Benghazi (Somalia Today) – Pakistan has delivered weapons to eastern Libya in a Saudi-financed operation backing military commander Khalifa Haftar, a move threatening to deepen foreign involvement in the divided North African country.
If confirmed, the reported shipments would pull Libya deeper into a widening contest between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi for influence, even as international powers publicly back efforts to reunify the country’s institutions.
According to a Middle East Eye report published on Wednesday, at least five Pakistani cargo aircraft carrying armaments landed at Benghazi airport in March. Arab and Western officials cited by the outlet said Saudi Arabia facilitated the deliveries on behalf of Haftar.
The two sides reportedly agreed to the terms during a rare early February visit to Islamabad by Haftar and his son Saddam, where they met Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Pakistan’s government said on February 3 that Sharif received a Libyan delegation, including Haftar, Saddam, and eastern Prime Minister Osama Saad Hamad.
It added that the two sides discussed cooperation and regional stability. Haftar also met Munir in Rawalpindi to discuss what Pakistan’s military called ‘professional cooperation.’
The alleged deliveries build on a much larger defence arrangement first disclosed in December, when Reuters reported that Pakistan reached a deal worth more than $4 billion with Haftar’s Libyan National Army.
The package reportedly included 16 JF-17 fighter jets and 12 Super Mushak trainer aircraft. It also contained other land, sea, and air equipment set for delivery over two and a half years.
Haftar hailed the agreement at the time, saying: “We announce the launch of a new phase of strategic military cooperation with Pakistan.”
Embargo under strain
Any such arms flow would defy an international arms embargo formally in place since 2011.
The UN Security Council renewed Libya’s sanctions regime and related restrictions this month until August 2027.
Reuters also reported that Haftar recently acquired what appeared to be Chinese and Turkish combat drones at an eastern airbase, a move likely to strengthen his position.
Libya remains split between the UN-recognised Government of National Unity in Tripoli, led by Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, and eastern authorities aligned with Haftar, who control the east and much of the south, including key oilfields.
The reported Saudi role stands out because Reuters reported this week that Pakistan already put a separate $1.5 billion weapons and jets sale to Sudan on hold after Riyadh withdrew financing and demanded the deal’s termination.
According to that report, Saudi officials have changed their approach to African conflicts after a March meeting with Sudanese military leaders.
Sources cited by Middle East Eye said Riyadh wanted Haftar to help curb weapons flows from southeastern Libya to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
However, a UN experts’ report cited this week by the Associated Press said a Haftar-aligned battalion in southern Libya supported the RSF with equipment, fuel, and transit routes, underlining how deeply Libya’s borderlands now tie into Sudan’s war.
Regional rivalry
The reported shipments to Libya also fit into a broader Saudi-UAE struggle for regional influence. Riyadh backs Sudan’s army, while critics accuse the UAE of supporting the RSF. Abu Dhabi denies this allegation.
At the same time, both Gulf states joined the United States, Turkey, Britain, France, Egypt, and others in a joint statement on April 20 welcoming Libya’s first unified national budget in more than a decade, calling it a step towards greater coordination between eastern and western leaders.
Limited military coordination on the ground matched that diplomatic message.
Last week, forces from Libya’s eastern and western camps participated together for the first time in the US-led Flintlock exercises in Sirte, representing what Reuters described as a symbolic breakthrough after years of deadlock.
Saddam Haftar said the drills reaffirmed Libya’s position “as a reliable partner in supporting regional and international peace and security.”
Middle East Eye said Saudi Arabia is trying to use the new supplies and political backing to draw Haftar into a broader integration track with Western-based institutions. Some officials remained sceptical that Riyadh could pull him far from the UAE’s orbit.
Neither Islamabad nor Riyadh has publicly acknowledged the alleged March deliveries, and Pakistan’s military and foreign ministry previously declined to comment on the wider Libya deal.
But if verified, the shipments would show that foreign powers continue to arm and court Libya’s rival centres of power despite the UN embargo, even as the country’s backers publicly endorse reunification and institutional coordination.
