French report: Haftar is betting on reconstruction projects to enhance his influence instead of military force

The French website “The Africa Report” revealed that the family of American Khalifa Haftar in eastern Libya is betting on reconstruction projects to enhance their popularity and influence instead of military force.

The website confirmed, in a report, that nine months after the devastation caused by Storm Daniel, reconstruction projects increased in Cyrenaica, especially in the city of Derna, which was subjected to severe damage, noting that Derna’s dams, which date back to the 1970s, were never maintained. “, which led to its collapse during a storm in September 2023.

The website pointed out that the Tobruk Parliament voted to allocate 10 billion dinars to help the affected areas, and Belkacem Haftar was assigned to head the Development and Reconstruction Fund.

The report quoted Jalal Harchaoui, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in London, as saying, “The fund is a political tool used by the Haftar family to show that they are doing a better job than Tripoli.”

The website pointed out that some experts doubted the sustainability of these projects, and quoted Claudia Gazzini, a researcher at the International Crisis Group, as saying: “Haftar’s family can do whatever they want in Derna, which is really under their control.” “In other places, even in Benghazi, it has to make concessions.”