then, reports have emerged highlighting extensive abuse of human rights at the hands of Haftar-backed forces, where mass graves and use of landmines.
The US lawsuit against Haftar is just an addition to another filed in the Federal District Court of Columbia in February 2020. It was filed by six Libyan families to sue Khalifa Haftar and the UAE government for their alleged roles in war crimes. Besides, the acceptance of these lawsuits by the US reflects how the alliance with UAE provides no leverage to the Emirati objectives in Libya.
