US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Africa met Libyan military leader Khalifa Haftar and other officials in Benghazi, it was announced on Thursday.
The meeting between Massad Boulos and Field Marshal Haftar came after the US official met Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who heads Libya’s rival government.
“I was pleased to be received in Benghazi by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar,” Mr Boulos said on X. “We discussed US support for Libyan efforts to unify institutions, reinforce sovereignty, and chart a path to stability and prosperity through political dialogue.”
Libya has had little stability since a 2011 Nato-backed uprising ousted longtime autocrat Muammar Qaddafi. The country split in 2014 between rival eastern and western factions, though an outbreak of major warfare paused with a truce in 2020.
Mr Haftar controls much of the eastern part of Libya. Mr Boulos also met the military leader’s son, Lt Gen Saddam Haftar.
“We discussed ways to expand co-operation and reinforce Libyan efforts to unify the military and other key institutions. I reiterated US support for Libyan unity, sovereignty, and stability,” Mr Boulos said.