The intervention escalates in Libya with UAE’s IGG sending modernized version of French-made Leclerc tanks to Jordan, which would further be deployed in the Libyan war. IGG has been a crucial link in the arms supply network of Khalifa Haftar.
Intensifying its prolonged intervention in the Libya war, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) continues to defy the United Nations (UN) Libyan Arms Embargo, reports by human rights organizations, concerns raised by world leaders, as well as the massive loss of human lives in Libya.
The constant supply of arms to General Khalifa Haftar has moved a step further, with the involvement of UAE’s IGG in Libya war. A leading defense equipment and system supplier in the Emirates, the International Golden Group (IGG) was set up by Fadel Al Kaabi, in 2002.
The Al Kaabi clan of the UAE has maintained cordial partnerships with foreign defense groups, including France’s multinational defense and security provider, Thales; and the British multinational firm, BAE Systems.
A faithful ally of Al Nahyan house, the family has formerly been of the Tawazun sovereign fund, which transferred its strategic assets and created Mubadala in 2004. It now runs Tawazun Economic Council, which is responsible for the development of defense and security industry of the UAE. Operating under the Al Kaabi’s, UAE’s IGG for Libyan arms supply chain has been an important hook, transferring sophisticated weapons from the Emirates to Haftar in the North African nation.
Abu Dhabi is now attempting to send 80 French-made Leclerc tanks to the North-African nation, using one of its greatest ally in the Libyan operations, Jordan. Remaining in the background, Jordan has been a major supporter of Khalifa Haftar and UAE’s objectives in Libya.
In September 2020, a Jordanian maritime firm, Med Wave Shipping, became target to the European Union (EU) sanctions for breaching the arms embargo in Libya. Another Kazakhstan-based Sigma Airlines, which was involved in supplying cash and weapons to Haftar on behalf of the UAE, was also sanctioned.
According to recent reports, UAE’s IGG for Libyan militia leader, Haftar, has modernized the Leclerc tanks, which have earlier been deployed by the Arab nation in the Yemen war. The Leclerc is known as a main battle tank (MBT), which is built by France’s government-owned weapon manufacturer, Nexter.
UAE’s IGG has reportedly partnered with Nexter on the contract to add upgrades to make the armor of Leclerc tanks harder to crack. The group’s international defense relations facilitated the Emirates with advance weaponry. In the past, a variety of weapons obtained from such foreign arms manufacturers have been used in Yemen by the UAE.
Reports from 2019 provide evidence, where Nexter-built Caesar cannons and Leclerc tanks, as well as a laser-guided system called Damocles by Thales for Emirati fighter jets triggered the Arab nation’s offensives in Yemen. The operations of UAE’s IGG in Libya bring back such records, highlighting the groups role in assisting the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed’s aggressive objectives.
IGG also maintains a strategic partnership with Royal Group, the holding company of UAE’s National Security Adviser Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who was involved in transfers of nearly $200,000 to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s niece Aniseh Shawkat, despite the sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States.
Assisting in major acquisitions of weapons for non-state allies, UAE’s IGG is a threat for Libya. The disposition of Leclerc tanks by the Emirati firm will only intensify havoc, while the arms embargo will again be violated by the Arab nation.
