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When his name is mentioned on the streets of Benghazi, passersby generally lower their eyes and quickly flee. A few months ago, in the downtown theater, the actors quietly trusted that Saddam Haftar had better never speak. In our programs we can do irony about the vices and defects of Libyan society. Lately, references to the political situation and internal divisions are no longer prohibited. But the Haftar family had better not touch Saddam for anything, they said.
Judging by the facts, his warnings are more than justified. The murder of lawyer Hanan al Barassi, 46, at noon confirms the darkest fears. The murderers acted knowing that they enjoyed total impunity. He was shot while driving his car in the central V20, where the best shops are and pedestrians crowd the sidewalks. Azouz Barqa, Mrs. Cyrenaica, as this tireless activist in favor of human rights was known, who just a few hours earlier on her blog had published a new message of accusation against the corruption of the Haftar family and in particular of denunciation against Saddam , he didn’t even have time to react. In Benghazi, comments are reserved, fearful. But observers of Libyan affairs and international humanitarian organizations do not hesitate to point the finger at him again, Saddam, 35, the eldest son of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who would one day take the place of his father.
Al Barassi’s ending looks a lot like Siham Sergewa’s in July 2019,the deputy kidnapped from her home in Benghazi by a group of armed militants in Brigade 106, which is commanded by Saddam himself. The house was set on fire, her husband, a surgeon, beaten and threatened, and Siham was forced into a pickup truck. Since then nothing has been known. But the widespread belief that he died a long time ago, like the 150 or so intellectuals and journalists who since 2014 have opposed the iron hand imposed by Khalifa Haftar in the areas under his control.
The two women in particular had criticized Haftar’s military offensive to try to take Tripoli last year. Siham denounced violence against women and corruption. Amnesty International reports that she was subsequently threatened with death who had posted on the blog the intention of broadcasting a video of his to make Saddam’s crimes public. A character that closely resembles the figure of Uday, the well-known eldest son of Saddam Hussein, assassinated in Iraq by US troops in 2003. But, in the case of Libyan Saddam, the implications for the Haftar regime are even more profound. In fact, Saddam plays an important role in the hierarchy of the local military system. His militias were accused by the International Tribunal in The Hague of torturing and killing prisoners of war. Tripoli media reports that in 2017 it was he who led his militia to remove much of the gold and cash stored at the Libyan Central Bank branch in Benghazi. In fact, a true robbery in broad daylight guaranteed by the monopoly of violence. And two months ago too Radio France International reported very unclear trafficking of Haftar’s three sons, in addition to Saddam, also Khaled and Siddiq, involved in laundering gold and cash in banks in Istanbul and Dubai.
Saddam’s role now grows with the progressive political and military weakening of his father.. Militarily beaten in Tripoli, forced on the defensive due to Turkish aid to the government of Fayez Sarraj, in disagreement with his allies in Moscow and, furthermore, in poor health, a figure in sharp decline appears to 77 Khalifa Haftar today. No wonder Saddam is trying to break through. But their brutal ways are not seen in Cyrenaica and much less in Tripolitania. It has no role in the timid peace talks that are currently taking place in both Tunisia and Sirte to try to create a unitary government for the country. UNSMIL, the UN agency that supports Libya and works for dialogue, has launched a clear complaint against the tragic death of al Barassi. The prevailing view among its diplomats is that Haftar’s eldest son should be investigated, rather than considered a credible political partner.
November 11, 2020 (change November 11, 2020 | 13:21)
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